🇨🇺 Cuba

Solo Women

Canada says sexual assaults against Canadian women have occurred, including at beach resorts, and that women have been harassed or verbally abused. Germany says solo women can, in individual cases, be victims of sexual offences such as exhibitionism or attempted rape. You should avoid walking alone after dark, avoid secluded areas even at resorts, be careful with strangers and recent acquaintances, never leave drinks unattended, and report any assault to Cuban police and to your embassy before you leave, because a criminal investigation is not possible without a formal complaint.

Nighttime Movement

With power cuts of many hours a day, streets are dark after sunset. Germany and FCDO both tell you to avoid walking or being alone at night, and to avoid driving and overland taxi rides in the dark because animals, unlit vehicles and potholes are hard to see.

Taxis and Public Transport

Use official yellow taxis or pre-booked transfers. Three-wheeled Coco-taxis can be unsafe, and tourists have been injured and killed in them. Old private taxis and classic cars offered on the street may have no safety features and no insurance for passengers. Public buses are scarce, overcrowded and a place where pickpockets work.

Tourist Areas

Theft is common in tourist areas, markets, buses, nightclubs and on beaches, and from hotel rooms and private guest houses. Fake guides, taxi drivers and tour agents work at the airport and in Old Havana, and some hustlers use threats or violence. Overcharging is common, so agree prices first.

LGBTIQ+ Travelers

Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Cuba and same-sex marriages are recognised, according to FCDO, and ILGA records that the older provisions against public display and solicitation were repealed or narrowed in 1987 and 1997, with no documented enforcement. FCDO notes that gender diversity is not fully accepted by the general population, and Canada says 2SLGBTQI+ people have been subject to harassment or verbal abuse. Risk varies by traveller: a discreet visitor in tourist areas faces mainly social attitudes, while visibly gender non-conforming travellers are more likely to meet harassment.

Hurricanes and Storms

The hurricane season runs from June to November. FCDO says heavy rain often causes flash floods and landslides, that power, communications and water can be disrupted after a hurricane, and that flights can be delayed or cancelled. Canada says even small tropical storms can develop quickly into major hurricanes, and that the fuel and power shortages could worsen during the hurricane season. Hurricane Melissa in October 2025 left the east of the island with severely damaged infrastructure and services that FCDO says remain severely impacted. If you travel in the season, keep your plans flexible, follow the US National Hurricane Center and the local authorities, and carry contact details for your airline or tour operator.

Flooding and Earthquakes

The rainy season runs from April to October, and seasonal flooding can cut off roads and cause mudslides. Cuba lies in an active seismic zone: strong earthquakes are not common, but Canada says even minor ones can cause significant damage.

Mosquito-Borne Disease

Cuba declared an arbovirus epidemic in 2025, and FCDO says dengue, Oropouche and chikungunya continue to circulate even though the epidemic warning is no longer live. TravelHealthPro's latest figures, from PAHO, count 38,342 suspected chikungunya cases (1,241 confirmed) in 2025 to 29 November and 6,519 dengue cases to 22 September, with dengue serotypes DENV3 and DENV4, and carry a banner for an ongoing Oropouche outbreak. No 2026 case counts were found in the sources reviewed. Zika is also present. There is no malaria in Cuba. Use repellent, cover your skin, and sleep in screened or air-conditioned rooms where you can, especially during the day. Authorities may fumigate with chemicals across the island, which can cause some discomfort if you come into contact with them.

Food and Water

Hepatitis A is the main food and water risk, and typhoid fever is known or presumed to occur. Power cuts also disrupt the water supply, and FCDO says access to safe drinking water and wastewater management can be problematic. Drink bottled or boiled water and eat food that is freshly and thoroughly cooked. CDC also lists leptospirosis, spread through floodwater and contaminated soil.

Healthcare

FCDO says there are severe shortages of basic medicines and that medical facilities in Havana are better than elsewhere. Germany says emergency care and medical evacuation are severely restricted by the energy crisis, and New Zealand says some hospitals have postponed routine treatment and provide only urgent care. Bring your own medicines and a medical kit, make sure your insurance covers medical evacuation, and keep enough cash to pay for treatment up front, because cards do not work. Rabies has been reported in domestic animals, so avoid contact with animals and seek care at once after any bite.

Entry Requirements

Yellow fever does not occur in Cuba, but CDC and TravelHealthPro both say you need a vaccination certificate if you are aged 9 months or older and arriving from, or spending more than 12 hours in transit through, a country with yellow fever risk. The German STIKO-DTG table lists no proof required on arrival from Germany.

Recommended Before You Go

Make sure routine vaccinations, including MMR, are up to date. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for unvaccinated travellers. Typhoid, hepatitis B and rabies vaccines are worth considering depending on your trip: CDC suggests typhoid vaccine if you will visit rural areas, stay a month or more or visit friends and relatives, and hepatitis B for those under 60. Chikungunya vaccine may be considered for travellers going to regions with an outbreak, although CDC says vaccination is generally not recommended, and dengue vaccine is only for people who have had a confirmed dengue infection before.

Governments agree on the cause: Cuba's fuel, electricity and supply crisis is disrupting transport, hospitals, hotels and payments, and every reviewed source warns of power cuts, shortages and protests. They disagree on how far to go.

Strictest positions

• Germany: strongly advises against travel to Cuba (valid since 17 August 2026), citing the energy crisis, power cuts of up to 20 hours a day, three island-wide blackouts between 6 and 14 July, no refuelling of aircraft, and severely limited medical care. Its open-data feed carries no formal warning, so the position sits in the page text.
• United Kingdom: advises against all but essential travel to Cuba (updated 25 September 2026), citing shortages of fuel, electricity, water and basic necessities, frequent protests, further likely grid collapses and airports without aviation fuel.
• Canada: avoid non-essential travel (updated 5 October 2026). All Canadian airlines have suspended service, consular services may become limited, and it says to consider leaving while options remain.
• New Zealand: avoid non-essential travel (page updated 13 February 2026, so it may lag).

Middle position

• Australia: reconsider your need to travel, the third of four tiers (page changed 5 June 2026), because of serious fuel shortages and the threat of violent crime. It says some protests turn violent, causing injuries and deaths.

Lightest positions

• Japan: the first of four tiers, exercise caution, for the whole country, raised from no advisory on 24 June 2026 because of the fuel and energy shortage and worsening security, with robberies in central Havana by day and night.
• United States: the second of four tiers, exercise increased caution, because of crime and unreliable electrical power. The advisory was last reissued in May 2025, so it predates the 2026 crisis. US law also prohibits travel to Cuba for tourist activities.
• Singapore: publishes general guidance but no advisory level. Hong Kong: no outbound travel alert for Cuba.

The gap between the US and Japan on one side and Germany and the UK on the other is the biggest disagreement, and the US position is the oldest, so treat the strictest governments as the better guide to current conditions. Several positions have changed during 2026, so check the pages again close to your departure date. On other topics they agree closely: crime is rising but still below the UK's, taxis and old vehicles can be unsafe, and cards do not work.