How to Navigate Travel Logistics Assuring an Amazing Experience
By Grant Houx- St. Peter’s Travel Coordinator
When it comes to fly fishing and travel, what is better than an adventure filled with expansive saltwater flats and plentiful fish? Combine this with amazing culture, great food, wonderful people, and a place unlike anywhere else in the world, and you have a journey that is hard to top. You may have guessed it, but I’m talking about Cuba. Cuba is a place that offers all those experiences and more. For these reasons, Cuba is unquestionably a top destination in our fly fishing travel program. In this blog, I’ll elaborate on the above details and why Cuba should be at the top of your list of fly fishing destinations. Additionally, I’ll cover how to travel to Cuba and what you need to know to make sure your trip is a success.
We at St Peter’s Fly Shop have been traveling, arranging, and taking clients to Cuba for almost a decade. I’ve been fortunate to be on the front end of our travels there, hosting 2 to 3 trips per year since we added it to our list of destinations. Avalon is the company that we have partnered with, and they control most all fly fishing access in Cuba. After visiting all of Avalon’s locations throughout the country, we as a shop have chosen to focus on what we consider to be their 2 best: Cayo Romano to the north and Jardines de la Reina(JDR) to the south. Though the destinations are very different, they’re both fantastic in their own ways. I will focus on more details about each destination below, but let’s first discuss the aspects of travel to Cuba.
TRAVEL
First and foremost, all travel we arrange to Cuba is legal, and we ensure the documents to follow mandates between the US and Cuba. Travel seems to be the largest barrier for most when it comes to visiting Cuba. We at St. Peter’s Fly Shop pride ourselves in making this process as easy and safe as possible. We’ll make sure you make it there and back legally, by assuring all proper paperwork is lined up and arranged by our travel experts. Admittedly, of all the destinations we travel to in the world to fly fish, Cuba does have some difficult logistics. This isn’t said to scare one from wanting to travel there, but rather to inform you that it does require crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. Again, we will hold your hand through this whole process. In fact, these challenges are part of what makes Cuba such a special place. When less folks travel somewhere to fly fish, and when fish see less pressure, the fisheries tend to be that much better. It is also the reason many travelers choose St. Peter’s to help arrange their trips: we know how to navigate the logistics.
Now, let’s cover some of these logistics and discuss how to navigate them. I’ll note that in the last 10 years, 3 of which were heavily impacted by COVID, logistics have been constantly changing. Since we have multiple trips there a year, we are constantly studying Cuba travel and how to make sure our customers can navigate their way to this amazing destination and back to the States. We’ll handle travel logistics so customers can focus on what they are there to do: fly fish!
When it comes to traveling to Cuba there are a handful of documents and paperwork that you’ll need to legally enter the country. (Again, when you travel or book with St. Peter’s to Cuba, we make sure we are traveling legally and that all your paperwork will be organized.)
As of Nov 1st, 2022, here is the list of required documents:
-Passport- It must not expire for 6 months from the first day of your arrival to Cuba.
-Cuba Visa – can be obtained multiple ways, but normally we recommend ordering them through Cuba Travel Services at least 2 weeks prior to your trip
-Travel Affidavit- I’ll go into this document with a bit more detail because it’s the paperwork that explains our legal reason for traveling to Cuba. Currently, we are traveling under Humanitarian Projects. Let me explain how this makes your travel to Cuba legal. While in Cuba, Avalon works closely with an organization called Oceans of the Youth. Oceans of the Youth is the outfit that protects and researches Cuba’s flats and coastal waters. Each angler is required to count and keep track of fish caught each day. That info is passed to Oceans of the Youth to help them with fish population records. On top of that, while visiting Cuba, you’ll be required to attend an informative speech detailing the current status and future objectives of the marine area. By helping Oceans of the Youth, we are in the act of helping with Humanitarian Projects, therefore making our travel to Cuba legal. Prior to departing for Cuba, we’ll make sure you have the Travel Affidavit and Workshop Certificate to solidify legal travel to the country.
-Workshop Certificate. We arrange this for you through the Cuban outfitter. It defines your reason for visit and authorizes your travel.
-Vaccinations and COVID Test requirement. Currently Cuba isn’t requiring travelers to be vaccinated. COVID tests are not required to enter the country.
As of this moment, the above items are the travel requirements and logistics. Please be sure to check with us as requirements change, and we’ll be sure to get you the most up to date information prior to your trip.