10 Other Reasons to Visit Cuba

Vacationers travel to Cuba for sun, sand and surf and an opportunity to relax and enjoy a winter holiday. However, there are many other reasons why you should consider and visit Cuba year round.

1. Cuba is unlike any place you’ve ever been before. The intermingling of European and African people and cultures has made Cuba innovative whether it is in music, art, politics, or religion. The attributes of traditional West African deities have been superimposed on Catholic saints to crate a new religion, Santeria or Cuban voodoo. Cuba is a world of its own.
   
2. In Cuba you have a unique opportunity to experience 20th century history first hand. Walk along any Cuban street and you’ll feel you’re back in the 1950s as old Chevys and Buicks drive by. Glance at the billboards extolling the revolution or note the many busy schools and clinics and you’ll see socialism in action. Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world 97% and the highest Doctor patient ratio in the world. One Doctor for every 200 people. Cuba is the last true Communist country outside of Asia and it is there for travelers to see and experience first hand.
3. Cuba’s museums and art galleries offer a rich feast of Spanish colonial art and architecture. The contemporary art of the revolution is striking, but it is those old palaces, churches, and cobblestone streets that attract visitors the most. Havana is ringed by an impressive Spanish colonial fortresses, most of them well preserved and open to the public.
4. Havana is the largest and most fascinating city in the Caribbean. The Plaza de la Cathedral dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, while the Paseo del Prado is a classical 19th century Spanish promenade. In the hotel district of Vedado, it’s the 1950s all over again. Plaza de la Revolution is the heart of Fidel Castro’s Cuba
5. Aside from Havana, the Spanish left a string of charming colonial towns along the length of the island. The ambience of Cuba’s second city, Santiago, is comparable. One unquestioned jewel is Trinidad, unchanged in over a century. Many of Trinidad’s stately colonial mansions have been converted into guesthouses or museums, and the music in the town’s nightspots will move you to dance.
6. The Cubans are world-class baseball players and boxers. Yet for vacationers, the
   Sports of choice are snorkeling, hiking and scuba diving, be it a dive on a black coral wall at Maria la Gorda or a hike across the Sierra Maestra via Cuba’s highest peak.
7. The Caribbean island of Isla de la Juventud to the south of Havana is Cuba in miniature. Here both the national hero Jose Marti and Cuba’s President Fidel Castor spent periods of time in exile. It is a largely agricultural island with secondary boarding schools build by the revolution dotting the countryside.
8. Cuba’s culture is rich, especially the delightful musical mélange of African rhythms and Spanish melodies. You’ll be enveloped in a salsa beat that is truly Cuban. The country’s film industry is also first class and graphic art is everywhere.
9. Cuba is good place to learn new skills such as Spanish. Visitors are welcomed in the many Spanish language classes offered at the universities. More informal, private Spanish tutors can be hired though you need to bring your own dictionary and textbooks. Many visitors also arrange dance lesions at cultural centers or even in nightclubs and additional lessons can be arranged in painting, engraving, and drumming.
10. Cuba is one of the safest place in the world to visit and inexpensive for the Caribbean. Tourism is Cuba’s largest source of income and foreign visitors are carefully sheltered, perhaps sheltered too much. The experienced traveler will find it easy to escape the resorts and will quickly find the Cuban people are sincerely friendly. It only takes one visit to find out.