Lee's Cuba Bike Tour Newsletter - Summer 2023

 

Do You Like Summer? Cuba is Like that in the Winter   

In Cuba, November to April are the dry months, with average daytime highs around 25-28 Celsius and lows around 19-20 Celsius. The ocean is warm for swimming at 25-30 Celsius. Altogether, perfect for cycling, swimming, and sightseeing.

And yes, Cuba is a safe travel destination, made better by the support of Bicycle Breeze who support you from arrival to departure with a team including your tour leaders (Lee and Beth), a Cuban cultural tour guide, a bike mechanic, a bus driver, and a support team in Havana.

Beth and Lee at Lake Hanabanilla, Cuba

Beth and Lee will be returning in 2024 for two of their favourite tour routes both in eastern Cuba, "Guantanamo Mango" and "Celia Sanchez" - registration is now open and encouraged.  You can register without obligation and with no deposit.  Registering helps us plan - and is much appreciated.  Deposits will be requested by the tour company "Bicycle Breeze" in the Fall to firm up our plan, and then full payment 60 days prior to the tour.  Details and links are below where we describe the tours.

Fat Mary 2023 Tour Video

It took a while, but you can now view the Fat Mary 2023 Tour Video.  I had to learn a new video editor (Davinci Resolve 18).  The editor is super-powerful and complex, but I think the video looks more professional - let me know what you think.  Just click on the image below and the YouTube video will play.  I recommend setting your YouTube player to 1080p resolution for the best viewing.

Cayo y Seis Ciudades 2023 Tour

I'd also like to share the story of our February 2023 tour that had us cycling central Cuba on a new route designed by my friend Dot Dickerson.  The tour is named Cayo y Seis Ciudades which I translate to Beaches and Six Cities, but I think the other possible name for the tour would be Cuba's Colonial Cities.  

This bike tour began in Havana where we got organized and had a nice dinner together at Café del Oriente restaurant in Havana Vieja.  The food and atmosphere were amazing, it felt like being in a small town in Europe with cobbled streets, architectural lighting, and music.  The next morning we had breakfast at our casa before heading off on the tour bus to begin our cycling vacation.

Fine dining at Café del Oriente, Havana, Cuba 

After a bus ride, our group had lunch at El Ranchon in Jagüey Grande and took a group photo.

Our amazing tour group

Our first destination was Playa Giron, where the failed Bay of Pigs invasion took place. We stayed at lovely casas in town and dined a short walk away at a private restaurant.  Then we cycled along beautiful country roads to the first colonial town of this tour, Cienfuegos the lively, seaside “Pearl of the South” with its French-inspired grand boulevard and colonnades.

Looking out from our rooftop bar at the Hotel La Union, Cienfuegos, Cuba

Next on our exploration of colonial cities, we rode some rolling hills into Trinidad.  But first, we stopped to visit the Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos, an outstanding botanical garden stocked and maintained for many decades by Harvard University that is home to 285 types of palm trees and 2,400 species of plants. Beyond the garden, the road heads down to the coast, giving glimpses of the Caribbean and the upland pine forests of the Sierra Escambray mountains. After arriving in Trinidad and settling into our casas, we explored the city including mojitos at Café de la Música.

Café de la Música, Trinidad, Cuba

A well-deserved and much-appreciated day at the beaches of Playa Ancon just 10 kilometres south of Trinidad restored our energy for the rides ahead.

Playa Ancon - white sand, shade trees, and a great restaurant a la playa

We departed Trinidad through the scenic Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Cane Mills) to the Torre Manaca Iznaga. The astonishing view from this imposing torre (tower) more than justifies a short visit. Then we rode the green lower hills of the Escambray Mountains before climbing to the village of Hanabanilla on the banks of Lake Hanabanilla.  A guided walk in the morning was followed by a boat trip to the other side of the lake for lunch.  We were fortunate and saw several Tocorocos - the National Bird of Cuba!

Hotel Lake Hanabanilla, with a spectacular view of the man-made lake.

Leaving Hanabanilla behind, we descended to the City of Santa Clara where we visited the battle site where Che Guevara and a small number of men essentially ended the Cuban Revolution by derailing the Tren Blindado (Armoured Train) and defeating the government troops it carried. We also toured the mausoleum commemorating Che and his fighters.

