Getting around Cuba can be one of the great adventures of visiting this Caribbean nation. The most popular transport for foreign visitors is the Viazul bus, some lucky folks manage to get a train, but you’ll also find a high use of private drivers in Cuba for visitors. It’s certainly one of the best ways to get to and from some places that either aren’t on the bus route or are not served at sensible times of the day. In this article I’m going to go through one of the best options for hiring a private driver in Cuba – how it works, what to expect, and why this particular service is a super way to get around Cuba.
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EASIEST WAY TO BOOK
Use Daytrip in Cuba
Get a price for your journey between cities in Cuba and select sightseeing options along the way.
While the concept behind a Cuban private driver is that they’ll take you from A to B, they rarely want to stop along the way. With Daytrip (who’ve been around since 2015, and who contract with local drivers on your behalf) you opt for your route – say Havana to Varadero. And then – if you want – pick sightseeing stops along the way. Each of your stops is priced in, both in cost and time. So if you want to stop at Cuevo del Saturno, then you can select how long you want to stop for and visit en route. It’s a brilliant way of seeing Cuba.
Get a price for your route and stops here.
Travel from A to B (and Visit C enroute)
I’ve long been a supporter of the Viazul Bus network and used it extensively. (my guide to Viazul is here) But it doesn’t go everywhere that people want to do. And getting off a bus at 04:00 isn’t fun for anyone. And a lot of the time you’ll find yourself whizzing past somewhere you want to visit with no bus stop in sight.
Take for instance the journey from Trinidad to Cienfuegos. You’ll see from my guide to day trips from Trinidad that the El Nicho waterfalls are a great option. Using this option from DayTrip you can visit en route – on your way to Cienfuegos. And get up to 3 hours there. Perfect.
How to book a private driver in Cuba
Booking a private driver in Cuba is easy. Your casa particular owner will be able to help you out. You’ll need, of course, to pay in cash (preferably foreign currency). You can also, for certain routes, use Civitatis – who I have recommended (and still do) for a long time now.
Now you can also use Daytrip, book your travel plans, and pay a deposit of about 23% online and then pay your driver the remainder in cash. Meaning that there’s less hard cash that you’ll need to take to Cuba with you. Easy. And yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours beforehand with no charge. Or make changes to your plans.
See so much more and get off the beaten track
Normally if you want to head to El Nicho Waterfalls, or see the Cuervo el Saturno you’ll need to get to the closest town or city, and then take day trips or a taxi and haggle with them for waiting time. I love how Daytrip has liaised with local drivers, worked out the major sites and attractions along the route, allocated the estimated time to see them, and applied a price to it all.
They’ve also taken into account that increasingly when you’re on the ground in Cuba foreign currency is king, so instead of you carrying around a bigger stash of cash, you can prebook and prepay at least a deposit online for this part of your trip. Brilliant.
How Daytrip works
Using Daytrip is easy. It’s a secure site. As I mentioned they’ve been around since 2015, but only recently become available in Cuba, but you’ll find their services throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia too. (they do a lot of shared shuttles in Costa Rica too!). Using them is easy
Search for your preferred route in Cuba
Head on over to Daytrip, and type in the route that you want to take. I’m going to use the example of Trinidad to Santa Clara. You’ll need to select the date and time that you want to leave. And decide whether you want to go one way or book a return as well.
Daytrip will show you your estimated time of arrival (handy for letting your next accommodation know when you’re getting there!). The site will also ask you how many people are traveling with you and how much luggage you have.
DayTrip offers assistance with luggage too – so if that case has a heap of stuff in it for locals and weighs a ton, then they’ll help you carry it too!
Hit “find a ride!
Now it gets good.
Select what type of vehicle you want to ride in
Day Trip has a great option for some routes allowing you to select a Classic Cuban Car – perfect for knocking another Cuba must-do off the list! (we took a day trip from Havana to Vinales in a Classic Cuban Car and it was FABULOUS!). If there’s an extra cost you’ll see details on screen.
Find the sightseeing options on your route
When you’re traveling in Cuba there tend to be few variations on routes, so if you’re going from Trinidad to Santa Clara, there are a few key things en route (ish) that are worth seeing. And this is where Daytrip excels.
You’ll now be offered the option to stop off at one or more of these sightseeing attractions!
And while the first option will be, say for instance 60 minutes in Sancti Spiritus, if you want longer there, then just click on through and add in extra time. Daytrip is VERY clear as to how much each stop costs and what your total is.
It’s a BRILLIANT concept.
There are clear instructions as to what happens after you make your booking. And what your cancellation terms are too.
What your Day Trip private driver in Cuba gives you
- Door to Door service
- Help with Luggage
- Optional sight-seeing
- Clean, comfortable car
- Professional driver
- Bottled water
- Child seats if needed
- Prepared for handicapped
- Smoke-free
- They also say that they’re pet friendly too.
Top Routes for Private Drivers in Cuba
I love mixing up the transport methods when I travel (my guide to Cuba’s transport is here), and using Daytrip is no exception. It is a great way to get to see some of Cuba’s highlights. And while this is by no means an exhaustive list of their routes, it’s the key ones that I think you’ll be interested in, with included details of what you can visit along the way.
- Havana to Vinales – there’s more on other ways to travel this route here
- Havana to Varadero (my guide on other options on going to Varadero from Havana is here)
- Havana to Cayo Santa Maria
- Trinidad to Cayo Coco
- Havana to Cienfuegos
- Havana to Jibacoa
- Havana to Trinidad
- Havana to Guardalavaca
- Trinidad to Cienaga de Zapata National Park
Click on the links above to see sightseeing stop offs along the way, and for other routes, click here.
Don’t see a route you’re interested in? Or a stop you want to make. Well, they’ve got that covered too. You can message Daytrip and ask for a particular route or stop. If they can make it happen they will.
Final Words on Using a Private Driver in Cuba
You’ve been able to hire private drivers in Cuba for a long time. Taxis are nothing new here, but the concept of being able to EASILY stop off and see attractions along the route, while booking it online is a great way of clearly understanding exactly what you want and what you’ll get. And I love it. I hope you do too! Let me know what else you get to see in Cuba as a result!
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