GO LOCAL TOURS

30/06/2021

Nothing like a fresh Cuban coffee un the morning

22/06/2021

The feeling of summer vibes... Summer is here! And our feeling about the knowledge of the Cuban Vaccine Abdala being more than 92% effective against COVID. Very proud of our Cuban scientists!

13/06/2021

The Castle of Los Tres Reyes del Morro is the most symbolic of the Cuban fortresses. Its construction began in 1589 and finished in 1630, by hands of the Italian Militar Engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli.

This fortress is like an irregular polygon because the builders adapted the construction to the shape of the reef on which they built it.

It was a strong defense trench against the frequent corsair and pirate attacks. In 1792, when the English tried to take Havana, the castle resisted during several weeks the attack of the army and the marine troops. The invaders could take Havana only after exploding a mine inside the Castle’s walls.

After its restoration in 1986, the Castle and San Carlos de la Cabaña fortresses became the Historical Militar Park Morro-Cabaña. As it is popularly know in Cuba, the Morro is a great historical museum.

Visiting the museum means to get in touch with a history full of legends, to jump into time and go back to the ancient and romantic times of corsairs and pirates…, to admire the city from its walls, to climb the lighthouse and keep beautiful images of Havana City in your mind, to enjoy the most charming sunsets in the “Queen’s Balcony”, to let your imagination fly and imagine your adventures when watching the exposition “Los Grandes Viajes” (The Great Journeys), which show the main maritime expeditions that Spain and Portugal made during the XV and XVI Centuries.

One of the many attractions you can visit while in Havana

10/06/2021

A common seen in Cuba; an old american car open anywhere. This cars have been running since the 50's and Cubans have become best mechanics in the world by making them work without spare pieces. Most of them are what we call "a rice with mango", a big mix of things inside, new engines from other cars and different bits and pieces

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07/06/2021

The Kapok tree or Ceiba tree is an emergent tree of the tropical rainforests, and is often described as majestic. It is a sacred tree in the Mayan culture in Central América and in the Afro-Cuban culture in Cuba. You can often spot it around the Cuban cities or countryside.

A few Cuban cities, including Havana, were founded under a Kapok tree.

It can grow to a height of 150 feet or more, towering over other trees. Originally a native to South America it now has spread to the primary rainforests of West Africa, and the Southeast Asian rainforests of the Malay Peninsula, and the Indonesian archipelago.

Its flowers are used as a cotton for pillows and mattresses. Its trunk has been used as a dugout canoe and for medicinal purposes.

The Afro-Cuban religion in Cuba verenates the tree. You can sometimes find offerings to the Orishas ( Afro-Cuban gods) under a Ceiba tree. Have you ever seen them? They look simmilar to Baobabs from Africa

01/06/2021

Hidden gems walking around Old Havana. Have you been here?

27/05/2021

Don't you just want to feel classy and do something different some days? If you happen to be in Havana, we definitively recommend you to check out our Vintage car tour. Not only takes you to some hidden spots in greater Havana, but also has a photographer included and ends up Mafia-style, with a cigar and cocktail included at the National Hotel!

https://golocal.tours/tour/vintage-car-ride-with-photo-session/

26/05/2021

Your friends have other plans? Make your own travel plans then!

We are often busy with our daily routines; work, some activities and family. As you get older, some of your friends have kids or partners and you do not have anyone to make travel plans with. GO!LOCAL is aimed at SOLO travellers, because we only have one life to live and many people in the world to make friends with!

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23/05/2021

The Capitol Building in Havana is an iconic building and often chosen by photographers as a backdrop in Havana classic pictures.

It's dome has been marking Havana's Skyline since the 1920's. It's construction took a bit over 3 years, quite fast for the complexity of the building at the time.

It houses the world's third tallest indoor statue in the world: an 11m bronze statue of a woman representic a mythic guardian of virtue and work. It also marks km 0 in Cuba, distances from Havana are measured from this building.

During US times in Cuba It hosted the Congress, after that it became the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Science and Technology.

It has been under restoration for around 11 years and it reopened its doors to visitors recently. It is now a Museum and It is possible to visit it for a small fee

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23/05/2021

Cuba is developing its own vaccines. This great article explains very well the development process

Despite its limited material resources, Cuba is responsible for developing two of only 23 coronavirus vaccines to have entered phase III trials anywhere in the world – and it has another three on the way. Helen Yaffe (University of Glasgow) explains how the Soberana, Abdala, and Mambisa vaccines w...

