Legal for Americans
We travel under the “Support for the Cuban People” category, in compliance with U.S. Treasury rules. We walk you step by step through your e-visa and the required forms.
Feel the real Cuba,on two wheels.
Small-group cultural bicycle tours of eastern Cuba, legal for U.S. citizens. Flights from Miami, Cuban homestays, every meal and your bike are included. Led by our founder who lives there.
Rated 5 stars by riderson Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Groups of 8–12
- January through May
- Hybrid, gravel or electric bikes
- 0
- days, Miami to Miami
- 0
- nights in Cuban family homes
- 0
- riders, maximum
- 0%
- legal for U.S. citizens
Ride in the morning
Quiet roads, a tailwind off the sea, and a support van that carries everything. Most mornings you're done by noon, in time for the beach or a cold drink in the plaza.
Eat at the family table
Breakfast is fruit, eggs and strong coffee from the people whose home you're sleeping in. Dinner is lobster off the boat, roast pork at the farm fiesta, flan somebody's grandmother made.
Dance before you sleep
Santiago is where salsa was born. A rooftop lesson, live music, and a street that turns into a party at nine. Nobody minds that you can't dance. By the second night, you can.
The Cuba most tourists never see
While others debate politics, you could be sharing meals with Cuban families, cycling past organic farms, or dancing salsa under the stars.
This isn’t the Cuba you see on the news. Yes, Cubans are going through hard times, and they’re meeting them with more warmth, music and resilience than you’ll find almost anywhere. Our route through el Oriente, the island’s less-touristed east, is where salsa was born and where everyday life still happens on the street, at the table and on the front porch.
Every tour is small, fully supported and paced for real people, not racers. Ride in the morning, swim or explore in the afternoon, and eat with the families who host you at night.
What you've heard, and what's true
The U.S. news is full of Cuba's hard times, and a lot of it is real. Here's what it means for a week with us, from people who live there.
Our founder Herschel and his Cuban wife live in a village in el Oriente. Some days the power goes out. The tours are built for that, and so are the families who host you.
- Cuba has no electricity.
- Blackouts happen, mostly in the hot months. Every homestay we use has solar panels, a battery or a generator. You're outside most of the day, and the kitchens run on gas and charcoal.
- There's no fuel.
- Lines at state gas stations are real. Our support vehicle starts every tour full, with reserve fuel on board and suppliers in every town. Nobody has ever been stranded. The bikes run on breakfast.
- There's no food.
- The empty shelves are in the state ration stores. Your hosts cook from the private economy: farm eggs, papaya, roast pork, lobster off the boat. Vegetarians eat well. Nobody leaves hungry.
- You'll be cut off.
- You'll have a Cuban SIM and casa Wi-Fi for texts, email and a video call home. It's slower than yours. Most riders say the quiet was the best part.
¡Saludos amigos! A note from Herschel
Why go to Cuba now? Because you can!
- It's legal and safe to fly with us. We're compliant with U.S. travel rules for Cuba, and flights on major U.S. airlines leave Miami every day.
- It puts Cubans back to work. Your tour employs local people, many of whom haven't had a job in months.
- Everything is already arranged. Support van and bus with fuel, homestays with solar backup in safe, clean, comfortable private homes, healthy meals, activities, bikes and e-bikes.
- You'll see the real Cuba. An active cultural adventure through the less-touristed East, the heart and soul of the island.
- Your money goes directly to Cuban families. Hosts, drivers, guides, farmers and musicians, not big hotels.
“There are no more resilient, resourceful and hospitable people than Cubans, but they do need our help now, more than ever.”
Herschel (aka Horacio), Founder and Lead Guide
Three things people worry about, and why you don't have to
We've taken hundreds of Americans to Cuba, many of them nervous on day one and planning their return by day three.
Safe, and guided by people who live there
Herschel and his Cuban wife live in this region and work with partners they've known for years. Cuba is one of the safest countries we've ever traveled to. It feels less like a tour and more like visiting friends.
Zero-hassle travel
Flights between Miami and Cuba, your rooms, every meal, the bikes, the SAG van and all the logistics are arranged. You meet us in Miami and we fly together.
One tour. Nine days. The real Cuba.
Flights from Miami, every night in a Cuban home, all meals, your bike and a support van that's never far behind. All included.
We don't sit by the pool, drink mojitos and take selfies.
