"Havana Underground" Bike Tour

"Havana Underground" Bike Tour

Discover on two wheels the Havana hidden from the passerby’s sight.

Seeking for alternative lifestyles, we’ll penetrate the backstreets of Havana to discover a whole other city. This is the way to learn about real Cuba, not recorded in the guidebooks, seeing the sights and what hides behind them.

Diverse lifestyles exist within Havana’s socialist society. Older cultures like Spanish, African and Chinese culture have created the Cuban people as it is today, with its unique religions, dances, music, traditions and dreams. However, as if that weren’t enough, the constant tug-of-war between US interests in the island and Cuban revolutionary responses have put the islanders’ lives on edge for more than 100 years. Faced with constant challenges, Havana’s residents find the motivation to continue “en la lucha”, reinventing everything to face difficult decades with clever attitudes.

Pay attention as we uncover for you 5¢-coffee, street art & tattoo culture, the Cuban-Chinese culture, cheap food and drinks, recent immigrants drawn to the island’s new energy, stories about the Malecon’s nightlife and the Paquete - the Cuban solution to watching your favorite shows and films with no internet. At the end, we will go to a bar where only locals go.

Itinerary

Biking from the historical center all the way to Havana’s “hipster” area, we will go through cafes, a tattoo shop, the Chinatown, Callejón de Hamel and a local bar. Also, we’ll show the a hidden restaurant, the University of Havana, a body art gallery, and visit a Paquete Semanal provider and more.

Included

• A local tour guide (Spanish, English).
• Bike and Helmet.
• Water, juice and coffee (including the 5-cent Cuban coffee).
• Ponchos for the rain

Difficulty degree: Low.

Distance to be covered in the tour (round trip): 18 kms approximately (11.2 miles).

Approximate tour duration (total): 4 hours approximately.

Group size: 9 pax.

Meeting Point: We will meet at Parque de los Mártires Universitarios (square) in front of Ferlan’s bike-shop, near the University of Havana, very centrally located!in Ferlan's Bikes San Lázaro 117, Centro Habana. Between Jovellar and San Francisco.

Special notes:

• You must have a good experience in cycling in the city. The terrain is a little hilly.
• Children under 18 years of age can attend if accompanied by a legal guardian. The minimum age to participate is 10 years old.
• The guest must have good experience in city cycling. There are no bicycle lanes in Cuba.
• We will have to load our bikes to go up or down a path.
• Guests must be able to ride a bicycle comfortably up to 20 kilometers (12.4 miles).
• Light colored clothing is recommended.
• You should bring lights for riding at night.
• At the meeting point, we will provide safety equipment and give some instructions for safe cycling.
• The leader will then ask for suggestions to create the route on the spot. He has the mission to design an attractive 1.5 hour route through the city of Havana.