Site of the battle of the armoured train sent by Batista in his final and unsuccessful attempt to win the Revolutionary War.  Che defeated the army with a bold ambush after derailing the train

Che Guevara Mausoleum, Santa Clara, Cuba

Our tour group donated cycling equipment to youth clubs in Cienfuegos and Santa Clara

The next leg of the cycling journey took us through the tobacco country to Remedios on a gently rolling road.  The central square was beautiful.  We toured Iglesia Major church, the oldest one in Cuba, with its gold leaf altar which was hidden from pirates for many years.  We may also have had a few mojitos and a beer on the main square while we watched a huge children's party unfold complete with live entertainment and music.

Bucanero is the best beer in Cuba - well I say so 😊 

Our next bike ride brought us to Caibarién, a colourful fishing town called “La Villa Blanca” (The White Town) for its white sand beaches.  After checking out the town and its recently built malecon, we boarded our bus to travel the causeway to the beautiful beaches of Cayo Santa María.  Our tour guide assured us that Cubans consider this the best beach in Cuba as the white sand is so fine (like sifted white flour) that it doesn't even get hot in the mid-day sun.  This is a fact as I can attest.

Beth chilling at the beach of the Starfish, Cayo Santa María

Great pool for cooling off

Walking the beach before dinner.

From Cayo Santa María our tour bus saved us time and effort driving us to Colón, a small town with neoclassical architecture and an impressive statue of Christopher Columbus guarded by four lions.  Then we cycled to Matanzas with the wind at our backs.  I remember our time in the Village of Coliseo where we hunted for drinks and snacks.  In the end, we got beer, pop, and ate our powerbars at a small shop operated out of some guy's front yard, with us paying him over his front gate.  Good times!

The best moment that day was when Mike finished the entire 90 kilometres to Matanzas - his longest bike ride ever.  He had built up his endurance over the previous days methodically until he was truly strong. His smiles and the fist-pumps were a lifetime memory.

Our tour bus took us back to Havana where we began our adventure 2-weeks previously. We spent a day touring the grand city.  A description of all the sights would take far too long in this blog post.  At night we had a tasty dinner on the top floor of the FOCSA building.

The Capital Building in Havana is based on the American Capital Building but one-metre taller

The famous statue of John Lennon in Havana

Our view from La Torre Restaurant situated on the 34th floor of the tallest building in Cuba 

We said goodbye to our new friends at the end of the tour and returned home.  What a great adventure with so much fun, good exercise and food, and a cultural experience beyond belief.

What 2024 Tours are Available?

I'm confident that those photos have completely whetted your appetite to join us during the winter of 2024 for a similar experience in the eastern part of Cuba known as the "Oriente".  We will ensure your safe enjoyment of Cuba as we enjoy a healthy and relaxing bike tour exploring this beautiful island.

So let's go and explore the two tours that Beth and Lee will be leading next season!

First 2024 Tour - Guantánamo Mango

This tour will run from January 27 to February 10, 2024.

For more details and to register for this tour head to the website with the link below.  Registration is free and holds a spot for you until we confirm the tour in the Fall and require bookings with a deposit. Guantanamo Mango Tour Website

Second 2024 Tour - Celia Sánchez

This tour will run from February 17 to March 2, 2024.

For more details and to register for this tour head to the website at the link below.  Registration is free and holds a spot for you until we confirm the tour in the Fall and require bookings with a deposit. Celia Sanchez Tour Website

What’s Happening in Cuba Right Now?

Cuba depends on tourism to obtain hard currency from developed countries to buy food for its people on the world market.  Unbelievably, Cuba must import 80% of its food.  Our tours also support Cuban youth cyclists as we along with our clients bring thousands of dollars of cycling equipment to the school programs in each province of the country, along with medicine and clothing.

Cuba is a safe destination for travel, with good roads, and excellent Covid safety as 92% of Cubans over the age of two are fully vaccinated.

Food for tourists has been readily available and meals at restaurants, hotels, and casas particulares (Cuban B&Bs) have been simple but tasty.  We wish it was easier for Cubans to obtain their own groceries in the abundance we enjoy outside this small island nation.  More tourists are the biggest opportunity to help Cuba financially.

We expect 2024 will be the year of the US Dollar in Cuba.  The government recently passed a law to enable Cubans to deposit US Dollars in their bank accounts, which had been the barrier to the dollarization of the economy.  More information to come on this.

Final Words

Thanks for reading my blog!  If you have any questions reach out to us and we can review the options.  We can also send you a brochure of any tour with daily itineraries and photos.  

Best wishes,

Lee & Beth Orphan

Email: lee@bicyclebreeze.net

YouTube Video Channel:  Lee's Cuba Cycling YouTube Channel

Facebook:  Lee's Cuba Bike Tour FB Page

Bicycle Breeze company website:  www.bicyclebreeze.net