The most hassle-free and (often) cheapest way to get to La Isla is to fly. Unfortunately, most people have cottoned onto this, so flights are usually booked out days in advance.Rafael Cabrera Mustelier Airport (airport code GER) is 5km southeast of Nueva Gerona.
Cubana Airlines flies here from Havana at least twice daily from as little as CUC$ 41 one-way. There are no international flights.There are no flights from Isla de la Juventud to Cayo Largo del Sur.From the airport a taxi to town will cost about CUC $5. We can send the best taxi in Nueva Gerona For the same Price.
Getting to La Isla by boat is an unnecessarily complicated and confusing affair. Few foreigners attempt it, while the trickle who do probably feel a bit like Columbus stumbling ashore when they arrive.
Bus-boat combo tickets are sold from the Naviera Cubana Caribeña (NCC) kiosk in Havana's main Terminal de Ómnibus for Astro buses (not the Víazul terminal). The bus takes you to the seedy port of Surgidero de Batabanó, from where boats depart for Nueva Gerona. It is wise to book tickets at least a day in advance. Beware, even the reservation process can take several hours. Tickets cost MN$5 for the 90-minute bus journey and CUC$50 for the 2½-hour ferry ride. Note, it's not possible to buy a return ticket in Havana, meaning you'll have to go through the whole ticket-buying rigmarole again in Nueva Gerona (preferably as soon as you arrive). Theoretically there is supposed to be one boat a day from Batabanó at 1pm, with a second boat running on Fridays and Saturdays at 4pm. However, in practice, boats often run late or are cancelled.
