Musically inspired Cuba trips
Cuba tours for music lovers in 8 days
Highlights of Cuba Tours
The music in Cuba is the heartbeat of the nation, a pulse that never stops. Cuban music is considered one of the richest and most influential regional music styles in the world. This island gave birth to many popular styles of music like Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban rumba, son, and timba. Our musically inspired trips introduce travelers to the western part of the island, its history, and architecture, but also to its beautiful music via daily live music concerts, from Latin jazz to Cuban folk and everything in between.
- Music Concerts and Artist Interactions: Enjoy live music of latin jazz, timba, Afro-Cuban rumba, trova and son on the rooftops of Havana and in legendary music venues
- Guided Tours of Western Cuba: visit Havana, Las Terrazas, Cienfuegos and Trinidad
- Cultural Activities: history and architecture tours, convertible car tour, mojito workshop with Hemingway legacy in Cuba, Fusterlandia art project, artist studios, nature reserve tour, breakfast with independent journalists and more
- Support the Cuban People: all our musical trips provide direct support to the local musicians and community projects
Dates & Cost
DATES
DAYS
Cuba Itinerary
All day Arrivals.
Welcome to Havana! A magical city full of friendly people and warm weather. Our driver will pick you up at the airport (He will be holding a sign that says Colibri Travel and Tours) and take you to the casa where you will be greeted by our hosts and have the opportunity to exchange currency.
Evening: Dinner and orientation in a private villa.
Private music concert featuring Cuban top musicians. Our travelers will have opportunity to meet and interact directly with Cuban musicians in a private and intimate setting.
Meals included: Dinner
9am Breakfast at Casas
10am Morning Architecture tour of Old Havana with focus on colonial history of the city. Visit to all four squares: Plaza Vieja , Plaza de La Catedral , Plaza de Armas , Plaza de San Francisco , Calle Obispo , Calle Mercaderes , Capitolio and Parque Central, Bacardi Building , Ambos Mundos Hotel (where Hemingway lived), Theatre Alicia Alonso, Floridita (Hemingway bar).
Lunch at Dona Eutimia – Cuban oldest paladar (privately owned restaurant) with best ropa vieja and Cuban black beans.
Visit to Custodio San Angel (where Jose Marti was baptized), statue of Cecilia Valdez – the main character of Cuban most famous novel. Discussion on race in colonial Cuba.
Evening: Dinner (on your own) – we suggest Cha Cha Cha in Old Havana
Music concert: depending on particular month schedule (either FAC – Fabrica de Arte Cubano – incredible multimedia venue with several stages with live concerts, an open air movie theatre, dance floor, art exhibitions, bars and restaurants or Jazz concerts)
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
8am Breakfast at Casas
Morning: Drive to Las Terrazas – biosphere reservation and unique and idyllic community of artist, foresters, coffee growers- birds lovers paradise.
Stop at Finca Vigia – where Ernest Hemingway spent most of his 20 years in Cuba.
Stop at Fusterlandia- Gaudi inspired Art Community
Stop at Cafetal Buena Vista – ruins of old coffee plantation
Afternoon: 1pm – Musically inspired lunch in countryside with folk band.
Las Terrazas is the birth place of a very famous Cuban folk singer: Polo Montañéz.
Listen to Polo Montañéz song: Guitarra mía
Tour in Las Terrazas. Visit to local artist studios: Lester Campa, Ariel, Henry Aloma.
Option to do zip- lining (5 USD)
Return to Havana
7pm – dinner on your own
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
8am Breakfast at Casas
9am Drive to Trinidad with stop in Cienfuegos – birth place of Benny Moré, known as the father of Cuban rhythms.
Listen to Benny Moré song: Cienfuegos
12m – Lunch in Cienfuegos
1pm – History and architecture tour of Cienfuegos – called Perla de Sur – Main Plaza, Punta Gorda, and the sugar barons palaces.
3pm transfer to Trinidad
Evening: Dinner
Music concert at Casa de Trova – classic Cuban ballads originally played by Buena Vista Social Club or Silvio Rodriguez.
Listen to Buena Vista song: Chan Chan
Listen to Silvio Rodriguez song: Rabo de nube
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Attention: longer bus ride (total of 4.5 h throughout the day, with break in Cienfuegos)
8am Breakfast at Casas
Morning 9am Hike to waterfalls – Cubano park- casual hike (optional)
Afternoon: Lunch
Black coral reef catamaran tour and ocean preservation (if available)
Sunset tour of Trinidad: Trinidad is full of magic! Literally. This stunning, UNESCO listed Spanish colonial town is also known for its Afro – Cuban religions: Santeria and Palo.
We walk the old cobble stoned streets to learn about its colonial past, sugar trade and slavery but also visit the temples of Yemaya, goddess of the ocean and try local drink of Canchanchara with a hint of magic in it.
