Cuba bikepacking cycle tour
Description of Cuba bikepacking cycle tour
This bikepacking adventure in Cuba allows totally independent exploration. You can go on a group departure and cycle with others or book your own private tour. This is a BYOB – bring your own bike – trip. After a pre-trip briefing, a guide will give you a helping hand to show you out of the city of Havana, but then they turn back, leaving you to explore the open roads alone!
Cuba is a fantastic place for road cycling, with a strong two-wheel tradition and very little motorised road traffic. Prepare for a few climbs; the reward is that you’ll enjoy wonderful scenery as you go.
This trip takes you west out of Havana. Whilst you’ll head to famous places like Las Terrazas and Vinales, you’ll also be going off the beaten track to areas that are less visited – like Puerto Esperanza, a little-known fishing village, and Mil Cumbres, where you’ll need to ask staff at the lodge to heat up water for you as there is no running hot water.
There is no support vehicle or guide but you get accommodation and meals – including packed lunches for the roads. You’ll need to be confident on a bike, and confident handling repairs, as there aren’t any bike shops around here.
Expect to cycle on mostly paved roads and distances between 25km and 80km a day, with some chances to take alternative routes on certain days. This trip is designed for confident cyclists who are happy to be independent. This is a true adventure in Cuba, and a really exciting way to see the country.
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Reviews
1 Reviews of Cuba bikepacking cycle tour
Reviewed on 20 Dec 2024 by Maureen Welch
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The balance between cycling & the cultural experiences.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Read the info provided by the operator. Don’t forget to bring items to share with
the community.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes - as we cycled, walked and lived with locals.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
10/10
Responsible Travel
Planet
This tour is carried out almost entirely by bike, making it our most low carbon tour to date. Except for transfers in Havana and the taxi back to Havana from Cayo Levisa, our travellers will complete the whole circuit on two wheels, producing zero C02.On this tour you stay in casas particulares throughout; local homes that run like Bed and Breakfasts. As opposed to big hotels, casas particulares use little more energy than any other Cuban home and produce far less waste than the average hotel. Meals are prepared with seasonal produce bought fresh at market on a daily basis, rather than plastic-packed imported goods from a supermarket. A Cuban home will use its air conditioning sparingly, whereas a hotel has all units on 24/7.
To reduce plastic consumption we encourage our travellers to invest in a filter bottle before coming to Cuba. Modern filter bottles are able to filter up to 99.9% of bacteria and can be refilled at any water source, including rivers and even puddles! This saves travellers having to rely on mineral water. If you do use plastic bottles you should donate them to your casa particular or to any locals you meet on route as plastic bottles are routinely recycled and repurposed.
On day 3 of the tour you bike through Las Terrazas biosphere reserve, Cuba’s first ever self-sufficient community dedicated to the research and protection of the local ecosystem. Your entrance fee to Las Terrazas goes directly to the community’s ongoing environmental initiatives.
People
On this tour you will be contributing to the local economy at every turn. Your casas particulares are all family-run and the money from your stay goes straight into supporting them and their community. You`re also likely to do most of your dining out in paladares; privately-owned, family-run restaurants that use seasonal produce and reinvest directly in the local economy. Even fixing a puncture can contribute to the community if you use the local ponchero - someone who exclusively works fixing punctures.As you bike through rural areas of western Cuba you will be stopping in remote settlements to buy drinks and snacks. Not only will you be making an economic contribution to these communities, you`ll also be providing a rare opportunity for them to interact with foreigners. As you will be travelling at your own rhythm you can take the time to stop and learn about life in rural Cuba. Viñales in particular offers the opportunity to learn about the tobacco-growing industry, from seedling to cigar.
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