19/05/2021

Not good. Perfect! A lot of people travel with us on their own, but you wouldn’t know it by the end of the trip. You’ll meet people from all over the world and quite a few locals too. We’ve had people start off as strangers and become lifelong friends. The amazing people you meet is one of the best things about our trips.

Solo travellers should not have to pay more to travel so our group trips are designed for shared accommodation which does not involve a single supplement. Single travellers joining group tours are paired in twin accommodation with someone of the same s*x for the duration of the trip.

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15/05/2021

La Guarida represents a lot of what Cuba is about; a hidden gem inside a run-down old building in a non-touristy part of the city. This private restaurante or paladar, was one of the few 100 that had a private licence during the end of the 90's in Cuba, when things were a lot more restricted than they are today. They could only have 12 seats then and any infraction would translate in loosing their license. The most internationally renowned Cuban movie, Strawberry and Chocolate, was partially filmed in this location, in Central Havana. This part of the city is outside touristy areas.

For many years, La Guarida had clients that just Knew about the place. They did not even have a sign outside the building, they had clients whom knew about it "mouth to mouth".

La Guarida is a must-visit while in Havana. While things have change a lot since the 90's and La Guarida has now a lot of competition when it comes to great private restaurants, it remains the restaurant to go to, visited by famous clients such as Beyonce, Jay Z or the royalty of varios countries

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10/05/2021

One of the joys of being in Cuba is watching Cuban kids playing with anything, being creative, playing baseball with a bottle cup and a stick and just having fun with very simple things

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06/05/2021

One of the best things to do when in Havana is walking around the colonial squares in the Old city, enjoying the festive vibe, admiring the amazing architecture and soaking up the vibrant ambience

04/05/2021

Do you love sinkholes? One of Cuba's numerous natural attractions are the limestone sinkholes in the middle of a National Park with really clean and clear water, specially refreshing in the summer months. You can actually dive or snorkle in some of them. There are a few of them in the Bay of Pigs area. One of our favorites is Caleton azul, near Gibara. We call them cenotes un spanish

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30/04/2021

Enjoy the weekend in a wonderful place. LOVE Cayo Largo, Cuba ❤️❤️

25/04/2021

Cuba is watching the light at the end of the tunnel; They will start vaccinating its population very soon. Havana will be the first place to administer the two vaccines developed by Cuba: Soberana and Abdala. Very happy for cubans!

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25/04/2021

Cuba is watching the light at the end of the tunnel; They will start vaccinating its population very soon. Havana will be the first place to administer the two vaccines developed by Cuba: Soberana and Abdala. Very happy for cubans!

23/04/2021

El Nicho is one of those surprises you can come across when you travel.

This National Park is located in the Escambray Mountains, about an hour drive from Cienfuegos and a bit more from Trinidad.

The road towards El Nicho is already a highlight, its location is quite remote and you drive through some small traditional villages, plantations and beautiful nature on the way there.

The cascades are actually three that spill into natural ponds. The Hababanilla river feeds the waterfalls as it meanders through lush vegetation before it begins to cascade over rocks and ravines into cristal clear pools.

An easy 10 minutes walk takes you to the first set of Falls, while walking a bit more, around 30 minutes, takes you to more cascades and great views of the sorrounding mountains.

This is probably the easiest hike in the Escambray Mountains, and also one of the most beautiful. Highly recommended! Dont miss the opportunity if you are close to Cienfuegos. You can do an organised tour or rent a bus to take you there.

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Thanks for the photo from pexels

21/04/2021

Cuban trogon or Tocororo, is the National Bird of Cuba and endemic to the island. The local name is derived from its repeated call, toco-toco-tocoro-tocoro. The colours of its plumage resemble the colours of the Cuban flag: White, red and blue.n

The Cuban trogon does not migrate, but can move seasonally between forest, shrub land and riparian habitats.

It is quite possible to spot them in your visit to the island

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17/04/2021

Havana can be a paradise for architecture lovers.

The main exponente of art deco in Havana belonged to Emilio Bacardi and it was the HQ of the famous rum company. A german company constructed the building in less than a year in 1930. It was Cuba's largest building at the time, with 12 floors. It has a strong influence by Catalán modernism.

