I see President Obama has eased restrictions for Americans wishing to visit Cuba. To someone like me who has visited Cuba and cycle toured there in recent years it has always amazed me that US cycle tourists are effectively banned from touring Cuba.

Here is an island, what 20 miles? off the US coast and the only cyclists who can tour it are people like me who spend the equivalent of $1200 on an airfare to fly across the Atlantic.

Despite this easing US cycle tourists are still 'banned' from travelling to Cuba.

My understanding is that only the US Congress can lift the embargo so the President's powers are limited in this area.

Restrictions have been eased on "purposeful" travel so if you want to 'evangelise' you can go but not to cycle tour. Maybe it's time to declare cycle touring a religion.

https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...s-embargo-cuba

Why fly across the Atlantic when you can come down to Mexico, get a travel package at a VERY reasonable cost and still have change left over from your $1200?

Cuba is a popular winter destination for people living in Manitoba ... or at least it was when I lived in Manitoba. Seemed like half the people I knew were going down there, some quite regularly, to take in the beaches, to cycle, etc.

When I moved to Alberta, it seemed that Mexico was the popular destination.

And just looking it up now ...

A flight from Winnipeg to Havana leaving mid-Feb and returning at the beginning of March is less than $800 ... about the same as a flight to Cancun and back.

In this part of the world, Bali is a popular winter destination.

This is not an American-centric forum -- the OP lives in Ireland. Otherwise you seem to be suggesting that Cuba is somewhere it's not.

I thought it was 90 miles. Both my daughter and nephew went to Cuba at different times to do humanatarian work. Both enjoyed the trip very much. My wife's family is from Cuba.

Avoiding a rant about our very shortsighted Cuban policies, cycling in Cuba is, according to journal accounts over at CG, quite an educational adventure in third world travel. Gotta be determined and a bit tough to see that beautiful place on a bicycle. Buying food and finding legal lodging in the hinterland is apparently an exercise of unusual complexity and fiscal intrique.

And meanwhile, I've heard quite positive stories of travelling and cycling in Cuba. A friend of mine went and really enjoyed himself.

Wllie Weir travelogues from Cuba:

https://www.willieweir.com/Cuba.shtml

You're right I'm wrong. Cuba is 90 miles off Key West Fla.

From my limited experience of independent cycle touring in Cuba I'd agree with much of the above.

You can go with an organised tour that will ease the culture shock but then you will probably miss out on the education Cyclebum is refering to.

For me I was educated to some of the petty crime in Havana when I had my briefly unattended bike and camera stolen. Some latent racism when my white Cuban host blamed the petty crime on the N.....s which wasn't true in my case.

I was able to continue my tour on a rented clapped out Raleigh and had a largely enjoyable trip.

deleted by dengidog

You're new here, aren't you. Stick around and you'll discover that Rowan's response wasn't particularly snarky. You'll also discover that there are posters in this particular subforum who are from places all over the world ... and that's a feature I really like about this subforum. There have been some threads in here where the US posters have been in the minority, as we talk about travel in various parts of the world.

And, BTW, don't include Canadians in the attempt to avoid the US Big Brother. Canadians are free to go to Cuba, and many of them go. As I mentioned, it is a popular holiday destination.

Actually, Machka, I am! lol I mention Canadians, too, because those that live here find that a lot of their travel goes through the US. Of course I know that they're not limited to the US restrictions., but they can be affected by them; however, if they're traveling direct from Canada, that's different.

But I still think the answer assumes I live in Pig's Knuckle, Ark, never having been off the farm. I am guilty of not having checked out the OP's location, but that doesn't change the fact that there are many who don't know that they can go S.O.B. and then on to Cuba without Uncle Sammy ever knowing (happens all the time here).

Duly chastised, moving on.

Yes, Canadians can be affected by travel restrictions of various sorts if they use a US airline somewhere along the way. That was even an issue on my last flight from Canada to Australia.

And it just kind of sounded like you were saying, why go to Cuba when you could go to Mexico instead.

Anyway ... welcome here!

Oh, gosh, no. Under the assumption that folks were going over the Atlantic in order to go to Cuba, I meant that they could fly out from Mexico to Cuba and still have money left over.

We had friends visit from the UK this summer who got caught by the demise of Mexicana. Since they didn't have the now-required US visa to pass through, it was a nightmare for them to arrange return travel. Even as a US citizen, I HATE traveling through the US because of customs...but that's another gripe for another day.

Have a great weekend!

OP -

I believe you've learned from responses a more correct distance between the USA and Cuba and that it's really not - and hasn't been - that big a deal for US cyclists to tour there if they want to. They just can't fly direct - meh.

You might be interested to know that if an American cycle tourist wants a Caribbean island holiday they can visit Puerto Rico without ever leaving the USA. A trip to Cuba is fascinating, though, for an education on the personal liberty and economic miracle that is 50 years of communist rule.