Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

Wandering around Trinidad and the excellent home stay (Hostal Slovenia ~ Margarita). Music everywhere.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Laz was a perfect tour guide; relaxed, patient, knowledgeable and with excellent English. We were never hassled to move on, never chased to keep up, yet there seemed to be time to do everything. He tolerated our inability to remember timing, restaurant and food options with a smile. Many on the tour were going on to other locations in Cuba or elsewhere and he sorted out all accommodation, directions and transport issues.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you are thinking about it - go for it! We were concerned that we would not cope with the cycling - we are very irregular cyclists. The cycling was occasionally hard (temperature and hills) but we managed very well. The roads are very quiet, we were always on tarmac (if occasionally potholed) and it was possible to opt out and get on the bus at any time - though we hardly ever did. Seriously, you will cope

Suggestions

The food was always good and plentiful in quantity and choice. Sandwich lunches on the move were always fine and water was always available from the bus. But is almost impossible to get 'snacks' - it is worth taking a few cereal bars and/or dried fruit to nibble on the road.

Most Inspirational Moment

Difficult to choose one moment. The scenery is lovely, but not spectacular. The inspiration was really for us the insight into Cuba and the way Cubans organise their lives

Thoughts on Group Leader

Laz is a knowledgable and amazingly patient guy. He was always ready to answer any questions and change his plans to fit with our requests. We were a very diverse group, with different interests and abilities, and he managed to make sure we all had a good holiday.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring everything you want or think you will need, there are NO shops! Well, of course there are some, but they are not as we know them and they don't sell the odds and ends that you would expect in a tourist destination. Bring snacks, there is nowhere to buy sweets or chocolate, etc. (our guide was always very grateful for a sweet offering!) Food is filling and healthy, but not very varied. Do not expect to have a gourmet experience in Cuba ! Bring sterling or Euros to change rather than rely on ATMs, they are few and far between, and some people had trouble making them work. Wifi is very limited, although there did seem to be good mobile phone reception.

Suggestions

Don't forget your swimming kit, snorkles and goggles: most of the hotels have good pools and there was plenty of opportunity for a swim in the sea.

Most Inspirational Moment

Meeting the Cuban people. They seem to have very little but they give you so much. Some of us brought small gifts (toys, toiletries, pens, books) which we gave to our hosts in the 'Casas Particulares'. Seeing their smiles was very uplifting.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was excellent. He was very helpful (cycling off at one point to get more currency for the group). He was a proud Cuban with a good sense of humour and was always on hand to sort any issues which arose.

Advice for Potential Travellers

About half way through the holiday, quite a few members of the group ran out of Cuban money or needed to top up their currency. Changing money wasn't quite as easy as in other parts of the world, so I would advise changing more than the £150 which we were advised to change on arrival at the airport. Oh...and some of my twenty pound notes were refused by the cashiers because they weren't 'perfect'. Make sure the cash you bring into Cuba has no small tears. They will be refused.

Suggestions

I'm not a cyclist but I completed the course! At times, the hills presented a real challenge but that just added to the sense of achievement at the end of the day. The food was quite ordinary really but nobody in our group was ill. However, my advice would be - just go!...before Cuba changes!

Most Inspirational Moment

For me, I was literally inspired by Trinidad where we had time off to ourselves. The Casa Particular where I stayed with two other members of our group was a cozy, homely retreat with a family atmosphere. I felt inspired to paint. While others went on excursions, I sat and filled my sketchbook with water colours, painting the little cobbled squares and tall towers with their round windows. Where else in the world can you see 18th century buildings in pristine condition without an advertisement, a traffic light or any other piece of 21st century clutter? Even the few wandering tourists were so sparsely distributed that they did not interfere with my concentration.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yasell was an inspiring guide whose grasp of English and knowledge of Cuban history kept me fascinated all the time. He was very attentive and amusing. I admire his patience. It can't be easy to deal with 16 people of all different ages. As a result of his commitment and attention to detail, we all felt we were being very well looked after.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't gripe before you grasp the realities of life in this very different world. The hotel receptionists may ignore you. They will not have a room ready, the toilet will not have running water, the handles are going to fall off the doors and the taps will be broken. The light switches will not work. The showers will have lost their brackets. The barman won't speak to you. In short, no one (except our excellent guide, driver and mechanic) will appear to be accountable for anything! Nonetheless Cuban people, once you get away from the big hotels, are wonderful to spend time among. They are often very warm and not afraid to show their feelings. It feels safe and ultimately very hospitable in spite of the chaos.

Suggestions

An organized group activity is something that normally provokes in me a severe allergic reaction. However, on this occasion, I did not come out in a rash and I hope, for the sake of my fellow travelers, I made a good impression and entered into the spirit of bonhomie. Seeing Cuba by pedal power with a well organized group of like minded enthusiasts was one of the best experiences of my life. I will treasure the memory and the friendships I have made for a very long time.

