Cuba????

I would like to hear what other that have been there have to say about the trip. Where is the best place to stay? What is the cost of a trip to Cuba? Best rest day things to do?

Check out Cubaclimbing.com

hi man,

I didn't climb when i went to Cuba. but that being said the climbing is located in Vinales. You can catch a bus to there from havana for about 10 bucks with the "Viazul" bus (only bus which tourists are allowed to take). the best places to stay are "case particulares", which are bed and breakfasts, cost approximately 30-40 bucks a night, though, the prices are negotiable. I was in Cuba during low season and was able to talk the price down to 15-20 most of the time including breakfast. There isn't a climbing community though in Cuba, average monthly wage is 18 dollars, very very very poor country. And when i was in Vinales i didn't see anyone climbing, but i did see some bolts on the wall.

In terms of price...if you go legally through florida, its about 400 dollars round trip from miami, but you have to get to miami so maybe throw in another 200 dollars. The cheaper and less legal option, assuming your not a stamp collector, is to go through cancun, you can get a round trip to cancun for 200, and once you are there you can get a flight to cuba round trip for 200, roughly. other than that you can eat at a restaurant for 5-7 dollars, or get shitty local pizza for 20 cents, but get some CUP when you do your money exchange to pay for those, and other street items. remember, food in cuba is horrible. this is not a destination to visit for foodies.

If you are planning on only staying in Vinales, not much to do on rest days, maybe catch a bus to the beach, horse back riding, explore local caves, and get a tour of a coffee plantation (vinales is the hub of coffee plantations).

cheers,
Jacob

PS...google is full of answers.

I know this group has done several trips out there. srcfc.org/ You could probably get some good beta through them.

slacker wrote:I would like to hear what other that have been there have to say about the trip. Where is the best place to stay? What is the cost of a trip to Cuba? Best rest day things to do?

I haven't been there, but if you go, just remember that the bolts may be very suspect due to the climate. Cuba is a very similar climate to Cayman Brac where even good stainless bolts have been known to fail in a short period of time and have since all been replaced with titanium. I don't think that there has been any bolt upgrading to titanium in Cuba. The climbing does look awesome though!

edit to my post, meant to say tobacco plantations, not coffee.

The climbing is awesome. There are some routes with titanium bolts, and I recommend sticking to them.

Talk to the cubaclimbing guy, Armando Menocal:armando@cubaclimbing.com for places to stay, etc.

They really need titanium bolts.

Jacob's prices sound about right, but I disagree on his critique of the food, which I found excellent at the casa particulares, and the rest day activities.

Where else can you explore a second(if not third) world communist country in a freaking sweet jungle island paradise? A beach is an hour taxi ride away, costing you 25 CUCs. You can watch women hand-rolling cigars at tobacco plantations and buy them at a buck each. You can borrow bikes and coast through the farmland. You can swim in the natural pools. You can scuba dive at the bay of pigs. You can spend a few days in Havanna checking out the cultural museums/sites, and try to keep up salsa dancing with the locals late at night while big black men try to woo your girlfriend away from you.

Also, cubans are suuuuppperr friendly. We had tons of people just come up and talk to us as Americans weren't so common two years ago.

Phil Lauffen wrote: and the rest day activities. Where else can you explore a second(if not third) world communist country in a freaking sweet jungle island paradise? A beach is an hour taxi ride away, costing you 25 CUCs. You can watch women hand-rolling cigars at tobacco plantations and buy them at a buck each. You can borrow bikes and coast through the farmland. You can swim in the natural pools. You can scuba dive at the bay of pigs. You can spend a few days in Havanna checking out the cultural museums/sites, and try to keep up salsa dancing with the locals late at night while big black men try to woo your girlfriend away from you. .

I actually agree tbh. think i was maybe grumpy when i wrote my post for some reason. Vinales was awesome, and with lots to do. was definitely the highlight of my trip along with Trinidad.

I am going but only spending 3 days max climbing. Is it worth bringing a tag line for multipitch? Or is there enough to keep me busy on single pitch? I can lead up to 5.10b/c. Also would you choose Trinidad over Havana? Thanks to all who are keeping this thread alive!!!

I don't think you should choose between the two. you should do both. Cuba is a larger country than you think. I recommend at least 2 weeks to see Cuba.

I'm leaving this Saturday and will be in Vinales Feb 13 through 16. Super psyched. If anyone is going to be there at that time let me know. I won't have much if any internet connection once I leave.

Jacob Thomson wrote:I don't think you should choose between the two. you should do both. Cuba is a larger country than you think. I recommend at least 2 weeks to see Cuba.

I wish I had two weeks off for spring break...But then again if I did, I'd just end up climbing more while down there:)

Leslie McG wrote: I wish I had two weeks off for spring break...But then again if I did, I'd just end up climbing more while down there:)

well, if you are on that short of a time limit do havana and vinales. Trinidad is awesome, theres literally a club inside a cave which is poppin every night. but its the middle of the island so its far. takes like 3/4 of a day to get there from havana. i feel you on the spring break thing. thats normally why i just choose to save my money and opt for traveling during summer and winter break. but hey thats me. you do you. you can pm me if you have any questions about cuba.

Leslie McG wrote:I am going but only spending 3 days max climbing. Is it worth bringing a tag line for multipitch? Or is there enough to keep me busy on single pitch? I can lead up to 5.10b/c. Also would you choose Trinidad over Havana? Thanks to all who are keeping this thread alive!!!

I would go with Havana before Trinidad. Don't bring a tagline, I remember that there were a few good multipitch options with single rope rappels. Worst case, you may have to borrow from one of the locals

Phil Lauffen wrote: The climbing is awesome. There are some routes with titanium bolts, and I recommend sticking to them. Talk to the cubaclimbing guy, Armando Menocal:armando@cubaclimbing.com...

Do you know how many routes they have re-bolted with Ti? The last time I corresponded with Armando (a year?) it was less than a handful of routes.

Phil Lauffen wrote:They really need titanium bolts.

Yup. Since they rely on visiting climbers bringing bolts with them, you should consider taking some Ti bolts with you: titanclimbing.com

Not to hijack the thread, but if you're interested in a Caribbean climbing trip, you should also check out climbcaymanbrac.com, where all the routes have Ti bolts.

Jacob Thomson wrote: i feel you on the spring break thing. thats normally why i just choose to save my money and opt for traveling during summer and winter break. but hey thats me. you do you. you can pm me if you have any questions about cuba.

Well I am going to Morocco in the summer and spent Christmas in Tucson:) Thanks SO much for all the beta...I really appreciate it!!!!