Cycling Cuba

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

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  Elizabeth Nicol

  CYCLING CUBA

  

  Written November 2011

  Cuba was a beautiful country, and a great place to cycle - there is very little traffic, and the local drivers are very considerate to cyclists (the occasional tourist hire car was less thoughtful). 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The toughest cycling day was also one of the best. It was nothing like as horrendously tough as I'd been expecting after the description our group leader had given, but it was certainly a long slog. The final, off road stretch was probably my favourite bit of cycling on the whole trip. 

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Jose was great, extremely knowledge and very enthusiastic to tell us about his country.

   The drivers/cycle mechanics were really friendly and helpful too.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Take cash - ATMs are few and far between.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Cycling was a great way to see Cuba, and this was a brilliantly hassle-free trip - fresh fruit and drink stops provided at regular intervals to keep us going, bike mechanics on hand to sort out any issues, bags carried...

   
• 

  Angela Brown

  What an adventure!

  

  Written August 2011

  A fantastic experience, and a great way to see the country...and what a fascinating place!  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  I'm not the best cyclist in the world, far from it. So I think, for me, I achieved a lot of cycling...which was very inspirational because I wanted to do more.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  The group leader was fab! He certainly knew his stuff and was like a walk in encyclopaedia to Cuba!

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Keep your eyes on everything! The roads can be quite uneven! Bring lots of antihistamines...the mosquitos certainly get ya! When you're cycling, all you need is a camera and a little bit of sun cream on you, you can leave your day pack on the coach because the coach is always with you. So just a little bum bag is sufficient. Museli bars....I brought some with me which were great for a little snack. You do get lots of fruit and snacks when you stop but I found a muesli bar a day gave me a bit more energy!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Unfortunately I only cycled for the first week, because I came off my bike halfway through the holiday. I think I was more gutted about missing out on the cycling for the rest of the holiday than the fact that I'd fractured my wrist. The group leader was fantastic....got me to a hospital and generally acted quickly. The medical service in Cuba was great and I was looked after properly.

   
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  Anthony Johnson

  CYCLING CUBA

  

  Written August 2011

  If you want to see Cuba before it all changes, go now! See it from the road; cycle through the bits the tour buses would rush past and see the real Cuba. The hotels are fine, the food is better than what the Cubans get and the tour guide was amazing. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  I enjoyed stopping off for breaks from the rides in the villages and sometimes in peoples' houses. The minibus driver would always have water, fruit and other snacks available to keep us going.  The stay in the rainforest lodge was fab.  The history provided us by our guide brought everything we saw into perspective - you wouldn't have got that out of a guidebook on your own!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Hose was an amazing guide. He treated us like friends, really wanted to inspire us about his country, had a great sense of humour, was extremely well organised, and it all just ticked over perfectly.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  August was hot, very hot.  Obviously while you are cycling the breeze keeps you cooler, but as soon as you stop you realise how daft you've been to go out cycling. If you aren't very good with heat, avoid mid summer! Having said that the beer tastes oh so good in the heat!  And its nice to go out at night in a T-shirt!

  Don't expect to stay in touch with the world with internet apps. Infrastructure currently not there, very slow and expensive. Just relax and pretend it 1960!

   
• 

  Vanessa Morison

  CYCLING CUBA

  

  Written July 2011

  Excellent holiday, brilliant guide and a fascinating insight into Cuba and the Cubans.  Just be warned cycling in Cuba in August is HOT, HOT, HOT. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Finishing the last leg of the last day and managing to keep up with everyone else - not something I'd managed on the other days!! 

   

  Arriving at a village park on the day of Fidel Castro's Birthday to be greeted by children dancing salsa and being offered huge slabs of "Birthday Cake" with nothing other than Cuban Cola on sale which went perfectly with the Rum one of our party had purchased - classic!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Jose was a great guide, very knowledgable, enthusiastic and a great sense of humour.  He definitely inspired an interest in the life and history of Cuba and the Cubans.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  As I said in my summary be warned it is hot in August but the support vehicle is always there so if waivering just give it a go you'll see a life in a completely different way, take your own saddle or at least a gel cover as you don't want saddle sores to blight your trip.  Fabulous people, so friendly, welcoming and generous when they have so little compared to us for such a well educated population, our driver was a lawyer and our guide was a languages teacher!

   
• 

  Roy Collinge

  CYCLING CUBA

  

  Written May 2011

  Everything came together to make the holiday a classic.The group ,the guide, the place , the nightlife, fantastic.   

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  There were many , but sitting alone on the beach at the bay of pigs with a crystal beer watching the sun go down was special

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Jose was a star, his enthusiasm was infectious.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  dont miss Cuba

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Viva Cuba Libre

   
• 

  Sara Long

  CYCLING CUBA

  

  Written April 2011

  A bike, stunning scenery and an amazing group of people to spend time with - what more could you ask for?!? This trip was amazing although a bit more full on that I was expecting but I suspect that was because we all wanted to try and do and see as much as possible so just kept running! Mohitos and Cristals to recover though and off we went again - what are you waiting for? Go for it!! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The trip far exceeded my expectations so its difficult to pick one inspirational moment but I think the mountain day takes the biscuit!