The lobby is decorated with marble from different colours, imported from different European countries. The façade is covered with red Bavaria granite, golden glazed tiles and brass fixtures.

The building has a tower with great views of Havana, topped with a bronze rendition of Bacardi's Bat logo.

The Bacardi Building is considered a masterpiece of Habana Deco and one of the finest Art Deco buildings in Latín América.

In 1960, Bacardi left Cuba after the new revolutionary government confiscated their Cuban assets, including this building.

It is used as an office building today. Even though is not generally opened to the public, you can visit the lower floors and a mezzanine bar that was once the private watering hole of the Bacardi family.

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15/04/2021

The traditional music of Cuba is amongst the most widely known and enjoyed music in the world today. Some of the world's best musicians and music genres come from this tiny island; Rumba, son, salsa, bolero, timba, nueva trova. Cuban music has also influenced musical forms and musicians around the world.

Traditional Cuban music is the result of the fusion of Spanish and African music. Spanish colonists played traditional music from Spain. As the colonists imported slaves into Cuba, traditional African musical forms came into the island. The slaves brought with them the rhythms, music and dance that were an intrinsic part of their religious life back home, creating a musical undertone to the culture that would develop over the course of Cuban history.

It is this melding of African rhythms together with guitars, melodies and lyricism from Spain that gave birth to Cuba's wealth of music and dance, and the reason why the music genre is usually referred to as Afro-Cuban

Another fascinating reason to travel to this magical island. Wanna get into the Cuban mood listening to Cuban music? Check the Cuban Soundtrack Spotify list we have created in our homepage

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12/04/2021

Santiago the Cuba is Cuba’s most musical and Caribbean city. Santiago is more ethnically mixed than other parts of Cuba and has the richest cultural heritage of music and dance. Son and salsa started here in Santiago! Historically is also the most important city of Cuba and is known as the cradle of the Cuban Revolution.

If you visit Cuba’s second largest city you'll learn a bit more about Cuban history. You can visit the city’s highlights such as the Revolution Square and the Santa Ilfigena cemetery where the most relevant national heroes are buried, including Fidel Castro. Witness the change of the guard.

Is worth visiting the Morro Castle, which protects the entrance to the bay and was a witness of several historical events since its construction in 1638. It served as a defensive Castle initially against pirate attacks. During the 10 years of Independence war of Cuba against Spain it became a jail where Cubans were imprisoned. The last Naval battle between the US( fighting on Cuba's side) and Spain in 1898 took place in front of the Morro Castle as well. US ships took by surprise Spanish ships inside Santiago de Cuba bay and defeated them. That was the end of Spanish colonisation (since 1511) and the beggining of Cuba becoming a US protectorate from 1902 to 1959.

While in Santiago, you can also visit the Moncada Barracks. Fidel first attacked the Barracks in 1953, main Barracks from Batista. The place is now the Revolution Museum of Santiago and a school center.

We definitively recommend mastering your salsa steps to get introduced to the traditional rhythms of the city!

Explore some of the musical venues at night and get amazed by the way locals dance ( BEST dancers un Cuba) and its amazing music!

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04/04/2021

Whats going on with the economical reform in Cuba? Cuba used to have two currencies, the local peso and the CUC. Starting January 1st 2021, Cuba is undergoing under a reform of its monetary system. The only currency circulating will be CUP or local peso (The official rate is 24 local pesos to a USD). As a foreigner, you can bring USD and Euros in cash. In 2020 the Cuban government opened some USD stores so now the USD and Euros are widely accepted since Cuban people really need them! Some items are only sold in these USD/Euros shops and it is very hard for Cuban people to have access to this currency, so contrary to what happened in the past, US dollars and Euros are now widely accepted by restaurants, bars, taxi drivers and guesthouses.

Bringing cash is the easiest way to travel in Cuba. AUD and NZD are not accepted in Cuba. We recommend bringing USD or Euros. Please note that bills that are marked or faded can be difficult to change or not accepted at all. We recommend bringing notes in very good condition and in denominations of USD $100 or lower. If needed, you can change money to the local currency CUP in banks, Cadecas (Change houses), Hotel receptions or Guesthouses. Due to the recent Monetary reform in Cuba and the urgent need of USD for the Cuban Government and Cuban people, it is unlikely that you will need to change to the local currency at all.

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