Havana: Former Cuban president Fidel Castro, 88, appeared in public "full of vitality" for the first time in more than a year on Monday, greeting a delegation of Venezuelans, official media reported on Saturday.

It was his first known appearance outside his home since Cuba agreed in December to normalise relations with the United States, Castro's longtime adversary.

Fidel Castro ... the 88-year-old former Cuban leader made his first public appearance in a year when he visited a school in Cuba. Credit:AP

Official media showed images of a seated Castro shaking hands with the visiting Venezuelans through the window of his vehicle, wearing a baseball cap and a windbreaker.

There was no explanation why five days passed before the encounter was reported in Cuba.