Evening 6.30pm Dinner at Giroud
8pm We will spend a night discovering the rhythms of Cuba – Music concert: Palenque – Santeria religion and Dance of Orishas performance. Afro-Cuban Music.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
9am Breakfast at Casas
Morning Departure to Havana
Afternoon Lunch on your own
3pm Visit to San Jose Market
Evening 6pm Dinner on your own
7.30pm Mojito making class and optional salsa class
9pm Group outing to either Latin Jazz Concert on the rooftop of Fangio or dancing at 1830 Night Club
Meals included: breakfast
Attention: longer time on the bus 4h total
9am Breakfast and conversations – meeting with Daniel Montero – director of the documentary “ Little baseball league“ and journalist from Belly of the beast on Cuban US relations
Morning 11am Revolution Day in Havana – modern history of Cuba
Convertible car ride – with stops at Universidad de Havana, Plaza of the Revolution, Havana Forrest, stroll through Malecon, drinks in gardens of Hotel Nacional.
Afternoon Lunch on your own
Evening Goodbye dinner at San Cristobal Restaurant
Live music concert at Casa de la Musica, Salon Rojo or one of the private venues like Vitrola.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
9am Breakfast at Casas
Morning Departures!
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation
Air condition
Towels and soap
Hair Dryer
Safe
Example from past accommodations
Inclusions
What’s included?
- All activities listed on the itinerary
- Accommodation
- All breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners
- Guides
- Tickets to all music concerts
- Ground transportation
- 24h bilingual tour director support
- Pre-departure Q&A
What’s not included
- Optional Cuban Visa - $75 USD including shipping and handling
- Airfare
- 3 lunches and 3 dinners
- Alcohol
- Additional health & evacuation insurance
- Optional airport pick up and drop off - $45 USD (both ways) per person
Essential Travel Information
for Cuba tours
visa requirements, health, currency, and more
▹ Visa requirements for Cuba tours
Cuba requires each traveler to obtain a visa (tarjeta de turista) before entering the country. Colibri Travel & Tours can provide each of our travelers with a visa ($75 USD including shipping/handling). Alternatively, you can purchase your visa at the gate from the airline. It is mandatory that all airlines operating in Cuba have the blank visas available before boarding (cost: $50-$100 USD depending on the airline). Please make sure your passport is valid for at least another 6 months and has empty pages.
▹ How to make flight reservations for Cuba tours
If you are booking a flight on your own you will be asked by the airline to choose a travel category. Please choose: “ Support for the Cuban people”.
Colibri Travel & Tours can help with flight bookings.
▹ Health, Vaccinations
✔︎ All travelers need to be in good physical health in order to participate fully on this trip. When selecting your trip please make sure you have read through the itinerary carefully and assess your ability to manage and enjoy our style of travel. Please note that if in the opinion of our group leader or local guide any traveler is unable to complete the itinerary without undue risk to themselves and/or the rest of the group, we reserve the right to exclude them from all or part of a trip without refund. You should be able to walk at least 2-3 miles a day and be able to climb at least two sets of stairs.
✔︎ You should consult your doctor for up-to-date medical travel information or for any necessary vaccinations before departure.
✔︎ There are no major health risks associated with traveling to Cuba. The most common tropical disease in Cuba is dengue. There is no vaccination against dengue and the best protection is mosquito spray.
✔︎ Please make sure to have mosquito spray and sunscreen (travel size) always with you.
✔︎ At least 30 days prior to departure, check with your doctor or healthcare provider or visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.
✔︎ If you have medication that you take daily, be sure you have enough for each day of the tour and any possible delays (we recommend adding 1-2 weeks of supply).
✔︎ If you tend to get motion sickness please travel with appropriate medication. If you have a sensitive stomach consider bringing Imodium as well.
Health Insurance: international health insurance, evacuation, or cancelation insurance are not included. We recommend purchasing those before the trip. See the insurance box on the sidebar of this page.
▹ Electricity
Cuba operates on both US and European types of outlets and electricity so there is no need for a converter.
▹ Connectivity, Internet
✔︎ Please contact your phone provider to make sure that your phone will work in Cuba. International calls from Cuba are expensive (2 USD/min, 50c – text).
✔︎ The internet in Cuba is limited and can be accessed via a special internet card. Colibri will provide the cards ( $1.50 per 1 hour). We will make sure that you will be able to connect each day for 1-2 hours. Please remember that the connection is generally slow.
▹ Time zones
Cuba is in Eastern Time (ET) zone so 12 pm in New York it is also 12 pm in Havana.
▹ Currency, cash, credit cards
✔︎ You will be using Cuban currency for tourists CUC (peso convertible) and we will help you exchange the money after arrival in Havana. Cuban currency is not traded abroad so you can only exchange money in Cuba.
✔︎ Please note that you can’t use US credit cards or travelers checks in Cuba due to the US embargo so you must travel with cash. We recommend bringing at least $50-$70 per day per traveler (more if you plan to shop for art, cigars, etc.) for personal use and $300-$500 emergency cash.
Here is our blog with detailed information on money in Cuba.
▹ Transportation and arrival information
✔︎ If you add airport pick up our driver will meet you at the airport with a sign that says: Colibri Travel & Tours. If you do not see your driver immediately stay right by exit from the secure area for another 15 min. If you still can’t find each other please give us a call. The driver’s name and phone number will be provided within 24 hours before your departure.
