The Cuba Option

In 1996, adventurer Chris Baker shipped his BMW R100GS to Cuba. He learned a lot in three months and even wrote a book about it. It’s a great place to ride a bike…

- Ben Lindley

Where are you right now?

I’ve just returned home from leading a National Geographic Expeditions trip to Cuba.

Back in 1996 you shipped your GS to Cuba. How did you manage that?

I’d been contracted to write a travel guidebook and saw an opportunity to create an adventure out of my research journey. I would ship and ride a motorcycle with a view to writing a travelogue which was eventually published by National Geographic. As a journalist, I was licensed by the U.S. government, but transporting the bike was a challenge due to U.S. embargo laws. Fortunately, I found a skipper with a license to run humanitarian aid and he agreed to take me across from Key West. I arranged paperwork upon arrival. It’s all much stricter these days.

What was it like riding through Cuba back then?