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After our tour of Cienfuegos and Trinidad see Cuba-Conga! And we were all very glad we did! The scenery along the highway was similar to that driving to and from Cienfuegos and Trinidad. Empty four-lane interstate highways passing by lots of rural fields, small towns, occasional horse carts, and propaganda billboards. This beautiful valley is the tobacco and coffee capital of Cuba. Can you see now why we wanted to visit this magical area? You can imagine it would have been easy for them to hide in all of the dense jungle and limestone caverns here. The town itself has mostly one-story wooden houses with front porches, surrounded by farms. Lots of horse carts are used for transportation too. Next stop: a traditional Cuban lunch! From the overlook view, we walked down the road a half-mile or so to Restaurante Vera , recommended by Bel. This palapa roofed restaurant had the feel of a Tiki-bar. Looking off the back deck of the restaurant we saw chickens and a baby pig nosing around the yard, hopefully not our lunch!? We each ordered our own entries which were accompanied by many family-style side dishes to be passed around. They also had fresh mango juice, with or without rum. The funny thing in Cuba is that you can order a mojito or margarita, or any other drink, with or without rum — same price. After lunch, Bel scurried us back into the taxi-van so we could get to the Indian Caves before they closed. And she could go on it!? As as it turned out it was a magote with an underground river, and cavern that went all the way through from one side to the other. We entered into the cavern and down some steps and along a paved path that wound through stalagmites and dripping wet stalactites, duck! And on down we went crouching in a spot or two, until we reached the river… and a dock and a passenger Boston Whaler-like boat with outboard, inside a cave? Then the boat turned, and suddenly there was light at the end of the tunnel… and we were headed out of the cave on the other side of the magote. An interesting boat ride for sure… but almost more interesting was what greeted us at the exit of the cave…. Based on the name, we envisioned cave paintings or petroglyphs? Created in , after the Cuban Revolution, it took a team of 18 painters four years to complete. Painters rappel while painting their way down the rock face. After a super-fun, long day we were ready to head to our Casa Particular and check-in. We were in the middle of farm country, with roosters in the yard, and horses and oxen across the street. Up early with the roosters, we took a walk around the neighborhood while breakfast was being made. Oxen teams were heading out to the tobacco fields or already plowing, and these vaquero cowboys were saddling up a bunch of horses. Back at the ranch, breakfast was served, and Bel encouraged us to eat quickly as the horses and vaqueros were waiting for us. And anyway we had Kelly along who owns four mules back in WA so she was in great hands! All saddled up and ready to go with Kelly in the lead, we headed out single-file along the trail for a minute ride on the iron-rich red earth trail. This made for an interesting ride, but thankfully none of the horses acted up too badly. Although it was a big tourist thing to ride horseback in this area, we never saw another group on our minute trail ride to the Finca Brisas del Valle, a cooperative farm. And we had the whole farm to ourselves for the three hours that we visited. Finca Brisas del Valle is a cooperative farm owned by about six families who all work the land by hand and in traditional ways. They have no mechanized equipment and use no toxic chemicals at all. Agnes, our finca guide, is from one of the families who run the farm and speaks impeccable English. The cooperative was given this land by the Cuban government after the Revolution, and besides tobacco, they also grow coffee, sugarcane, mangos, guava, avocados, and collect honey from local hives. In exchange for the land, the Cuban government gets almost all of the crops they grow. Every year the government sends someone to the farm to look over all the crops and take the best of the best. The first crop we saw and learned about at the farm was the tobacco growing and cigar making. Though none of us are smokers and we are pretty anti-tobacco! Step 1. But they gladly let her try. This is the first step in growing tobacco. The rows are plowed three times before they sow the seeds. The tobacco seeds are TINY, about one-quarter the size of a chia seed! They also grow cassava a root crop that they eat and make a natural pesticide from its leaves, to keep bugs off the tobacco. Step 2. Step 3. The leave seen here still growing were not chosen to make cigars, and will later be turned into cigarettes, used in herbal remedies, or plowed back into the ground for compost. Step 