9-day cuba motorcycle adventure with Chris Baker & Charles Fleming

Please join me and automotive and motorcycle correspondent Charles Fleming as we host a thrilling 9-day motorcycle adventure by BMW F700GSs with my close friend and professional Cuban road guide Luis Enrique González. Our days will be full of fun meetings with Cubans from all walks of life… such as artists, tobacco farmers, owners of B&Bs and private restaurants, and above all Cuba’s resourceful and indefatigable harlistas (owners of pre-revolutionary Harley-Davidsons) and other motorcycle enthusiasts.

ITINERARY (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Day 1: Meet in Havana
The U.S. “support for the Cuban people” license allows individuals to travel freely to Cuba as they wish. We’ll meet this evening at our B&B in Habana Vieja (Old Havana) for a welcome reception. Our welcome dinner will be nearby at Chacón 162, a popular bikers’ bar and restaurant.
Meals: D
Overnight: Posada de Chacón or similar (B&B), Havana

Day 2: Habana Vieja / Greater Havana / Bay of Pigs (150 miles)
After breakfast, we pick up our motorbikes. In order to get familiar with your bike, we’ll make a circuit of greater Havana, including such iconic sites as the Malecón, Plaza de la Revolución, Museo Ernest Hemingway at Finca Vigía (the author’s former home). We then head east via the Escaleras de Jaruco hills and Madrugada, and along the Autopista—the freeway—which delivers us via the Zapata Peninsula to Playa Larga (“Bay of Pigs”). We’ll overnight by the beach where the CIA-trained Cuban-American exile army came ashore in April 1961.
Meals: BD
Overnight: Hostal Enrique (B&B), Playa Larga

Day 3: Bay of Pigs / Cienfuegos / Trinidad (120 miles)
This morning we’ll be glad for the F700 GSs as we follow a dirt track along the Caribbean shore to reach the lovely bay city of Cienfuegos. After lunch and a brief stop to explore the city, we’ll follow a superbly scenic route along the Caribbean shore to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Trinidad—Cuba’s most authentic and perfectly preserved colonial city. This evening enjoy strolling the cobbled colonial streets, plus music and dance at one of Trinidad’s many clubs.
Meals: BD
Overnight: Casas particulares (B&Bs), Trinidad

Day 4 : Valle de los Ingenios / Santa Clara / Remedios (100 miles)
This morning we climb into the Sierra Escambray mountains via a steep switchback Topes de Collantes, then descend for lunch at El Nicho waterfall before heading via Manicaragua to Santa Clara. Here, visit the Conjunto Escultórico Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara–the vast monument, mausoleum, and museum dominating Plaza de la Revolución–and other key sites associated with the final battle, in December 1958, that eventually toppled the brutal Batista regime. We then continue the short distance to Remedios, a beautifully preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site colonial city. Our dinner will be a roast suckling pig feast at one of our two casas particulares.
Meals: BD
Overnight: Hostal La Estancia & Casona Cueto, or similar (B&B), Remedios

Day 5 : Sagua la Grande / Varadero or Matanzas (184 or 220 miles)
Today we follow the Circuito Norte (North Coast Road) through the Vuelto Arriba tobacco country and beautiful coastal mountain landscapes of Villa Clara. We’ll lunch beside the sea in the fishing village and former rum-and-sugar port of Isabela de Sagua. Then continue via Cárdenas to Varadero, Cuba’s premier beach resort, where a sugar-white beach, and scores of hotels, spill along the full 8-mile length of the Hicacos Peninsula. We may continue along the Atlantic shoreline for the bay city of Matanzas for overnight.  
Meals: BD
Overnight: CCasas particulares (B&Bs), Varadero OR Matanzas

Day 6: Matanzas / Havana / Viñales (200 miles)
Continue west along the Atlantic shoreline and then skirt Havana to visit the Museo Ernest Hemingway (in his former home). Then take the Autopista Nacional for about one hour to reach Las Terrazas, an idyllic agricultural community and eco-resort in the Sierra de Órganos mountains. We'll lunch here before continuing west to Viñales, a charming village in the heart of tobacco country and Cuba's most scenic valley.  
Meals: BD
Overnight: Casas particulares, Viñales

Day 7: San Luis y Martínez / Viñales (120 miles)
Our day excursion offers a sinuous and fun ride through the mountains, then via the provincial capital of Pinar del Río and into the tobacco growing region of Vuelto Abajo. We'll lunch at the most famous private tobacco farm in Cuba before a short curving ride back to Viñales. Then continue via Isabel Rubio and take a superbly scenic route to Pons and back to Viñales.
Meals: BD
Overnight: Casas particulares, Viñales

Day 8: Viñales / Havana (100 miles)
We’ll follow the Circuito Norte coast road (or head through the mountains) back to Havana. After return of the motorbikes, the transfer bus takes us back to our B&B in Habana Vieja. After cleaning up, we’ll ride in convertible classic cars to our farewell dinner at La Guarida, Cuba’s most sensational restaurant.
Meals: BD
Overnight: Posada de Chacón or similar, Habana Vieja

Day 9: End of trip
Today transfer to the airport for your departure flight. Or, if you wish, you can stay some more days in Cuba.

