Is Santiago de Cuba safe? Cuba travel risk
Is Santiago de Cuba safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Santiago de Cuba scores 54/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Cuba Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 7 May 2025); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the whole country (updated 25 Sep 2026); Canada says: avoid non-essential travel. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Santiago de Cuba scores 54/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Cuba (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Santiago de Cuba: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (69/100) and natural hazards (63/100).
A score of 54 is higher than the scores of 75% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Cuba travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Geographic & Regional Coordinates
In the Santiago de Cuba territory, Santiago de Cuba is established at 20.0217° N, 75.8294° W. It lies 758.7 km WNW relative to Havana. Time zone observed: America/Havana.
Santiago de Cuba
20.0217° N, 75.8294° W
33 m
America/Havana
444,851
Emergency & Aviation Access
Nearby Towns & Settlements in Cuba
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Santiago de Cuba happened in November (2 of 4 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
4 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.8 on 10 Nov 2024 (130 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M5.8 on 17 Mar 2026 (149 km away) — USGS details
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Cuba travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Cuba entry requirements.
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