going to c-uba

[SeeTheWorld]

I live in Los Angeles, but after looking at some info. on the place it seems like a really good trip. I hear Havana isn't very clean but the beaches on the island away from it are amazingly clean. There aren't as many tourists as most places so the marine life is well kept. Is there anyway to go there? I'm an American citizen though, private flights? From where?

 

[wedivebc]

I live in Los Angeles, but after looking at some info. on the place it seems like a really good trip. I hear Havana isn't very clean but the beaches on the island away from it are amazingly clean. There aren't as many tourists as most places so the marine life is well kept. Is there anyway to go there? I'm an American citizen though, private flights? From where?

I would suggest you look at travelling from Canada but considering your location you may want to find a travel agent in Mexico who can get you there. I am planning to go this year and from what I have heard there is great diving and a culture that will take you back in time.

 

[wetman]

We go to cuba every year. Just got back a couple weeks ago.

http://www.sitecode.com/~shoughton/Cuba2005/

You might find the north side sometimes hard to dive (gets blown out a lot).

Diving is decent but there are no big fish left (they all get fished out). Lots of small stuff though. Overall, quite nice and usually a cheap trip.

steve

 

[vladimir]

I'm an American citizen

From the US State Department's Consular Information Sheets:

The Cuban Assets Control Regulations of the U.S. Treasury Department require that persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction be licensed to engage in any transaction related to travel to, from, and within Cuba. Transactions related to tourist travel are not licensable. This restriction includes tourist travel to Cuba from or through a third country such as Mexico or Canada. U.S. law enforcement authorities have increased enforcement of these regulations at U.S. airports and pre-clearance facilities in third countries. Travelers who fail to comply with Department of Treasury regulations will face civil penalties and criminal prosecution upon return to the United States.(emphasis added)

A member of my family was indicted for violating this law. (Charges were eventually dismissed.) I would not take it too lightly.

 

[onlyuman]

Go!
As Vlad said, not a step to be taken too lightly, but I thought well worth minimal odds of facing trouble. The key, to my mind, is to have as much knowledge as possible going in.
Check out Lonely Planet/ Cuba , and their guide book, just for starters.

I plan on going back often, but I'm a bit of the Don Quixote type.

 

[onlyuman]

Oh,
and given that your from LA, Mexico is the obvious choice of "gateway" countries.
Do some homework and I'm sure you'll be pleased.

 

[wedivebc]

Go!
As Vlad said, not a step to be taken too lightly, but I thought well worth minimal odds of facing trouble. The key, to my mind, is to have as much knowledge as possible going in.
Check out Lonely Planet/ Cuba , and their guide book, just for starters.

I plan on going back often, but I'm a bit of the Don Quixote type.

Yeah, what he said. And if you don't mind an outsider's opinion, it seems like a pretty silly law anyway considering the cold war ended 2 decades ago.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

We went to Cuba 3 years ago and talked to some americans on our plane. They said that they found coming up to Canada was the easiest way for them to get to Cuba. Starting Jan 13/05 they no longer accept US money. They now use Euros as there official currency

 

[decompression]

Just got back from Cuba last month. If I may, Euro's are not the currency there, Cuban peso's are but Euro's and Canadian dollars are easily exchanged. I was on a small island south of the main land called Cayo Largo. The diving was excellent (far better than Veradero), lots of big life (rays, sharks, barracuda etc), with healthy reefs and lots of colorful schooling fish. If you can find a way to get there I'd highly recommend it. Just my 2 PSI.

 

[ScubaBaby]

Belushi and I were planning on visiting the Maldives, scheduled for fly on Boxing Day 2004 - obviously that was cancelled. Instead we went to a Sandals resort in Cuba for New Year. Couldn't fault the resort really but the weather was winding and Sandals limit the amount of diving you can do "all inclusive". We were staying in Varadero. In a 2 week trip, I managed to get in 2 dives, Belushi got in 3. Weren't impressed!

We wouldn't go back to Cuba as it is a long journey for us and we didn't feel it was worth it. But we did have our hopes of the Maldives so it was a completely different holiday to what we wanted. HOWEVER, if you do go to Varadero, you have to try out the Jungle Tour. Jungle Tour is a loose term, but you get 2 man jetskis which are sooo much fun! The "jungle" part is quite depressing, they take you to a "zoo" but if you can overlook it...its a blast!