THE BIKES

We'll ride BMW F700 GSs exclusively. Each will be fitted with twin side panniers. However, we will also be accompanied by a support van and driver.

FAQS…

1. Do we reserve our own flights to Havana?
YES. IT’S AS EASY AS BOOKING TO ANYWHERE ELSE ONLINE. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU BOOK ONLINE WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES AT AA.COM, AS SOON AS YOU TAG IN HAVANA AS A DESTINATION, YOU’LL BE PROMPTED TO AFFIRM THAT YOU’RE TRAVELING UNDER ONE OF THE 12 PERMISSIBLE LICENSES. YOU CHECK “YES” AND THAT’S IT. END OF STORY! NO OTHER PAPERWORK IS REQUIRED. THEN, WHEN YOU CHECK IN AT THE AIRPORT FOR YOUR FLIGHT TO HAVANA, YOU’LL BE ASKED WHICH OF THE 12 LICENSES YOU’RE USING: ANSWER = “SUPPORT FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE”

2. Do we apply for our own visas?
THE AIRLINES HAVE THEIR OWN RELATIONSHIPS TO CUBA TOUR SPECIALISTS WHO CAN PROVIDE THE VISA. AFTER RESERVING YOUR FLIGHTS, YOU SHOULD RECEIVE AN EMAIL FROM THE AIRLINE WITH A LINK TO THEIR VISA PROVIDER (SOME AIRLINES MAY INCLUDE THE VISA IN YOUR RESERVATION). FOR EXAMPLE, AMERICAN AIRLINES USES CUBA TRAVEL SERVICES. AT ANY TIME YOU CAN REQUEST AND PAY FOR THE VISA ONLINE. THEY CAN ALSO BE PURCHASED UPON CHECK IN ($100) AT MIAMI AIRPORT.

3. Are we required to get vaccinations?
NO. HOWEVER, I RECOMMEND YOU CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR

4. Is it advisable to get any vaccinations?
HEPATITIS AND TETANUS AT A MINIMUM, BUT CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR

5. Do we need an international drivers’ license? With a motorcycle endorsement?
YOU DO NOT NEED AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSE. YOUR U.S. DRIVERS LICENSE SHOULD SUFFICE, BUT IT MUST INCLUDE A MOTORCYCLE ENDORSEMENT.

6. Can U.S. travelers go to Havana for a few days BEFORE the ride starts, or stay a few days AFTER it concludes?
YES, U.S. LAW PROVIDES FOR ANYONE UNDER U.S. JURISDICTION TO VISIT CUBA ANY TIME THEY WISH, PRE-APPROVED AS LONG AS THEY SINCERELY BELIEVE THEY FULFILL ONE OF THE 12 LICENSE CATEGORIES AND ABIDE BY THE REGULATIONS WHILE IN CUBA. THEY MAY DO SO FOR AS MANY DAYS AS THEY WISH. EVERYONE IS PRE-APPROVED (AND NO PAPERWORK IS  REQUIRED) UNDER THE “SUPPORT FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE” LICENSE, WHICH REQUIRES THAT YOU STAY AT PRIVATE B&Bs AND DINE AT PRIVATE RESTAURANTS WHILE IN CUBA. THEREFORE, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO BOOK YOUR OWN FLIGHTS TO ARRIVE/DEPART ON ANY DAY BEFORE OR AFTER THE TRIP.

7. What about medical insurance and emergencies?
YOUR AIRLINE TICKET INCLUDES MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDED WHILE IN CUBA. OF COURSE, IT’S ALWAYS WISE TO OBTAIN MEDICAL EVACUATION INSURANCE, SUCH AS MEDJET ASSIST. PROOF OF INSURANCE IS PROVIDED BY A RED STAMP ON YOUR BOARDING PASS TO HAVANA. THIS SHOULD BE RETAINED AND CARRIED ON YOUR PERSON AT ALL TIMES WHILE IN CUBA.

8. Do we need to show proof of motorcycle insurance?
TBD

9. Can I used credit cards in Cuba?
NO, U.S. LAW PROHIBITS USE OF CREDIT CARDS IN CUBA. YOU’LL BE OPERATING ON A CASH ONLY BASIS