A Cuba yacht charter is a journey through an archipelago drenched in color. In Cuba, clear turquoise seas lap against sugar-white sands, and coconut palms wave against a clear blue sky. Behind the beach, the tropical rainforest takes hold, rolling away into a lush hilly landscape of old plantations and deep jungle pools.
In the historic cities of Cuba, the color quotient is turned up even higher, with vintage American cars cruising past houses of every shade of pink and blue and yellow, and giant political murals splashed against fading city walls. The only revolution youโll encounter these days is in the Cuban food and art scene, which is getting more exciting with each passing year.
Offshore, the incredible visual palette continues, with thousands of desert islands, flamingo lagoons, and pretty fishing villages, while underwater, the worldโs third-largest reef is home to a chaos of color and life, proving a happy paradise for the diver, snorkeler, or angler.
A Cuba yacht charter is a feast for the senses that will never be forgotten. Yet with over 1,800 miles of coastline, two UNESCO listed cities, and around 4000 island and cays, it can be a little tricky to plan your itinerary if you donโt know what the highlights are. Which is why weโve put together a short guide to the best of a Cuba yacht charter.
Explore Havana
Where else to start but Havana? This magnificent UNESCO listed city is a melting pot of Art Deco and Art Nouveau facades, Spanish colonial buildings, and hulking Soviet architecture. Itโs a city born for exploring, with gourmet restaurants set in opulent mansions, hip backstreet bars, a fiesta of street art and galleries, and bustling food stalls. And color, color, everywhere. Leave your charter yacht to take an afternoon stroll down streets where old men in short sleeves sit at tables playing dominos, and Cuban music and cigar smoke floats in the breeze.
Bliss out on the beaches and desert islands of Cuba
A Cuba yacht charter is the ultimate way to explore Cubaโs coast and archipelagos, where youโll find stunning beaches in numbers too great to count. Many of Cubaโs greatest beaches and islands are in the north, where you can laze about in hammocks by a beach bar, drop anchor off tiny little islands where yours are the only footprints, or have luxury beach barbeques on sandbanks in the middle of the sapphire sea.
Fall in Love with Trinidad
Another day on a Cuba yacht charter: another UNESCO-listed city. Trinidad enchants with its Spanish architecture, Italian frescoes, and fashionable cafรฉ and cocktail scene. Once a tremendously rich city in the height of the slave and sugar trades, Trinidad now has a faded grandeur about it that makes exploring it richly atmosphericโan experience only heighted by the brightly painted Cadillacs and rainbow- colored side streets.
Dive the ‘Galapagos of the Caribbean’
Cuba has the third largest reef in the world, which is home to an extraordinary abundance of marine life, including whale sharks, sea turtles, rays and even alligators! Jardines de la Reina is the top dive site of them all, with so much life that this underwater garden is likened to the Galapagos. All this activity also makes the waters of Cuba a fishing enthusiastโs paradise: cast a line for snapper and grouper on the reef, or go out deep to hunt for sailfish and marlin.
Strike out on an Inland Adventure
If you can bear to tear yourself away from the glorious Cuban beaches, the interior holds many treasures. In the hills youโll find desperately green valleys, huge limestone outcrops, and rolling tobacco plantations, while in the dense jungle you can have a swim in one of the โcenotesโ, the ethereal forest pools created by flooded caves. Hike, drive, or horse ride through spectacular scenery in Cubaโs quiet interior.
Go Wild at Cienaga de Zapata National Park
Deep in the south, this wild, pristine peninsula has also gained UNESCO status, with the Ciรฉnaga de Zapata UNESCO Biosphere Reserve spanning a huge tract of wetlands. Expect superb bird-watching, a couple of good beaches, and some world-class diving offshore.
These are only a few suggestions of the best of a Cuba yacht charter, for more detail get in contact with your yacht charter broker to plan a tailored yachting itinerary to suit your group.
Corey
March 27, 2018 at 3:49 pmHavana looks beautiful thank you for sharing these photos!
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:27 pmYou’re so welcome! It’s an incredible city.
Reese Woods
March 27, 2018 at 4:09 pmThis is giving me travel fever!
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:28 pmMission accomplished ๐
Esse D
March 27, 2018 at 4:37 pmI added Cuba to my bucket list when the travel restrictions were lifted. This is a good resource to use for itinerary planning.
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:28 pmThere is so much to see and do in Cuba, I’m so glad it’s on your travel list!
