The “caravan of freedom” left from Havana, and will make symbolic stops along the 950km trek that will end in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba at the weekend.
The trip follows two days of tributes in Havana, where hundreds of thousands were encouraged by the government to view a picture memorial to Castro at the Revolution Square.
The commemorations in the capital ended with a massive rally on Tuesday night at the square attended by Latin American, African and Caribbean leaders, along with the Greek prime minister – the only European leader at the event.
Raul Castro, 85, thanked the countless gestures of solidarity and affection from around the world, ending with the revolutionary battle cry, “Until victory, always!”
But the presidents of Western powers, and even friendly nations including Russia, China and Iran, sent deputies in their place.