Most Inspirational Moment

The helpfulness of the Exodus team when we accidently mislaid a bag. (James was very kind)

Suggestions

Would like to spend more time in the country.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most inspirational moment? - Freewheel cycling 5 KM downhill in blissful sunshine and fresh morning breeze in a stretch of the lush green Topes de Collantes National Park, from the beautiful Lake Hanabanilla. Pure elation! Sadly our last bike journey of the trip before returning to Havana.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yasel was a real star and key to the whole success of the trip. His knowledge of Cuban history, geography, culture, politics, and culinary delights made it a stimulating week of learning and fun. Always aware of striking the right balance of keeping us to schedule but also able to adapt and improvise if external conditions or requests from the group needed or could be accommodated. He and our driver and mechanic made it so easy for us to just enjoy the whole experience. Even down to laying on a shower of cold water (flagen of cold water poured on our heads) at the top of some of the more challenging hills.)

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go! Be flexible to try new things, don't make comparisons to other holidays/hotels/meals you've experiences and enjoy the charm, beauty of Cuba and its people as it is today, maybe a unique time in its history. Also I found it good to do a bit of pre reading on the country's history before I went. Its also given me incentive to read more now that I'm back.

Suggestions

I guess a trip like this can very much depend/success rest, on the make up of the group you are with. This was the first Exodus trip I've done, so while I can't compare but this group were a great crowd, we had lots of laughs and it was a pleasure meeting and spending time with them.

Most Inspirational Moment

seeing the Cuban culture

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent, knowledgable and professional.

Advice for Potential Travellers

sun is strong whilst cycling so while vests may seem the cooler option a cycling t-shirt will protect you from sunburnt shoulders/back. During the heat you may prefer to make use of bus to carry back pack whilst cycling so bring water bottle if you have camel back. A small bag that can attach to Bike frame (behind seat or on cross bar) would of been useful to carry camera/phone/sun cream etc when not using back pack although bus is accessible at each stop.

Suggestions

Great trip with a great group of people.

Most Inspirational Moment

There wasn't one particular moment. The whole place is inspirational, although it's hard to see how the changes currently taking place are going to have a positive impact on all Cubans. It's hot. It's humid. There's music everywhere. The rum based drinks are fab. The men are a bit too forward. The sea is so blue and the sand so white. The renovations of the old colonial buildings are starting to make things look a bit Disney-like. It all makes for a really great, interesting trip, and I'd go again in a heart beat.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was Laz, and we had Guille as mechanic and Eduardo as driver. They were a great team, and I think we all really enjoyed being in their company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try and keep loads of ten and 25 centavo coins to give to the toilet attendants. Take some long sleeve tops for cycling - even wearing high protection suncream some of us got burnt. You might need ear plugs as Cuban cockerels, pineapple sellers, etc. etc. start early! Immodium might be a good idea too, as there were a few dodgy tummies among the group!

Most Inspirational Moment

A group of us being given a Salsa lesson in the HQ courtyard! It was really, really fun not least because the Cuban staff found our attempts hilarious enough to film, ( although I hope I'm not on YouTube) and you could see why when 2 staff gave us a demonstration of how it is really done.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. He was good fun without being ingratiating and obviously very knowledgeable about the local area and wildlife. when things didn't go quite according to plan he simply improvised, re-organised and calmly resolved any issues. We learnt a lot about the revolution and it's effect on the Cuban way of life and I finished the holiday feeling a great deal of respect for the Cuban people.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Learn to Salsa and get some cycling practice. The cycling isn't too difficult but over 25 miles a day can be a challenge if you're inexperienced.

Suggestions

We spent the last evening in the Hotel Miramar which is on the outskirts of Havana, but many felt it would have been much nicer if we could have stayed in the Hotel Nacionale which was a more traditional hotel in old Havana.

Most Inspirational Moment

This was my first trip to Cuba. I had expected to see "poverty" but soon realized this is not an impoverished nation in the traditional sense of this word. Definitely, the living standards are low compared to First World. However, the people are well educated, mostly well-fed and housed, and make do with much less "stuff" than we are accustomed to having. Cuba is a fascinating country that is best experienced first-hand because it truly is unique.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Yazel was knowledgeable, patient, extremely well organized and a passionate host to the group. He took great care to make sure everybody was well prepared at each stage of the tour itinerary. Our driver (Eduardo) and bike mechanic ("TT") did not speak much English but were very friendly and always willing to listen to our own sorry attempts at communicating in Spanish. Yazel provided a steady supply of information, with historical and local flavour, prior to and during each day's riding or bus transfer.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Unless you are used to riding in high heat (averaged 32-34C by mid-day) and humidity, I would say the riding is of mild to moderate intensity most of the time, not leisurely. The optional "challenge" hill on the last biking day is fun but it is a true challenge - slow and steady wins the day! Take more cash than you think you will need, and expect to pay for everything in cash. Our Canadian bank cards (debit and credit) did NOT work, even in Havana. Awkward! Fortunately, our new biking amigos bankrolled us.

Suggestions

This trip exceeded our expectations in every way. We thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anybody who is curious about the country.