✔︎ If you choose to arrange for your own transportation we will meet you at the hotel or casa. In this case please make sure that you have the address and phone number.
▹ Baggage allowance
✔︎ Our travelers are limited to one checked bag and one carry-on bag per person due to storage limitations on motorcoaches and other transfers, which may include train connections or flights. Additional baggage can be a subject of extra fees. Contact your airline for baggage size and weight restrictions for your flights.
✔︎ We recommend that you make sure you label your baggage and keep valuables, medication, documents, and a set of clothes, pajamas and cosmetics (travel size) in your carry-on bag in case of baggage delays.
▹ Tipping
✔︎ It’s customary to offer your guide and driver a gratuity in local currency. Please keep currency exchange rates in mind.
✔︎ We recommend tipping the equivalent of $10 per day per person and giving the tips to tour leaders to distribute between drivers, guides etc.
✔︎ Tips can only be paid in cash.
▹ Itinerary
Our itineraries are updated regularly throughout the year based on customer feedback and to reflect the current situation in each destination. The information included in this Essential Trip Information may therefore differ from when you first booked your trip. It is important that you review this information prior to travel so that you have the latest updates. Due to weather, local conditions, transport schedules, public holidays, or other factors, further changes may be necessary to your itinerary once in-country. The order and timing of included activities in each location may also vary seasonally to ensure our travelers have the best experience. Your tour leader will keep you up to date with any such changes once on tour.
We LOVE to talk about travel. If you have any questions please give us a call: 617 301 1237 or email us: info@colibritraveltours.com.
We are always happy to talk to our travelers and answer the questions!
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Register now!
Steps to enroll:
- Fill up the registration form on-line here.
Or download the registration form below, fill it out and send to info@colibritraveltours.com or mail to Colibri Travel & Tours, 341 Pearl St, Cambridge, MA 02139.
2. Send us a copy of your passport and deposit check via password protected email or regular mail.
3. Pack your bags and enjoy!
Small group:
8 - 20 ppl
Physical rating:
Easy
Do you need a travel insurance?
Reviews
While Cuba is a fascinating country, it wouldn’t have been nearly as wonderful without your commentary, creativity, and enthusiasm. I was so utterly impressed with your knowledge of Cuba’s history, your remarkable ability to navigate the Cuban bureaucracy, and your unending flexibility and willingness to make our requests come to fruition. I don’t think that there was a detail that you didn’t attend to. Add to that your wonderful sense of humor, sensitivity and great spirit – and you are hard to beat! I would follow you on any trip you plan knowing it would be just as exciting, informative and fun as Cuba tours was.
As a recent participant on a Cuba Study tour through UMass Boston guided by Colibri Travel & Tours, I have nothing but high praise for Colibri’s preparations and follow through for all phases. As a frequent foreign traveler who avoids group tours I can say I was pleasantly surprised by their ability to cater to those folks who needed more guidance while leaving us solo types to explore as we wished. The local contacts they made for guide and driver were excellent. Our accommodations were far from spartan yet allowed people to soak up local flavor through the Cuban equivalent of Bed and Breakfasts. Finally, as on all tours, both solo, and group, unforeseen logistical problems arose which Sylvia handled with professional competence and aplomb. Kudos to Colibri.
We want to thank Colibri Travel & Tours for organizing our Cuba tours with great meals, and the excellent tour leaders, Jorge and Alex, who made the whole trip a truly unforgettable experience! It was absolutely superb in every way. The organization of the itinerary was excellent and accurate on every detail. Our group was lucky to have the most amazing, intelligent and funny tour directors ever - Sylvia. She provided valuable insight into the Cuban politics and the daily lives of the Cubans. What we loved about this travel company is that they gave us as much as they could in the time frame allotted but also gave the option of having our own personal time and helped arranged activities that we wanted.
Sylvia was amazing...in a country where things may not go as planned, Sylvia made everything appear seamless. Her knowledge of Cuba is astounding. She's unflappable...if plan A doesn't work she has a plan B, C and D and does it with a smile. What my wife and I experienced was eye opening, what Sylvia showed us, where she took us, what she taught us, made the trip more than we ever envisioned.
We had a great experience with Colibri Travel & Tours. They were super quick to respond to every email we sent prior to our trip. All details were set and we knew exactly where to meet our driver at Havana Airport. Jorge was wonderful! His knowledge of the Cuban history was incredible and his English was perfect!
This is my 5th experience with Colibri Travel & Tours, and once again, it failed to disappoint. I went to Cuba last year and Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Poland the previous years. As usual, a wonderful time was had by all, and big thanks to Sylvia and her staff for being prompt and accommodating. You are highly recommended!!
Colibri Travel & Tours is awesome! Our guide Jorge was warm, welcoming, smart, fully knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. We enjoyed deep conversations, as we were very curious about daily life in Cuba. As for accommodation, we stayed in stunning villas in Havana and charming “campesino” fincas in the countryside. We loved every bit of our Cuba tours.
