With Christmas soon approaching and still not having any plans we decided to shorten our stay in Costa Rica and hop a flight to the Caribbean for the holiday. With our country´s relations changing to soon allow US tourists to enter freely, we thought we should experience Cuba before the flood gate opens.
With only two weeks to experience the country, we limited our travels to the northern portion of the island. Although it seems like a small country, it takes a full day to cross the island by bus. After experiencing the beautiful yet decaying capital of Havana we set off on a small circuit visiting Viñales, Trinidad, Varadero and back to Havana.
Havana
When going around the city it is apparent that the government is hard at work restoring much of the city, starting with the most historically important buildings. However, much of the beauty and draw to the city is its run down nature, the result of decades of no new development and in many cases lack of upkeep. With the addition of the '50s cars spewing diesel exhaust down the street, it truly feels like you have entered a strange time warp that blends an older era infrastructure with a people and society that in many ways remains as contemporary as the rest of Latin America and the developed world.
Viñales
To the west of Havana lies the tobacco growing region of Viñales. Set in a picturesque valley accented with limestone cliffs, the valley floor is a beautiful blend of red toned earth and lush green vegetation and tobacco plants. With only a short amount of time to spend here we rented bikes which allowed us to cross from one end of the valley to the other. One of the highlights was the Cuevas de Santo Tomas, one of the largest cave networks in the Americas as well as the hiding place for the first rural militia during the revolution.
With only two weeks to experience the country, we limited our travels to the northern portion of the island. Although it seems like a small country, it takes a full day to cross the island by bus. After experiencing the beautiful yet decaying capital of Havana we set off on a small circuit visiting Viñales, Trinidad, Varadero and back to Havana.
Havana
When going around the city it is apparent that the government is hard at work restoring much of the city, starting with the most historically important buildings. However, much of the beauty and draw to the city is its run down nature, the result of decades of no new development and in many cases lack of upkeep. With the addition of the '50s cars spewing diesel exhaust down the street, it truly feels like you have entered a strange time warp that blends an older era infrastructure with a people and society that in many ways remains as contemporary as the rest of Latin America and the developed world.
Viñales
To the west of Havana lies the tobacco growing region of Viñales. Set in a picturesque valley accented with limestone cliffs, the valley floor is a beautiful blend of red toned earth and lush green vegetation and tobacco plants. With only a short amount of time to spend here we rented bikes which allowed us to cross from one end of the valley to the other. One of the highlights was the Cuevas de Santo Tomas, one of the largest cave networks in the Americas as well as the hiding place for the first rural militia during the revolution.
Tinidad
Next we boarded a bus to the colonial city of Trinidad which is located near the coast southeast of Havana. With a laid back atmosphere it was nice to simply walk the cobble streets and enjoy the architecture and sights.
Varadero and Matanzas
For Christmas we stayed in the beach town of Varadero. Although it was made up mostly of hotels and resorts, it did offer amazing white sand beaches. Besides relaxing at the hotel or on the beach, the highlight of our time here was our Christmas morning skydive. After being picked up at our hotel and taken to the small airport nearby we soon found ourselves in the air high above the beach below. Following a quick free fall and gorgeous parachute flight we landed right back on the beach.
A couple days later we had a quick layover in Matanzas before taking the train back to Havana. Situated less than an hour from the resorts, the city offers views of Cuban life many tourist never see.
Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.
Here are a couple video clips from the trip:
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