Tabitha Bradley-Raines
March 27, 2018 at 5:28 pmThese pictures are awesome. It makes me want to plan a beach trip. I miss the ocean and the sand.
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:28 pmI know what you mean! The ocean is my happy place ๐
Coral
March 28, 2018 at 2:33 amYou’re making me want to travel so bad! And I loved learning about cuba yaht charters. I had no clue about those. Thanks!
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:29 pmYes, it’s such a great way to travel! You’re welcome!
Jasmine Vargas
March 28, 2018 at 8:52 amCuba is on my bucket list. All of these photos is making me want to book my next trip.
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:29 pmThat makes me so happy to hear!
Bernie
March 28, 2018 at 9:24 amWow, those are some gorgeous thoughts on what to do! I think I’d got so sucked into the whole Cuba vibe that I’d forgotten all the good reasons to explore its island status. Give me an archipelago and I’m a very happy person indeed, so this would suit me well. And Trinidad? That has to be on my list.
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:30 pmTrinidad is one of my favorite towns in Cuba! Havana is amazing but there’s so much more to Cuba than Havana!
Katie | Life She Lives
March 28, 2018 at 3:25 pmThese photos are beautiful! I am actually traveling to Cuba this weekend – will have to look into this!!!!
Carmen Edelson
March 28, 2018 at 6:30 pmHave an amazing time, Katie! I just returned from 10 days in Cuba.
Tam Warner Minton
March 29, 2018 at 10:01 amI have always wanted to dive Cuba, and it is certainly on my list. A couple of dive boats are doing it now.
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:04 pmI think you would really love it!
All She Things
March 29, 2018 at 1:04 pmYour beautiful pictures make me want to hop on the next flight to Cuba! You’ve captured the essence of the place so well!
– www.allshethings.com
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:04 pmI so appreciate it, thank you!
The Southern Thing
March 29, 2018 at 2:05 pmHow pretty! I would love to visit here.
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:04 pmCuba has so much to offers tourists ๐
mark
March 29, 2018 at 5:17 pmCuba is such a hot destination right now. It’s easy to see why with the laid-back feel of Havana and its natural beauty and wildlife. A yacht trip around the island sounds like an amazing experience
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:05 pmI was born in Cuba and I’m so glad to see people exploring it more.
Kaila (The Wanderlust Celiac)
March 29, 2018 at 9:51 pmGreat suggestions! I love the colors of the buildings in Havana, and the water in your photos is brilliant.
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:06 pmTrinidad is another really coloful town I think you’d like ๐
Lara Dunning
March 29, 2018 at 9:52 pmYou’ve highlighted so many wonderful things to do in Cuba. Ever since I saw a show about snails that live on the limestone mounds in inland Cuba I’ve wanted to see that part of the country. Although, my weather-whim PNW blood will probably have me metling until I find a cenote. ๐
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:06 pmI really hope you get to go, Lara! You’d love it ๐
Evelyne CulturEatz
March 30, 2018 at 12:33 pmDefinitely another side of Cuba we don’t see often. In Canada, Cuba is king of all-inclusive trips, the worst kind in my opinion where you miss these things.
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:07 pmI can see why people would take those kinds of trips but they really aren’t necessary in Cuba!
Kerri
March 30, 2018 at 5:21 pmOne of the things I really love doing is seeing cities from the water, it offers such a different perspective. What a beautiful place to do it in also. Having been to Cuba this is definitely something I recommend.
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:08 pmI am the same, Kerri! I absolutely love cruising.
Jas
March 30, 2018 at 5:51 pmWhat an adventure this is!!! I used to go boating lots during my university days so a Cuba yacht charter is totally up my alley. Also didn’t know it was the third largest reef in the world. Makes me wanna learn how to swim so I can go snorkel there!!
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:08 pmI know, really impressive! You’d love it ๐
Malc S
March 31, 2018 at 7:14 amThat looks gorgeous, especially the Cuban scenery. I have a friend who was there over New Year. So great it’s become much more accessible to tourism recently!
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:09 pmI know, I am so happy it has! I was born there so I’m obviously very proud more people are visiting ๐
Erica Edwards
March 31, 2018 at 9:38 amI absolutely love the photos in this post! Great roundup here, most Cuba posts focus around just beaches and Havana, but you’ve provided so many resources. Definitely bookmarking this one for later!
Carmen Edelson
March 31, 2018 at 12:09 pmHavana is amazing but there’s certainly more to Cuba than that!