This trip is a perfect fit if you are…
- A curious, adventurous traveler who seeks authentic cultural places
- Someone with a regular level of healthy exercise and fitness
- Ready to engage the real people, art, culture and history of a country
- Someone who appreciates local customs, activities and food
- Happier in a down-to-earth private home than a big resort hotel
- Keen for the money you spend to directly help Cuban families
2027 tour dates
We run tours January through May, when temperatures are cooler and it isn't hurricane season. Groups are capped at 12.
- Spots available
January 13–21, 2027
Eastern Cuba Culture & Cycling Tour
- Spots available
February 10–18, 2027
Eastern Cuba Culture & Cycling Tour
- Spots available
March 10–18, 2027
Eastern Cuba Culture & Cycling Tour
- Spots available
April 7–15, 2027
Eastern Cuba Culture & Cycling Tour
- Spots available
May 12–20, 2027
Eastern Cuba Culture & Cycling Tour
Have a group of 8–14 and none of these dates work? Ask about a private tour on the inquiry form.
How booking works
Three steps, and a real person at every one of them.
- 1
Fill out the tour inquiry form
Tell us which dates interest you and the best time to call. Private tours are available for groups of 8–14 if no posted date works.
- 2
Herschel calls you
A real conversation to answer your questions, talk through fitness and bikes, and make sure this tour is the right fit.
- 3
Reserve your spot
If it’s a great match we email an invoice for a 35% deposit. The balance is due 60 days before departure, and we send everything you need to prepare.
What a week in el Oriente looks like
No stock photos. These are our riders, our hosts, and the streets we ride, as shot by the people on the trip.
What riders say when they get home
From Google, Facebook and the emails Herschel gets the week after every tour. Including the honest bits.
“I have traveled with many tour groups domestically and internationally. Cuba Bike Tours is unique to them all. At every stop along the way, we are welcomed into casas particulares as though I am a distant auntie come to visit my Cuban family. Everyone is glad to see me, and I am treated with respect and appreciation. Although I bring many requested gifts to my host families, I leave with a far greater gift: the shared joy of Cuban daily life, music, dance and community.”
“I couldn't have asked for a better trip. As promised, it was a submersion into the Cuban culture and Cuban people. Their warmth and hospitality is unsurpassed. Many of the meals were unexpectedly delicious, accommodations comfortable, bikes well maintained and activities other than cycling were varied. Yes, bathrooms are primitive and there were electrical outages, so if you are prepared, it contributes to the adventure. The friendliness of the people, and the sound of ever-present music will be forever etched in my memory.”
“The best word to describe this experience is “mind-blowing!” The Cuban people could not have been nicer and our guides took great care of us every pedal of the way. We saw so many places, learned so much, made wonderful friends, and hope to return soon. What an adventure!”
“Thanks Herschel, it was an exceptional journey! We appreciate all you do for your bike riders and your heart for the Cuban people. Norm & I felt really safe and cared for in your hands.”
“Chris and I thoroughly enjoyed this week-long adventure through eastern Cuba. And as soon as my 3 grandsons are able to out-bike me, I'll be back with them. Congratulations to Herschel for doing so much to help make life a little easier for the wonderful people of Cuba.”
“Incredible experience and country! The riding was great, mostly flat roads with the occasional hills, nothing a 56-year-old weekend warrior like myself couldn't handle! I definitely give Cuba Bicycle Tours a 5-star rating.”
“Highly recommend this tour. Not only do we get educated, but we get to experience the culture and see the beauty in every Cuban human being, as well as spending time with the great group and guides that join us throughout the trip.”
“As a former adventure trip leader who led hundreds of tours in Cuba for years, I can say that cycling across Cuba is a great experience. You get to immerse in the real Cuba way more than the average tourist.”
“Wonderful place, and it supports the less fortunate Cubans.”
“Signed up for your March adventure! I am SO excited!”
Your trip is also our social mission
Cubans often don't have access to private or public transportation, so a bicycle changes a life.
Cuba Bicycle Tours employs and pays Cubans directly, not the government, brings essential goods that are in short supply, and helped create the Cuba Bamboo Bike Project at an organic farm you’ll visit on tour. For every participant who signs up, we donate a bike.
The Cuba trip
planning guide
Free · 10 sections · printable
Not ready to book yet?
Get the free planning guide Herschel sends every rider: the legal category, the e-visa and forms step by step, money, phones, packing, what blackouts mean for you, and a timeline from booking to Miami.
Ready to see the real Cuba?
Fill out the short inquiry form. Herschel reads every one and calls you back at the time you choose.