Why did you choose this adventure?
Cuba has a mys­tique unlike any­where else on the plan­et. I’d always read and been told that going to Cuba was like step­ping back in time to a place where peo­ple still rode by horse and bug­gy or drove clas­sic 60-year-old cars, and social­ist pro­pa­gan­da bill­boards stood in place of com­mer­cial ads. With the impli­ca­tions of a thaw­ing U.S.-Cuba rela­tion­ship, I want­ed to see it before it start­ed catch­ing up to the 21st century.

Pack­ing Essen­tials: What did you use most?
Light­weight, breath­able cloth­ing. Light wool tanks, a syn­thet­ic long-sleeve shirt, and board­shorts are great mul­ti-pur­pose sta­ples. If you pick the right colors/patterns, they’ll also help con­ceal sweat.
A good day­pack. Suit­able for any dai­ly adven­ture to house the essen­tials. Don’t for­get sunscreen.
Reusable water bot­tle and SteriPEN. I’m a big fan of being able to make any water safe to drink. It’s con­ve­nient, cost-effec­tive, and good for the planet.

What were your trip highlights?
Hik­ing to pris­tine water­falls and pools in the lush hills out­side of Trinidad. Horse­back rid­ing through yuc­ca, tobac­co, and sug­ar­cane farms along the strik­ing lime­stone mono­liths of Viñales. Wan­der­ing the vibrant streets of mag­i­cal Havana, with its crum­bling ele­gance and steady pour of live music. Scu­ba div­ing near the Bay of Pigs, with its warm water, amaz­ing clar­i­ty, and pris­tine reef teem­ing with col­or­ful sea life. Plus, it’s uncan­ni­ly afford­able, with a 2‑hour ses­sion only run­ning you $40 per person.

What makes this place special?
What makes Cuba spe­cial is its time­less antiq­ui­ty, the diverse beau­ty of its ter­rain, the fas­ci­nat­ing mix of Latin and African cul­ture with for­mer Sovi­et influ­ence, and the indomitable strength and spir­it of the Cuban peo­ple. To say they’ve endured a lot is an under­state­ment, and they’re still incred­i­bly warm, gen­er­ous, and always look­ing to crack a joke.

What was the cra­zi­est thing that you saw?
On the dri­ve from Trinidad back to Havana, I saw an old man rid­ing a bicy­cle while hold­ing the reigns of a trot­ting horse, all on the side of a six-lane highway.

Where do you want to go next?
Tanzania.

For more infor­ma­tion on book­ing a trip, check out our Clymb Adven­tures page here.