4. Here they will dry for about a month. In the back, you can see the fresh green leaves, and above the leaves are more cured. As the leaves dry, the rails are moved further up into the rafters, and the fresh green leaves are placed on the lower levels. The barns have palapa palm frond roofs and walls with openings on each side to let a little sun and breeze blow through and help with the drying process. As a full-fledged farm with crops and animals, their chickens roost in the rafters of the tobacco sheds, and at night they bring the baby goats into pens in the shed. Step 5. Each farm makes its own fermentation concoction. This paste is painted onto the leaves, which are then gathered into bundles and wrapped up in palm fronds. They then sit and ferment for one to three months. Fermentation removes the bitter, green taste of the tobacco before the tobacco leaves are ready to be made into cigars. The fermentation process makes the leaves soft and pliable and gives them their signature fragrance and taste. Kirk and Val were the only ones brave enough to try! Next we learned about the honey they collect on the farm. Finca Valle del Brisas has only natural beehives, either in trees or in the ground ground bees , no man-made boxed hives here. They are very careful with their harvest. The ground bee hives get harvested every four years, and the tree hives twice a year. They harvest at different times of year so there is always honey available. Sometimes they take part of a hive and move it to another tree, or to another hole in the ground, to start a new hive there. The bees only fly yards in any direction, so by the placement of the natural hives, they ensure their honey is pesticide-free. They carefully mark each hive and when it was last harvested, so they can ensure no overharvesting as well as saving some honey for the bees themselves. Honey is antibacterial by nature, and they use the ground bee honey to make many natural remedies mixing with garlic, ginger, and other herbs for their own medicinal uses. It was very refreshing to learn about their natural remedies, and see how environmentally conscious and sustainably aware these farmers are. They grow a small number of shade-grown coffee trees, and dry and ferment and roast the coffee beans themselves. When we compared bottles, no two bottles were the same in size or shape?? And when we opened the shrink-wrapped bottle tops, they all had different sorts of ill-fitting plastic corks in them. After our three hour tour of Finca Valle del Brisas, we said our thanks and goodbyes to Agnes and Palillo. It had been a fascinating morning but it was time to saddle up and head back to the Casa, and then back to Havana. Thankfully Yaniel was able to carry our rum, honey, and cigars in a saddlebag back for us, as none of us had a good way to carry anything on horseback or mule! Back at the ranch, we met up with Rob and Gustavo who had stayed behind, loaded up the taxi-van with our luggage, rum, honey, and cigars, and headed back to Havana. It was a different world there in the stunningly beautiful rural valley, a trip back in time, and oh-so enjoyable! We were leaving a day before the rest of the gang. So that night back in Havana we packed everything up and get ready to head out in the morning. Bel arranged to pick us up with a taxi and see us off to the airport. As a surprise for Kirk, Bel arrived in a Classic turquoise Chevy! She also asked the driver to make a brief stop at her house on the way to the airport, so we could meet her mother. You could somehow get swindled. So sad to say our goodbyes to everyone. This had really been a trip of a lifetime for us. In our viewpoint having visited Cuba, this has mostly had the effect of hurting the Cuban people. We experienced first-hand the food shortages, and the lack of food for the average Cuban. As of today, Bel is waiting for hours just to buy a few pieces of chicken. President Obama had started to loosen up sanctions and things were looking up for the Cubans. Unfortunately, the current US administration has reversed everything that Obama did, and has even threatened to cut off aid to other countries who trade with Cuba. Considering that Cuba imports two-thirds of all its food, this is unconscionable to us. They could also be manufacturing more items themselves as could the US for that matter! If you are looking to visit Cuba, please see more travel info below. Bel will welcome you with open arms! Please bring her toothpaste. Most Americans visit Cuba on a cruise ship or through an organized tour. The Cuban government requires you to have medical insurance that covers you in Cuba, which US health insurance does not. There are US travel insurance companies that will cover Americans flying from the US, but not Americans flying from Mexico or other countries , go figure! So one big challenge was finding travel health insurance that