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Before you go to Cuba - Health info
No special vaccinations or immunizations are necessary
for traveling to Cuba. It's a healthy country that
extends free initial doctor visits and emergency care to travelers.
We do advise that you stick to bottled water and avoid fresh
vegetables possibly rinsed in tap water. Following this advice,
travelers will face a dilemma ice, a vital ingredient in mojitos and
most cocktails, is probably frozen tap water.
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Proof of medical coverage will become mandatory, for all visitors and tourists to Cuba
If tourist or visitors arrive without Medical Insurance, a Cuban company will sell them medical coverage at an airport.
To purchase Medical Travel Insurance in Cuba at the airport, will cost you
$3 - $6 a day , depends of your age. Travel Insurance Rates - Free Quotes 
Drinking tap water is guaranteed to result in instant weight loss, do not drink tap water.
Cuba produced variety of excellent beers, mineral waters and juices.
All it takes is a bit of planning, eating carefully
while you're away.
 Packing Tips
Loose, light colored cotton clothing. Long shorts are acceptable for men and women, although women may find a skirt breezier and more comfortable.
Soften your appearance by avoiding logo-splattered, flashy clothing in preference of plainer items.
Cuba is very windy, and thankfully so, because the climate can be very hot and humid. A waterproof windbreaker, sunglasses and wide brimmed hat will protect you from the elements in any season.
Comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes such as tennis shoes or low-top hikers handle the uneven pavement and cobbled streets with ease. One pair of sturdy, water-rugged sandals can do double duty from a day at the beach to a dinner on the town.
On the beach, swimsuits range from modest maillots to skin-showy. Take plenty of toiletries. Unlike most destinations, where a forgotten item can be easily purchased, supplies in Cuba are very scarce.
Pharmacy shelves are often empty, products are limited, and prices are high. Pack ample supplies of any prescription medications, tampons, sunscreen, contact lens solution and pharmaceutical items.
Also, bring a washcloth and beach-day towel, as your hotel probably won't provide either.
Valid Passports min 3 moths, Cuban touris card, documents.
Pack your passport in an easy-to-reach place, preferably near your airline tickets and travel vouchers, your driver's license and two photocopies of your passport, keeping them separate from your passport.
Cash and traveler's checks.
Bring more than ample cash, as you'll be using it for every purchase once inside Havana. It is better to disperse your travel funds among your luggage than it is to pack all of your cash in one bag or wallet. Divide your monies into packets, putting a small emergency fund in each piece of check baggage.
Keep the largest sums inside your carry-on and on your person.
A couple of traveler's checks, purchased from a Thomas Cook or Visa office in your transit country, can provide additional emergency funds.
Reading material. In addition to a small, Spanish phrasebook for communicating in Cuba, purchase a guidebook that covers your transit country.
The more familiar you are with the area, the better prepared you'll be for the unexpected. If weather cancels your flight or lost luggage finds you needing a place to stay in Toronto or Montreal, you'll have your bases covered. For travel reading, bring paperbacks and. Before departing Cuba you can lighten your load by donating any books that you have finished to the dealers on Plaza de Armas in Havana.
Camera and extra film.
Cuba is a fantastic place to take pictures, but film is a pricey and scarce item. Take extra film and shoot plenty of pictures, most Cubans enjoy having their picture taken, especially if you promise them a copy of the photo.
To avoid possible inconvenience at check-in, pack such tools in your checked luggage instead of in your carry-on bags.
In addition, Cubans love baseball-talking about it, playing it, arguing over it, cheering for it.
A baseball, be it new or used, is an easy-to-pack item that makes an ideal gift for friends you make on the street.
You should always bring
a pen, pencil, and paper, because you never know when you'll get a great idea, need to leave a note or want to get someone's address.
 Customs and Immigrations info
To enter Cuba you will need a Cuban tourist card issued by your Tour operators or Airliners,
cost is $CAN 20. and a passport that has been valid for a full six months prior to your travel.
There are no additional visa or passport requirements for Canada or Mexico entering the United States from Canada or Mexico requires only a copy of your birth certificate and a valid photo ID.
Take both, they'll come in handy if you accidentally get a Cuba stamp in your passport. Since there is no U.S. Embassy in Cuba, we advise taking two photocopies of your passport.
If you lose your passport while there, you can use the passport photocopies to exit the country.
Customs and Bureaucracy
Step by step guide of what to expect from the customs and immigration checkpoints on your trip to Cuba.
During the flight from the United States to Canada you will be asked to fill out declaration form.
Canadian customs will collect the for, proceed to your carrier's Airline ticket counter or your tour operator agency's booth to pick up your documents.
At the carrier's or tour operator agency's counter, ask for your tour operator representative so you can pay for or pick up your travel package.
With tickets in hand, you can now check in for your flight. Note that most carriers only allow one carry-on.
Be prepared to check all other bags.
Arrive at Jose Marti Airport in Havana, deplane into the spacious red-roofed, white-beamed facilities, and follow the yellow and black signs in English to the immigration desks. Airport tax is CUC$ 25.
Havana's customs and immigration is less casual than Canadian but nothing to get in a sweat about. Immigration is composed of about 20 stations, each with a short hall, small office, teller-style window, exit door and one agent. Most agents and airport employees speak some English.
Cuban customs X-rays your carry-on baggage, just like in any other airport, as well as frisking you.
This is low key and pretty informal a female security agent checks female travelers, and a male agent checks male travelers.
Collect your luggage at baggage claim, but keep your passport and tourist card handy. You'll have to show them to one more agent before you leave the baggage area. He or she will make sure you have your tourist card, glance at your passport photo, and casually ask if this is your first time visiting Cuba, how many days you'll be staying, and the name of your hotel or rent a room address.
Transportation from the airport should be included in your travel package. A driver, who received your name via the tour company, will be waiting along with a coterie of fare-ready taxi drivers right outside the baggage claim area.
When returning the above steps basically work in reverse.
Instead of paying an airport or departure tax to your transit country, you must pay CUC$ 25. departure tax in all Cuba airports.
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