About Travel to Cuba

For the past 30 years, Cuba Travel US has taken groups to Cuba.  In the beginning it was bass fishermen only and we took groups of up to 40 persons to Treasure Lake in Matanzas Province.  Next we took groups of 24 to Lake Zaza, Lake Redonda and to Lake Hanabanilla. Since we have taken groups to Lake Cuyaguateje, Lake Buffalo, Lake Chambas, Lake Porvenir, Lake Granizo and Lake Alacranes.

Other groups over this period of time included hunters (we no longer participate in hunting tours), bird watchers and scuba divers.  Most of these groups are not considered legal groups by the US Treasury Department but we still go whenever possible.  For example, we are currently offering bass fishing at Lake LeBrije and bonefishing at Cayo Romano.

GROUP TOURS, priced in Euros NOT US Dollar. (click link for info)

Legal trips are listed below. MOST REQUEST FOR LICENSE DENIED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.

These trips to Cuba offered by the Cuba Travel US are legal, according to Treasury Department regulations. However, we consider the U.S. embargo against Cuba to be illegal by all rules of international law, and immoral; and we also think that the prohibition on travel is unconstitutional, disguised though it is as a prohibition on the spending of money in Cuba. That said, and within the limits set by U.S. government regulations, we do our best to help you travel to Cuba!

In general, traveling to Cuba with Cuba Travel US is easier now than it used to be, because Cuba Travel US has its own agreements with Cuba which makes it easier for people who desire  to travel with us, whether you travel in a group or as part of our custom package plans.

For those of you who want to travel on your own without our assistance, here's some useful information. There are still strict limits on legal travel to Cuba, but they have been eased somewhat. (You still cannot travel to Cuba legally either as a tourist or to do business.) If you are doing professional research in your field or attending an international professional conference, you do not need a specific license from the Treasury Department. You can travel to Cuba under “general license,” that is, no specific piece of paper is required, you simply affirm that you qualify if asked by customs officials on your return from Cuba (presumably you can prove you qualify if proof is demanded). The same applies for journalists working full-time for a news organization. If you are a free-lance journalist, you need a specific license granted by the Treasury Department, but that license is good for multiple trips to Cuba. Anyone may also travel to Cuba legally on a religious or humanitarian trip; a specific license is required but there are no special qualifications, anyone is eligible.

University and secondary school students may travel to Cuba as long as their university or school has applied for a specific license. That license is usually good for two years and will cover any person the institution chooses to include in the license, usually all employees and students at least. We urge any professor, student or alumnus to request that his or her university apply for such a license from Treasury.

“Hosted” travel is also legal: this means that you have been invited as the guest of a Cuban government institution or that someone in a third country is paying all of your Cuba-related expenses. If you are a hosted traveler, you may not travel on Cubana airlines (which means that you cannot travel through Nassau to Cuba, for example, because only Cubana flies between Nassau and Havana), and you may not travel on any direct flight between the United States and Cuba.

Cuba Travel US arranges both group and individual travel. Cuba Travel USA's trips have a pre-planned itinerary, sometimes a general introduction to Cuba, other times a general introduction to specific areas of Cuban society. We also arrange comprehensive custom-planned trips to Cuba for individuals, groups or organizations wishing to engage in legal travel. Most economical are groups of 15 or more. But if you wish to travel alone or with a small group, we can plan that trip for you. If you have already planned your own trip but want help with contacts, we can provide you with a list of contacts in Cuba related to your area of interest for a modest fee (usually between $250 and $500, depending on the complexity of the request).

The cost of the trip will of course depend on the length of your stay, the hotel, the amount of travel inside Cuba, and special requests (translator, driver, etc.). Currently, Treasury Department regulations limit individual spending in Cuba for food, accommodations and transportation to $183 per day. Money spent on informational materials -- books, music, art and the like -- does not count against this daily allowance, nor does it count against the $100 worth of goods you're allowed to bring back from Cuba. In other words, you can spend thousands of dollars on informational materials, but only $100 total on cigars or rum or t-shirts. The costs of Center trips include the point of direct departure for Havana and Havana, the Cuban visa, hotel accommodations with breakfast and a few special meals, all seminar-related travel, and a guide/translator.

If you are interested in working with Cuba Travel US on organizing your trip, please call. Let us know the activities you want included in your program, how many people are traveling, and the dates of your travel. If you are interested in carrying donations to Cuba, we can provide you with guidelines and suggestions.