would cover Americans in Cuba flying from Mexico. We had ours mailed to US friends who brought our Cuban visas to Mexico when they visited us in February. So we had to plan very carefully. Our research told us that Euros were the best way to go. Several people in our group had an interesting time getting Euros in the US left in a Fedex package on the front porch!? In Mexico we also had an interesting time getting euros! It seems that the best place to get euros here is in a tiny bank inside and electronics store that only has the number of euros that European tourists cash in each day. So it was a multi-day process of stopping by that bank each day to get a few more euros until we had enough. Here are resources for our wonderful guide Bel who would love to meet you, the Casa Particulars where we stayed, and a few Paladars Restaurants we enjoyed. Cienfuegos: Grill Punta Gorda. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Click images to view larger. Entrance and exit to the Indian Caves. An interesting boat ride for sure… but almost more interesting was what greeted us at the exit of the cave… Disembarking on this stone pier on the other side of the Indian Caves: Kelly, Val, Heidi, Teresa, Rob, and Kirk. It seems hard enough to paint this behemoth mural, let alone painting even strips across the whole thing. Note dog, and people on horseback for scale. Click each image to view larger. Yaniel and Bel getting ready for her first horseback ride! Top left: Life Between the Ears , the countryside was so beautiful with the iron-rich red soil supposedly what makes the Cuban tobacco the best , the verdant greenery, and the magote hills all around. Finca Brisas del Valle Click each image to view larger. Top left: The map shows the whole valley and where we visited. Top right: Our destination in the far distance, Finca Brisas del Valle. Center left: Tobacco drying barn. Center right: Multi-generations plowing tobacco with ox. Bottom: Our Finca farm tour guide Agnes and Heidi at the Brisas del Valle snack-bar where you could get fresh coconut water, mango water, guava water, coffee, and rum, all grown on this finca. Too cool! Tobacco Step 1. Cigar Rolling learning the process. When in Rome… er, uh, Cuba! Watch a video clip: Kirk sampling the end result! Where ever in the world we travel, Heidi always has to sample the drinking coconuts! Bel shelling coffee beans the traditional way, using a ginormous wooden mortar and pestle! Cuban Coffee, Sugarcane, Avocados, Mangos, Guavas, and Guayabitas They grow a small number of shade-grown coffee trees, and dry and ferment and roast the coffee beans themselves. Adios Cuba! Bel, Heidi, Kirk in car! Which Currency to Take to Cuba? Cuban Travel Resources Here are resources for our wonderful guide Bel who would love to meet you, the Casa Particulars where we stayed, and a few Paladars Restaurants we enjoyed. Posted in Cuba. Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Comment Name required Email will not be published required Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Planning a Climbing Trip to Cuba – What Americans Need to Know

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Print this Post. Cuba , Featured , Trip Reports. It was an amazing experience which I had the joy of sharing with my two daughters. The climbing is fantastic, but what really impressed me was the cultural experience. NOTE: The Trump Administration, in its commitment to unravel every initiative the previous administration accomplished, will be imposing strict travel rules to Cuba again, so some of what my blog post discusses will no longer be valid. Despite our initial anxiety about going to a communist dictatorship, we found ourselves in a land full of history, culture, music, art and very friendly people. I highly recommend checking out this amazing country and not just go to climb and leave. There is so much more here and things are changing so quickly in Cuba as well as with US-Cuban relations that Americans should take advantage of this window of opportunity. Logistics to travel to Cuba are more complicated than other countries. We traveled in a group of 4 from Newark, NJ, and met up with my friend Kay from Colorado, who knew a huge group of other climbers traveling to Cuba from Los Angeles. Starting in February , Americans were allowed to travel to Cuba if they fit at least one of 12 categories of travel authorized by general license. Figure this out first, as when you book your flight, you will need to declare your official reason for traveling to Cuba. Whenever you call about your reservation, you have to declare your reason. When you get your tourist card online or at the airport , you need to declare your reason. Note that this is to satisfy the American government, not Cuba. So figure this out before you book your tickets. Note that no one challenged our reason or asked for