Horse riding

[silhuat]

#27854

Hi,  we`ll visit Cuba in April and are looking for some ecursions.   We would like to go on a horse riding  tour near Trinidad or Vinales. Do you have any tips or contacts? I often read about horses in bad conditions – this is the last thing we want.  So we ned a guide who loves his horses :o). Of corse we would like to visit a litte cicar factory, too.   Many thanks

 

[Mario]

#27888

The horses are all in great condition. Vinales and Trinidad are tourist towns and the locals make lots of money from offering horse tours. They feed the horses well and take great care of them because they support the whole family.

The only way to book the horse tours is once you are in Vinales or Trinidad. You just have to ask your landlord and she will take care of the calling the horse guys to bring you on the tour. This cannot be arranged online. Maybe some websites offer this service but they will charge you much much more. A typical horse tour will cost you about 7cuc per hour, per horse. I have seen some people online charging $30 per hour, which is crazy.

Once you are in Trinidad or Vinales, simply tell your landlord to arrange a horse tour and she will take care of it, no problem.

Also, along the main streets in these towns, you will see farmers with horses and they will be asking you if you want a tour. It’s very easy. There are hundreds of horses.

[Christi]

#28563

We are going to Cuba in 5 day. Just want to let you know we were able to book horse tours in Trinidad with Trinidad Travels for 10Euro pp per hour. It might be a bit expensive but we were able to pay in full online. Which means carrying a little less cash. We also booked a tour in Vinales on line with Riding Vinales for $5 pp per hour.

[Mario]

#28571

Hi, thank you for posting this. The standard rate for horse back tours in Cuba is 5cuc per hour, per person. You paid a bit more than that for your Trinidad tours (10 euros per person, per hour). Also, looking at the info for Trinidad tours, you had to make payment to their bank processor in Italy. Honestly, this is a bit more complex than it should be. It is this way because of the economic embargo against Cuba (PayPal is banned on the island and using it to pay for any Cuban related items will result in your account being banned automatically and could result in a fine of over $10 000).

Paying in Euros to a bank in Italy means that your money does not go directly to Cubans… It goes to some bank account in Italy. While some money gets to Cuba, to pay for the service, there is somebody else in Italy collecting a very large commission. I think it is far better to pay the Cubans directly, in Cash. Also, it would have cost far less to pay in cash.

Also, important to note that bad weather events and trip delays are common in Cuba. If you pay for your services all in advance then it is more difficult to change your trip plans. What if there is a storm on the day you wanted to go for a horseback ride? You lose your payment in most cases. In my opinion, it is always best to pay cash at the moment you want a service, rather than paying in advance. The farmers with horses in Cuba absolutely do not have websites or offer online payments. They live on cash payments. Paying in Cash directly benefits them and you can be sure there are no middlemen collecting commissions and potentially exploiting the poor farmers. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s a problem in Cuba.

[Christi]

#28574

You make sense. I was concerned about paying this way and thought it a bit strange but the group I’m traveling with thought it was fine. We were given their name by Viahero. They are supposed to help us make sure we are following all the rules. Apparently they should remove Trinidad Travels off their list of recommended companies.

[Christi]

#28576

And by the way I love your book. Wish I had found your book and this forum when we first started planning our trip.

[Mario]

#28582

Thanks. Have a great trip Christi! Cuba will be wonderful especially this time of the year. It’s not too hot and it’s still low tourist season. Meet the locals and experience the none touristy areas. You will love it. All the best!

[Author]

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