Cuba in March welcomes visitors with pleasant weather and a myriad of activities to enjoy across the island. With temperatures comfortably warm but not sweltering, March offers an ideal climate for outdoor adventures and sightseeing. Whether you're strolling through Havana's colorful streets, exploring the lush landscapes of Viñales, or lounging on the pristine beaches of Cayo Coco, Cuba in March caters to every traveler's desires. Additionally, March in Cuba is marked by lively cultural events and festivals, providing a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the island's rich heritage and vibrant spirit. So, if you're planning a trip to Cuba in March, prepare to be enchanted by the perfect blend of sunshine, culture, and adventure awaiting you.
Firmly within Cuba’s dry season, which extends from November until April, March sees little significant rainfall. The island sees just five wet days, resulting in a total of 40 mm of rain for the entire month, mostly seen on the island’s south. So few rainy days mean visitors to Cuba in March are able to enjoy weather characterised by clear blue skies and pleasantly-warm temperatures both on land and at sea. The average monthly daytime temperature is 23°C (73°F), ideal sightseeing weather. Highs, that peak at an impressive 28°C (82°F), are more likely towards the end of the month. Even once the sun has set around about 7 pm, temperatures generally fall no lower than 18 or 19°C (64°F). Stepping into the waters of the Caribbean Sea, you’ll experience wonderfully-consistent temperatures of 26°C (79°F), whether you’re swimming, snorkelling, paddling or enjoying any of the other water sports on offer. For most of March, the sunshine lasts the entire day, meaning its not unusual to enjoy nine hours of sunshine each day out of 12 hours of daylight overall. What’s more, humidity sits at a low (for Cuba) 74%. Gentle 8 mph winds that come from the north east help to keep levels feeling a lot lower than this, ensuring its still possible to explore Cuba’s fascinating cities as well as its wondrous coastal reaches. *Please note that the team here at Locally Sourced Cuba Tours can do a lot of things, but unfortunately we cannot predict the weather. We can only base our predictions about the weather in Cuba in March, on previous years and averages.
There’s little point denying that riding through the streets of the Cuban capital in a vintage convertible is a must, and the clear skies of March make it a real possibility pretty much any day of your stay on the island. Resulting from the decades old US embargo on the island, that makes importing newer vehicles prohibitively expensive, Havana’s classic cars are part of what makes the city so special, with most vehicles forming the city’s taxi fleet. Drivers are used to taking tourists out on city-wide tours, taking in the districts of Miramar and Vedado. Just make sure you agree a price before sliding in. An hour will cost around $35, and is a great way of getting from A to B and seeing the sights at the same time. Another fantastic way to take in the ambience is to enjoy a seafront walk in Havana or elsewhere. Save your stroll for the evening, when the sun begins to sink and the lights flicker on, and Cubans take to the streets themselves after work for their nightly exercise-cum-social event. There’s also plenty of street food on offer, but should you be after a night cap instead, look no further than the hotels and casas large and small which boast rooftop bars with superb night time vistas over their respective city locations. But of course, for many, Cuba is synonymous with waves gently-lapping over pristine sands, and whether you’re a fly and flop visitor or culture vulture you should definitely consider taking some time to relax and enjoy all Cuba’s many beaches have to offer. If you’re short of time, look no further than the Varadero Peninsula, which boasts 20 km of family-friendly resort beaches with a huge array of activities to match, while if you’re after something a little more secluded and out of the way, there are almost limitless possibilities on Cuba, which has a coastline almost 6,000 km long.
The Fiesta del Tambor, or Drum Festival (also known as the Memorial Guillermo Barreto Festival after one of Cuba’s finest drummers of all time), has taken place at the beginning of March for 15 years now. Centred around the Teatro Amadeo Roldan in Havana, there are a good number of performances and other events on offer across the six days over which the festival generally takes place. Learning how to drum for yourself at a drum master’s workshop, enjoying the antics of a variety of dance groups, and folk and jazz competitions are just some of what’s on offer. Another rhythm-based event that takes place in Cuba in March is the International Festival for Electroacoustic Music. A new name for a festival that used to be known as the Varadero Spring Festival, after the Varadero district of the capital, it still takes place in Havana and attracts composers and performers of this form of modern orchestral works not just from Cuba but all over the globe. Then there’s the International Pepe Sanchez Trova Festival. An important part of Cuban culture, trova genre of music dates back to the nineteenth century when individual singers called trovadores would travel from town to town singing poetic folk songs accompanied by their guitars. This cultural celebration comes to an end on March 19, otherwise known as Trovador Day, the birthday of popular Cuban composer Jose Pepe Sanchez. Switching from sound to sight, March also welcomes the Santiago Álvarez Memorial International Documentary Festival. This film festival aims to give a voice to independent journalists and filmmakers, and the communities they are recording for prosperity. Often highlighting issues ignored by the world’s large international media conglomerates, such as the rights of indigenous peoples, the festival takes place in Santiago de Cuba in the country’s east. Prizes are on offer for the very best films screened as a way of celebrating the life of Cuban filmmaker Santiago Álvarez who died in 1998.
March is a great month in which to visit Cuba, since the country experiences wonderful dry season weather and has a huge number of things to do and special events, helping visitors make the absolute most out of their time on the island.