proof. But we did take photos with our gear and the people we left it with, just in case. Internet is hard to come by in Cuba, or at a minimum, a pain in the ass. Therefore prepare yourself for surviving without it. Here are some things to do ahead of time:. There were around 21 people in our extended group. Then we could print out the maps and bring them with us. We also planned a place to meet the first night at a specific time so we could figure out any further logistics. But basically we had our own core group of 5 people and planned our own activities and accommodations, which intersected with the larger group when logistics allowed, but we were never dependent on the rest of the extended group. Cuba has universal health care for their citizens. However, foreigners are not entitled to this benefit. You have to purchase short-term Cuban health insurance when you arrive, or get international medical insurance ahead of time that is accepted in Cuba. Some airlines will include the cost of international medical insurance in their ticket, like United, however it was impossible for us to find anything out from United about coverage for injuries from rock climbing. Most international plans you will find are sound fine, until you read the fine print. We purchased it through IMG online, and it was pretty easy. You will receive a declaration of health insurance to show at the airport, and an insurance card to use when you need services. Having been hurt once while in Mexico and having my daughters traveling with me, I chose to be cautious and get insurance with the Adventure Sports Rider. In late , direct flights from USA to Cuba were allowed. In the past, Americans would fly to another country, like Mexico, and then fly from there to Cuba. The Cuban government was sensitive to this, as they would stamp a tourist visa card instead of the US Passport so there was no evidence that the American had gone to Cuba. In Newark Airport, there was a separate desk for people traveling to Cuba. We located the other desk way on the far side of the terminal and waited in a line to get processed for our Cuban tourist visa cards. Cuba takes one half when you arrive, you hold onto the other half to hand in when you leave Cuba. Do not lose your half! Some people were able to purchase the card ahead of time online. Check with your airlines on their policy. When you arrive in Cuba, be prepared to wait a long time to get your luggage. In our group of 4, 2 of us got luggage right away. One got luggage a little later. After about 2 hours, he started to fill out the lost luggage form. As we left the lost luggage department, his bag just appeared on a different carousel from a different flight. When we arrived back in the U. There used to be limits to how much Cuban rum and cigars you could bring back to the USA, but that was just lifted in October of You must carry the products back yourself and they must be for personal consumption and may not be resold. It was confiscated on the next flight to the US because a bottle of alcohol cannot be in carry-on bags. My kids, checking in at the airport in Cuba. Three casas particulares in Havana, marked with the logo on their signs. Most provide additional services, like home cooked meals and laundry, and setting up taxis and tours for you. You can find accommodations on popular sites airbnb. So best not to put down any money until you find out if the room is actually available. Some things to look out for when booking a reservation — find out where it is on the map. How much farther is it from the center of town, or to the crags? Is it up many stairs? Do the rooms have any windows we stayed at one apartment that was totally embedded within a building — without any windows whatsoever. We had no idea if it was daytime or nighttime! Cuba is a hot place, make sure you have air conditioning. Be sure your bathroom has hot water. See if the hosts speak any English. It does make things easier if you have complicated logistics to sort out. Is breakfast included? How much more for a full breakfast? It was tricky getting our bulky heavy luggage up the multiple narrow and steep sets of stairs, but the location was walking distance to many attractions and our rooms were comfortable. She spoke decent English and was super nice and enjoyed chatting with us. She set up all the taxis and tours we needed, and fed us incredible breakfasts and dinners every day. One night we tried a restaurant instead and were so disappointed, so we went back to eating our meals with Mayrita. We loved returning from a hot day of climbing to have Mayrita serve us cold mojitos the minute we put down our gear. Cuba tacks on a hefty surcharge for exchanging US dollars, so best to exchange your US cash for another currency before you go to Cuba. Most people use Euros or Canadian dollars. Lots of attractions, museums, and tours will add on additional