   Bob had just taken a nose dive off his bike (moral of the story always wear a helmet!!), it was hot, hot, hot (somewhere around 38 degrees) and we were flagging a bit when out of nowhere came the hotel - nestled in the middle of a jungle down the bumpiest road you ever did see!

  Never have I been so pleased to see a waiter with a cool drink and the natural swimming pool was stunning... even if we didn't find it til too late to use and just sat in the green pools out the front to cool down!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Jose lead the group and Tuna and Alberto were the mechanics come bus drivers. Loads of local knowledge, plenty of dance steps to teach, lots of patience when we kept finding the nearest bar for drinks and ice creams to cool down... and many a catch phrase learnt to keep us chuckling... Well done "my children"!

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  There were a few things that I think would have helped me:

  • Take old clothes to leave behind for locals - apparently shoes are very expensive
  • If taking gifts school kids want pencils not pens, these are better given to the office workers
  • Learn to use your gears on the bike properly - using granny gears is not a failure! (It was very windy and sometimes harder on the flat into the wind than the hills!)
  • Take sudacream for any er... delicate bike sores... or even just sun burn
  • I wish I'd taken 'thank you' pressies for the guides as well as the tip - they definately deserved them
  • No matter how tired your legs are or if you're at the back of the group, if you see something you want to take a photo of stop and take it, you only get one chance!
  • Do take a 'good' camera, mine was a few years old and just really slow to take pictures and quite often what i wanted to snap had long gone before my camera fired into action!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  I have more photos of old cars than any girl can possibly ever need - in fact I have more photos than anyone could possibly want to see (900 in total, but I did stay an extra week in Havana!) and its proving really hard to edit them down as they all hold such great memories!

  I would recommend this holiday to everyone - the food was fantastic (no need for chili sauce or the like), the people were great, the support out there and whilst booking was amazing and the scenery when cycling was just stunning (and if you can't make the daily miles just jump on the bus if you get tired!)

   Where's next!?!

   
• 

  Diana Maynard

  CYCLING CUBA

  

  Written March 2011

  If you're thinking about this holiday, don't hesitate, just do it! Far exceeded my expectations. Cuba itself is mind-blowing, and the trip packs in a bit of everything.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Making it all the way to the top of the hills on the day in the mountains without getting off to walk, finally arriving at that amazing hotel in the middle of nowhere, and then swimming under the waterfalls at sunset.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Laz was, quite simply, the best Exodus leader I've met. You could tell instantly that he's passionate about his country, his job and cycling (and, like any Cuban, baseball!). He was very well organised, his local and historical knowledge were first class, he never tired of answering questions about Cuba, the trip itself, and his personal life, and he was sociable and friendly without being overbearing. He also understood very well the different personalities in the group and was always ready to listen and help when issues arose.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Take plenty of Imodium (most of our group needed it at some stage) and keep some loo roll with you at all times. Try to keep hold of small change for toilets and tips - you may also find it difficult to get rid of large bank notes in some places. Take an MP3 player if you want a bit of inspiration to get you up the big hills or for some of the long stretches when you find yourself on your own, and also for some of the longer bus transfers. Take enough money in UK sterling to see you through the trip (and a bit extra in case) - it's much easier and cheaper to change bank notes than to use a debit or credit card to get money, though it's possible in the larger places. If you're not a fan of plain food, take a bottle of hot sauce with you to liven up some of the dishes, especially if you're vegetarian. Take plenty of high factor suncream and SPF lipbalm - several of us managed to lose our lipbalms along the way and ended up with very sunburnt lips! We never found a shop that sold lipbalm although you can get suncream in the bigger hotels. I found it useful to have a thin long-sleeved top to cycle in one day when I had sunburnt arms. Above all, go on this trip with a very open mind - be prepared for the unexpected (random power cuts, lack of hot water or indeed any water, last minute changes to plan). There'll be a few pleasant surprises along the way as well. Brush up on your salsa skills as there'll be plenty of opportunity to try them out - knowing just a few steps will really help!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The local guides (and their families) will be very grateful for any donations of cycling kit (water bottles, helmets, cycle shorts, gloves), other clothing, toiletries etc at the end of the trip, whatever condition it's in (even if filthy after your cycling) - so when packing, you might want to consider if there's anything you want to use on the trip and then give away at the end. Also I'd recommend older clothing for cycling in rather than your shiny new stuff - if it rains you'll probably never get the mud and gunk out afterwards! Also I wish I had packed a couple of nice outfits for the evenings when we went dancing and so on, I just had shorts and a boring skirt, and my trekking sandals, and felt a bit frumpy compared to all the locals! Be prepared for a fair bit of time spent on the bus as there are quite a lot of transfers - miore cycling and fewer transfers would have been nice but they are more or less unavoidable. Also be prepared to cycle in a lot of headwind (although it's never cold) - you do get used to it pretty quickly and if you're lucky you may get a couple of days of tailwind too!

   

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