Tax Information And Guide

Santiago -- Local Guide

Author: Staff
U.S restrictions do not forbid citizens from entering Cuba, but it is against the law for them to spend money on the island without a special license from the U.S. Treasury Department (one that is virtually impossible for leisure travelers to get.) Most Americans who visit Cuba enter by way of Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas or Jamaica and ask that their passports not be stamped upon entry. While U.S. customs agents don't zealously enforce the restrictions, it is a good idea not to flaunt the fact that you've been to Cuba. Get rid of any receipts that might show you've spent U.S. dollars on the island and don't push your luck by trying to smuggle in those great cigars.

Tourist Information: Cuban Tourist Board, 416-362-0700 (Canada).

Location: The province of Santiago de Cuba sits along the southeast Caribbean coast of the island.

Topography: From tropical lowlands drained by the Rio Cauto to the pinewood forests of the Sierra Maestra.

Climate: Subtropical year-round with highs in the upper 80s and lows in the 60s. The rainy season is May-October.

Currency: The Cuban peso officially exchanges on a one-to-one par with the U.S. dollar. While the dollar can buy 20 pesos on the street, it's not really a bargain since there's little to buy with pesos. Credit cards and travelers' checks issued by U.S. banks are not negotiable in Cuba, but Visa, MasterCard and other credit cards from non-U.S. banks are acceptable. The bottom line: Bring plenty of U.S. dollars.

Language: Spanish, but English is widely spoken in the larger cities.

Documents: All visitors need a passport and onward tickets. Visitors will also have to buy a tourist card upon arrival for about US$12. While you won't be asked to show the card during your stay, don't lose it since you will have to produce it upon departure and a replacement card is US$25.

Electricity: 110 volts, 60 cycles. No adapters are necessary.

Taxes and Tipping: There is a departure tax of US$15. Service charges are not included in bills and while the government does not encourage tipping, gratuities are becoming increasingly common.

Time: Cuba is on Eastern Standard Time and observes daylight-saving time from late April to late October.

Ground Transportation: Cuba has some of the best roads in Latin America and renting a car is the easiest and cheapest way to get around. Rates begin at about US$50 a day. Cuba is the only Caribbean country with a working railway system and the trains are typically less crowded than public buses.

Airlines: Cuba's national airlines, Cubana de Aviacion, has direct flights to the island from Canada, Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. It is typically cheaper than other airlines, but also more subject to delays and changes. Other airlines flying into Cuba include - Aerocaribbean (from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua), ALM Antillean Airlines (from Curacao), Lacsa (from Costa Rica) and Mexicana de Aviacion (from Mexico).

HOTELS

Encouraged by more liberal government policy in recent years, the people of Santiago have opened their homes to tourists. These accommodations, usually clean and comfortable as well as extraordinarily hospitable, are known as casa particulares and cost, on average, US$15-$20 per night. There is no better way to understand life and times in Cuba than to book a stay in one of the city's 150 official casa particulares. There are said to be at least another 300 illegal casas - that is, householders operating businesses without handing "Comandante" Castro a high percentage of profits.

RESTAURANTS

It is possible to dine sumptuously in private houses called paladars for roughly US$10. Fresh fish and meat accompanied by salad, vegetables and rice are commonly featured. Unadvertised except by word of mouth, these establishments are known by any city dweller who will gladly offer directions, if not lead the way. Again, the experience is enriched by the knowledge that the visitor is getting a taste of real Cuba rather than the tourist-packaged Cuba sequestered away from the general population in resorts beyond the city limits.

Posted online 06/01/00.

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