An ongoing series of dispatches — practical guides, things we've learned the hard way, and the occasional love letter to a city that keeps surprising us. Some are useful. A few are just honest.
Two and a half hours west of Havana, the valley that time forgot.
Jurassic mountains, red earth, thatched drying barns, and the tobacco every cigar maker on earth envies. A love letter to the valley we drive to before dawn.
Anatomy of a surprise proposal in Havana.
It starts weeks earlier, in an email thread she'll never see. It ends on a rooftop with champagne. In between: one question, on one knee, in the most photogenic city in the world.
Two families, two worlds, one field an hour outside the city.
He grew up riding horses outside Havana. Her family came from India by way of New York. The wedding had garlands, a mandap strung between the trees, a sitar in a colonial courtyard — and a horse.
Discover the real Havana with Cuban Soul in Pictures.
An open letter to anyone coming to Cuba wanting to see what the guidebooks don't show — the hidden courtyards, the neighborhood markets, the five-o'clock light.
You can buy the rum, the cigars, the t-shirt with a flag on it. None of them remember the morning. The picture of you against a turquoise wall does.
Questions we get every week — answered, calmly.
Wardrobe, weather, what we bring, what you bring, who pays for the mojitos. The full pre-flight rundown for first-time guests.
How to get your Cuba visa as a US traveler in 2026 — the e-visa, the travel category, the D'Viajeros form, and the small things that delay people at the gate.
An honest nightlife guide from people who actually live here.
Where the music is real, where the rum is poured heavy, where to walk at midnight and where to take a taxi. A neighborhood-by-neighborhood map.
Like a pro — or at least like someone who's tried.
Cutting, lighting, drawing, holding it for the camera. A short guide so your first Cohiba on a rooftop in Vedado looks the way you'd hoped it would.
A guide to exploring the heart of Cuba.
Skip the bus tour. Walk the Malecón at golden hour, find the right paladar in Centro, take the ferry to Casablanca, and let the city set the pace.
An honest case for hiring someone with a camera — not because you want a fashion shoot, but because the picture you take of yourself in the mirror won't carry the day.
A 2026 budget guide from people who help travelers every week.
Daily breakdowns, what cash actually buys, the exchange-rate trap, and the three small mistakes that cost first-timers the most.
Where your dollar lands matters more here than almost anywhere. A guide to the casas, paladares, artisans, and small businesses that turn a holiday into a contribution — and why it's the better trip too.
Avoiding tourist mistakes — and living like a local.
What to pack, what to skip, where the wifi works, which street hustles to wave off, and the one thing every traveler wishes they'd done on day one.
A journey with Cuban Soul in Pictures.
How the studio came to be, why we still walk these streets nine years later, and what we've learned about photographing a city that refuses to sit still.
We write between sessions. If you're reading this far, you might also be the kind of person who wants to be in front of one of our cameras for an afternoon.