Where to tour for 3-4 weeks start in late March/early April

wannatour

My gf and I are wondering where the best place to tour is starting in late March/early April ? We want to camp/hostel and stay at some bed and breakfasts.

We were looking at southern Spain, but we aren't sure. Maybe Hawaii ? Vietnam ? Costa Rica ? Mexico ?

We live in Canada. Airfare to New Zealand/ Australia is too expensive. Europe is OK. Hawaii is the cheapest. Not sure where in the US would be good.

Any ideas would be great.

Thanks

takeonafrica

As an alternative - I'd highly recommend Cuba.

The country is ideal for cycle touring. 3-4 weeks would be perfect.
Regarding accommodation, casa particulares are the way forward - the closest equivalent is a b&b. Good value for money if there's two of you. There's plenty of them so you wouldn't need camping gear. You can travel very cheaply there.

I went end of April/May last year and loved it. Was starting to get hot then, but March/April should be ok.

I'm finally writing up my trip now based on my journal notes i made at the time. It's a work in progress which I hope will be finished in a few weeks if you're interested: www.takeoncuba.wordpress.com

Cuba was my favourite place I've visited and cycling it is the way to go - in my opinion.

Flights from the UK are very reasonable, but you'd have to check from Canada. AirCanada flies there certainly.

wannatour

Thanks for the tip. I'll research Cuba.

Meanwhile... I've been taking a closer look at Spain. What if we cycled from Cadiz to Cartagena ?

We are looking for a bright, sunny, warm experience. Lingering breakfasts in the morning. 50Km of rides a day. Coastal or quaint town scenery. Nice dinners in the evening.

chickenlegs

This is somewhat divergent to your query.

I have ben told that if you have a Cuban stamp in your passport you may have difficulty getting through immigration or even be refused entry into States in future.

Does anybody know if this is fact or just heresay??

takeonafrica

That may or may not be true. However Cuban immigration are presumably aware of this possibility since they stamp your tourist card, not your passport. Therefore, your passport shows not evidence that you ever entered Cuba and so getting into the States are a holiday in Cuba is no problem.

Wannatour - based on your criteria Cuba sounds perfect! Spain of course will offer all that too no doubt.

wannatour

Spain of course will offer all that too no doubt.

Could you tell me more about touring in Spain, especially along the southern coast ?

I'm searching and searching and not finding much. I see tour pictures and they look like gentle mountain bike rides we might go on in the Rockies. I was expecting white sand beaches, cafes, lots of vino, etc.

I've read that Spain is the 2nd most mountainous country in Europe. Is that right ?

Thanks

wannatour

I'm reading about cycling in Cuba and it looks pretty good.

- low traffic roads
- lots of respect for cyclists
- great climate
- beautiful scenery
- affordable
- low crime/ good safety
- lots of coastal routes
- good mix of mountainous and flat routes

Please chime in if you have experience cycling in Cuba.

lloyd_bower

I'd recommend Costa Rica in Central America, should be able to get a reasonable flight deal via US.

There's plenty there to occupy you for 3-4 weeks, and loads of side trips possibilities with the National Parks in addition to wonderful scenery. The people are friendly, and there should be little problem finding availablity at the cheaper hotels turning up on spec.

Aside from San Jose the roads are relatively quiet. San Jose is easy to avoid as the airport is actually at Alajuela on the outskirts of the city, which is a short ride from the airport with good accomm options.

Toonraid

Spain is good - a very popular cycling destination in Winder and early spring for north european cyclists and teams who usually go there to put in a few quality hours, mallorca island and costa blanca seem to be the most popular destinations due to the varied terrain. You might also want to check out the med coast around southern Italy & France which is another popular destination - both are good for your requirements and have a cycling culture.

jc4lab

If you fancy a good value group ride then Morrocco using either CTC Holidays (you need own bike)or Explore or another Cycling holiday Company that provides the bikes and has a guide..DIY looks a bit risky as the the distance between decent accomodastion stops in the Atlas Mountains looks beyond normal fitness levels though others may differ in that view http://www.explore.co.uk/SearchResults? ... 16&Style=5

andymiller

wannatour wrote:

Spain of course will offer all that too no doubt.

Could you tell me more about touring in Spain, especially along the southern coast ?

I'm searching and searching and not finding much. I see tour pictures and they look like gentle mountain bike rides we might go on in the Rockies. I was expecting white sand beaches, cafes, lots of vino, etc.

I've read that Spain is the 2nd most mountainous country in Europe. Is that right ?

Thanks

Andalucía is pretty mountainous - although you can avoid the mountains if you want.

There are beautiful unspoilt beaches on both the Costa de la Luce near Cádiz, and the Cabo de Gato near Almería, but other parts of the coastline have been heavily developed.

If you are going to go to Andalucía then either fly direct to Sevilla or change and get an internal flight from Madrid - there are lots of restrictions on taking bikes on long-distance trains.

Top places to see are Sevilla, Granada, Córdoba, Jerez, Almería, and Ronda.

ugo.santalucia

My dream has always been to cycle from San Francisco to Las Vegas, via Yosemite, Sequoia park and the Death Valley... march-April is the perfect time to do it, desert is not too hot and the roads up in the Squoia park should be free of snow.
Takes good legs though, you'll have to cross the mountains.

I do not recommend the french-swiss or italian alps, too early in the season, you might find most of the high passes still closed