Cuba

All about blue | Round trip

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 155 (January/February 2019)

Is any colour more distinctive of the Caribbean? Take a tour of the region through our many hues and shades of blue

Dean’s Blue Hole, the Bahamas The limestone landscape of Long Island is dotted with caves and sinkholes, eroded over many centuries — the latter forming distinctive “blue holes,” flooded with fresh or sea water, almost perfectly circular, and eerily deep. Most impressive of all is Dean’s Blue Hole, in a bay west of Clarence Town, with a depth measured at 663 feet — the perfect location for the celebrated Vertical Blue freediving competition, running annually since 2008. Photo by Shane Pinder / Alamy Stock Photo

Falling for Havana | Explore

By Donna Yawching | Issue 153 (September/October 2018)

Few cities in the world have such an aura of history and glamour as Havana. As Donna Yawching writes, the Cuban capital has its gritty side — right next to world-class architecture, amazing culture, and a spirit that has to be experienced to be understood

Havana’s classic cars are an icon of the city. Photo by Danm12/Shutterstock.com

Head for heights | Round Trip

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 152 (July/August 2018)

There’s nothing like the thrill of a higher perspective, far above the ground — from ziplining to rock-climbing to floating in a hot-air balloon. Get ready to soar

Ziplining, Rockland Estate, Sint Maarten. Photo courtesy Rainforest Adventure St Maarten

Love is in the air | Round trip

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 151 (May/June 2018)

For many lovebirds around the world, the idea of a Caribbean wedding — making vows on the beach, with a backdrop of glimmering blue sea — seems like a dream. And it easily comes true

Historic Fort King George overlooking Scarborough in Tobago makes a regal setting for any couple’s wedding photos. Photo by Relatestudios.com

Havana hello | Destination

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 150 (March/April 2018)

Caribbean Airlines’ newest destination is one of the region’s — and the world’s — most iconic cities. From music to revolutionary history, baroque architecture to pastel-hued classic cars, from the Malecón to the bar where mojitos were (supposedly) invented — welcome to Havana, now serviced by two direct flights from Port of Spain each week

After the storm | Perspective

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 148 (November/December 2017)

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, here’s how you can help the islands most badly affected

Santiago de Cuba | Neighbourhood

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 146 (July/August 2017)

Cuba’s onetime capital, sheltered by the Sierra Maestra, is a living history museum and a cultural epicentre, especially during the July Carnival

This old house

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 143 (January/February 2017)

The historic architecture of the Old Havana neighbourhood in Cuba’s capital is an artistic treasure trove

Who’s your granny?

By James Ferguson | Issue 142 (November/December 2016)

Sixty years ago, a squadron of battle-hardened guerrillas landed on Cuba’s south-east coast, launching the revolution that would soon grip the world’s imagination. And the heroically leaky boat that got them there? It was named for someone’s grandmother. James Ferguson remembers the story of Granma

CimaVax: revolutionary medicine

By Nazma Muller | Issue 141 (September/October 2016)

The CimaVax vaccine may be the biggest breakthrough yet in the treatment of lung cancer — and it’s just one of the success stories of Cuba’s biotechnology innovation. Nazma Muller investigates

Cuba — the enigma of an island

By Sharon Millar | Issue 139 (May/June 2016)

On her first visit to Cuba, Sharon Millar finds both the unexpected — an Egyptian mummy? — and a reassuringly familiar Caribbean vibe

Secret islands: the “undiscovered” Caribbean

By Caribbean Beat | Issue 136 (November/December 2015)

There are seven thousand islands in the Caribbean, and though none of them is truly “undiscovered,” some come pretty close

The Cuba strategy

By Erline Andrews | Issue 136 (November/December 2015)

Cuba is already the Caribbean’s second biggest tourism destination, by visitor numbers. As the US government relaxes its decades-old restrictions on travel to Cuba, what happens to tourism in the rest of the region? How are other islands preparing? Erline Andrews finds out