Beautypically

According to COUNTRYAAH, the Republic of Cuba is located in the northeast of the Caribbean Sea and is officially a communist state. The island has been inhabited for centuries by some Indian tribes and it was Christopher Columbus who was the first European to visit the country at the end of the 15th century. A few years later, the Spaniards conquered the country and turned it into a Spanish colony. It remained this way until the 19th century when it came into the hands of the United States of America after the Spanish-American War. These granted the country formal independence in 1902, but continued to interfere in the country’s politics. In the 1950s, the revolution under Fidel Castro took place here. This turned Cuba into a communist country, which led to conflicts with the United States and eventually to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and later to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the following years was the brother of Fidel Castro. Raul Castro, president of the country. He let go of the tight communist regime. This made more and more tourism possible on the island and more and more tourists find their way to Cuba. Most tourists stay near the places Varadero and Havana. In 2017, there were 5 million tourists visiting the country. That is a doubling in seven years. This made more and more tourism possible on the island and more and more tourists find their way to Cuba. Most tourists stay near the places Varadero and Havana. In 2017, there were 5 million tourists visiting the country. That is a doubling in seven years. This made more and more tourism possible on the island and more and more tourists find their way to Cuba. Most tourists stay near the places Varadero and Havana. In 2017, there were 5 million tourists visiting the country. That is a doubling in seven years.

Sights

In recent years, Cuba has increasingly profiled itself as a sun, sea and beach holiday. Many tourists come to the island to dive. There are several beautiful diving locations to be found, such as the coastal town of Varadero, which is known for this. At the town of Cayo Coco is one of the largest coral reefs in the world and at the island of Isla de la Juventud there are also some beautiful coral reefs. The country is of course known worldwide for its cigars. As a tourist you can visit several tax plantations here and try to roll a cigar yourself in a local cigar factory. The beautiful old center is definitely worth a visit. In this old center is El Capitolio, this building was inspired by the American Capitol and has been used as a university building since the Cuban Revolution. The Museo de la Revolución can now be found in the former presidential palace. For those interested in the Cuban Revolution, the city of Santa Clara is a must-see. Santa Clara is seen as the capital of the revolution and here you can find the mausoleum of Ché Guevara, among other things. Nature lovers should not forget the country’s national parks. The former home of Ernest Hemingway can still be seen in all its glory near San Francisco de Paula.

UNESCO

In total, Cuba has nine entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first inscription was the old fortress walls of Havana which was added to the list in 1982.

Trinidad and Valle de los Ingenios was added in 1988 and the San Pedro de la Roca Castle in Santiago de Cuba followed eleven years later. In the years that followed, several registrations followed, such as the Viñales Valley, Desembarco del Granma National Park and the Archaeological Landscape of the first coffee plantations in southeastern Cuba. In 2001, the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park was also credited. In 2005 and 2008, the historic centers of Cienfuegos and Camagüey were last added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Climate

Most of Cuba has a tropical savanna climate with a lot of precipitation during our summer months. On the southeastern part of the island of the island there is significantly less precipitation and here one speaks of a steppe climate. Tropical storms and hurricanes can occur here from June to November. On average, two hurricanes per year pass over the island, causing a lot of damage. The southern part of the island is the most affected. The daytime temperatures here are around 30 degrees Celsius all year round. In the evening and night it cools down by about 10 degrees. Due to the great influence that the Caribbean Sea has on this area, few or no weather extremes occur here. The sea temperature here fluctuates between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. During the hottest days of the year, the average humidity can rise considerably here. On the days it is best to find a spot on one of the beaches. Here the perceived temperature is slightly lower due to the presence of the sea breeze.

Geography

The country of Cuba is made up of 4,195 mostly uninhabited islands that lie in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Florida Strait, Windward Passage, Strait of Yucatan, and the Atlantic Ocean. The largest island in Cuba is the island of Cuba, which is also the largest island in the Caribbean. Off the southeast of the island of Cuba is Isla de la Juventud, which with almost 90,000 inhabitants is the second most populous island in the country. Many of the smaller islands and island groups are still untouched and here you can still enjoy the authentic Cuban nature.

On the main island there are three mountain ranges, the Sierra Maestra, the Sierra del Escambray and the Sierra de los Órganos. In the Sierra Maestra is the mountain Pico Turquino, which with 1920 forms the highest point of the country. By far the largest city in the country is the capital Havana with more than 2,000,000 inhabitants. Other major cities of the country are Santiogo de Cuba, Camaguey, Holguin and Guantanamo.

In total, Cuba is intersected, sometimes literally, by about two hundred rivers, of which the Guantánamo, Guaso and Toa are the best known. Because Cuba is an island, it has no land borders, but does have several sea borders. The most interesting of these is the border with the United States. The extreme tip of the United States (Key West) is only 150 from Cuba.

Travel advice

The official travel advice for Cuba has been on “be vigilant” status for years. No immediate measures are needed when going on holiday here. There are of course a number of obvious situations that you should avoid here. Always try to travel with several people and do not wear expensive jewelry too flashy. There are no mandatory vaccinations for a visit to Cuba, but a DTP and hepatitis A vaccination are recommended. Other diseases that can occur here are Dengue and traveler’s diarrhea. The trade in soft and hard drugs is strictly prohibited here, as is the import and export of these. There are long prison terms here for sexual acts with minors. From June to November, there is an increased risk of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Travel documents

To visit Cuba, you must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months and a visa. You can apply for a visa for Cuba at the Cuban consulate in Rotterdam. The Cuba visa is valid for 30 days. If you have booked through a travel organization, a tourist card is also sufficient in some cases. The Tarjeta del Turista as it is called here is not valid in all cases, check this thoroughly before departure. Not all travel insurers cover your medical expenses in Cuba. Check in advance whether this is the case with your insurance.

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