In memory of my stolen cousin Packo
In December 2015, I went to Cuba. What a wonderful country. So many old cars, buildings. And plenty of nice people. To enter Cuba, I needed a travel autorization from the Cuban Embassy. Although they asked 60€ for that paper, nobody looked at it at the airport when I arrived in Havana. But we had to pass by the airport veterinary. He checked my pet passport and my rabies vaccination. Then he filled out a document and told us that we do need that document when leaving. What he did not tell us, was that that document was only valid for 2 weeks! But we stayed nearly 3 weeks. They nearly didn’t let me leave Cuba. After a few minutes of discussions, I finaly was cleared to check in to our flight back. If you go to to Cuba, there is no major problem getting in, but remeber that you have to go to see an official veterinary (they will give you an address) before leaving the country if you stay for more than two weeks.
I had to do a blood test before going to Cuba proving that my anti-rabies vaccination is effective. That test is called a rabies antibody test. This test is necessary to be able to re-enter the EU (that test is neither necessary for a trip to the US nor is it necessary to reenter the EU after a trip to the US). The result has a lifetime validity if I respect the rabies vaccination deadlines.
In Cuba, pets are normaly not allowed in hotels and restaurants, or lets say, they are still not accustomed to see travellers coming with their pets. In the Hotel Nacional, the Occidental Miramar, the 5ta Avenida although I was allowed to enter the lobby. Some hotels say on their internet page that they are pet friendly, but emails sent to ask for confirmation keep unanswered. If you plan a trip to Cuba with your dog, it would be wise to rent Casa Particulares instead of trying to find a hotel that accepts pets. Generaly Cubans are dog friendly people, therefore it should be easier to find a pet frienfly Casa Particular than a hotel room. But as many things are changing in Cuba, I think they will accept me too sooner or later in the hotels. I am crazy to get a coloured wristband to be able to eat and drink all I can in an All Inclusive Resort…
In the lobby of the hotel Memories Miramar (former Occidental Miramar)
…at the beach in Santa Maria del Este…
Province Pinar del Rio
Chico de Lux 