If you read some pieces in guides it suggests that hiring a car is risky i.e. you could lose the wheels etc. I would be interested if we could widen this question to:
If you did hire a car did you cover rural routes and were there any consequecies?
Not trying to hijack the thread, just widen it.
James
Ask for a car without wheels, no risk of them getting stolen then, and saves a fortune on petrol too.
PS 1. think this fals under your non-serious advice section, just in case not blindingly obvious.
PS 2. mightily impressed with your opening post - dots only used two and a half times, plus the entire two sentences are almost perfectly structured, grammatically accurate and most out of character :-O :-O :-O
Hi Username, I birded Cuba last year and hired a from Cubacars.I had a Seat for the two weeks I was there which cost about £300.
cheers,S
Hi username, I had a great time,got all the possible endemics(obviously don`t even think about the Kite or the Rail), I hired a guide for a couple of half days( not something I normally do, but was really useful with a couple of the trickier endems).Lots of driving but the roads are quiet,outside of Havana that is.The locals are brilliant people,my face ached with all the smiling!Beware the mojitos...always a great idea at the time,but the next morning is hell!!
For me( and others I have spoken to) ,the trickiest endemic was Blue-headed Quail-Dove at Bermajas.Some people have scored easily,but it took me several hours of intense searching,good to have a challenge though!Also Zapata Wren was difficult to see,taping seems to be the order of the day,although the Wrens respond,they don`t show easily.The guide was also useful for Bare-legged and Cuban Pygmy Owl,although not essential.
pps...[or P2]...have you visited Cuba Jos? I was going to pm you just in case you had some useful info...
Sadly not, however I would take with a pinch of salt stories of wheeels vanishing and etc - stories always circulate for eons about incidents which are usually few. Got space in your luggage for a wheel security officer?
...have you got a uniform and a gun...?
Cuba is an extremely safe place. Tourism is the largest source of income for the island and as such tourists are treated well and are "protected". Many people will try to steal small items and overcharge but in the big scheme they are still relatively minor.
The areas to avoid are Havana and near any tourist resort. Outside of this people are very quite, friendly and needy. This is a nation in which people are very happy to receive a dollar. The only time I have rented a car was at a resort and things worked out well.