costs. Consider bringing more cash if you like to drink a lot, buy lots of souvenirs, or plan more city activities than climbing activities. The travel website cubarocks. Expect to have to do a lot of tipping as well. Also, keep your small change whenever you can get it. When you arrive at the airport, there are currency exchange booths. Make sure you have your money counted ahead of time and never take your eyes off of your money after you hand it to the cashier. When I arrived in Terminal 2 at the airport in Havana, I handed the cashier a wad of Euros which included 4 50 euro bills. I dropped something, bent down to pick it up, and when I looked back up, there were only 3 50 euro bills. The woman behind the counter said confidently and matter-of-factly that there never were 4 50 euro bills. I knew there were 4, I put them on the counter, and she must have slipped one off the counter when I turned away. However, my lack of Spanish speaking skills left me feeling powerless to dispute her theft, and I ended up having to suck it up and let her steal my money. A local later told me that in most cases, her supervisor is also in on the scam and it would be of no use to complain. In the grand scheme of things, I could survive my trip without those 50 euros. The most I can do is warn others. In hindsight, I wish I had taken her photo. The money exchanges at the bank went smoothly. Cuba is a very safe country to visit. Violent crime is very unusual. What is striking is that some of the most beat-up neighborhoods in Havana felt completely safe to walk through at night. Many people are poor, but friendly. They cannot afford to fix up their homes, or get the supplies needed to make repairs. Except for my experience having 50 Euros stolen by the currency exchange clerk, the rest of my trip was stress free. Heading out of our neighborhood in Havana. Beautiful architecture, many in ruins. Beautiful old building, balconies held up with stilts. Basically if you look lost or looking for something, a friendly person will offer to give you directions, perhaps even walk you to your destination. I enjoyed chatting with these locals, in my limited Spanish and their limited English. But then they either insist on sending you to a restaurant they recommend where they receive a commission , or ask for a tip for their services. These restaurants are often way overpriced compared to all the other restaurants in the area. We took the bait our first night in Havana, letting a friendly guy lead us to a restaurant, not realizing how overpriced the lousy food we received was. In one of the fort museums in Havana, an over-enthusiastic worker in one of the rooms insisted on showing us every detail of a model ship, following us around. Just as we were trying to break free, she asked for a tip because she had children at home to support. We figured it out soon enough that anyone super friendly who wants to follow us around was looking for a tip. Tour books say to not encourage them. But all of the people who glommed onto us to ask for tips really were very friendly and polite. Taxis in Havana. Instead, take taxis. You can get a driver all to yourself for a day. He drove us the bumpy to Cayo Jutia for a nice day at a gorgeous beach, then drove us back through Los Palenques to check out the bar in the cave. Our group waiting 5 hours for a bus that never came. The tour company refunded our bus tickets on our credit cards. Note the front car getting gas from a jug to a water bottle funnel. Roads in Cuba can be horrible. No lanes, everyone just winds all over the road avoiding potholes. Vast numbers of limestone cliffs rise up out of a flat valley of organic red soil tobacco farms within a National Park. Officially climbing is considered illegal in Cuba, but no one enforces it or seems to care. Armando is one of the founders of the Access Fund and lives in the states. Another way you can help is donating to Bolts 4 Cuba via the Fundly site. Being Gunks climbers, we found the grades to be soft. A 6a YDS 5. Ensenada de Raul is a good crag to start with, easy approach, and short easier climbs, mostly in the shade. You will definitely want mosquito repellent and watch out for wasp nests as well as the dreaded guao plant. Matt got a case of it on his arm. Guao rash. I hope to have time to write more blog posts with a trip report of our time there. Your email address will not be published. Delivered by FeedBurner. Text and images on cliffmama. Links to blogs may be shared via social networking as long as content is credited to cliffmama. Powered by WordPress and the Graphene Theme. And now, back to my original blog post… Despite our initial anxiety about going to a communist dictatorship, we found ourselves in a land full of history, culture, music, art and very friendly people. 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Buying hash online in Vinales