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Our Cuban sponsor and host. Read
their invitation to join us in 2010. |
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WE WARMLY invite you to join the 2010 Official Havana International Jazz Festival Tour. On this stellar trip you'll be a special island guest receiving unparalleled cultural insights, and getting the best seats at each Jazz venue. The tour fills up fast, spaces are limited, do register now so as not to miss out. We don't sell Jazz Festival passes – they're for tour members only. Musicians wishing to perform click here.
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2010 Havana Jazz Plaza events happen from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 December. |
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Learn all about Cuba, its people and culture, and enjoy hot jazz from big names and new bands from over fifty countries |
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In Cuba from Sunday 12 to Tuesday 21 December 2010 |
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10 days and 9 nights of music and cultural encounters in Cuba |
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Premium Jazz Festival passes, most meals and a stunning itinerary of exclusive activities included |
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Private excursions to magical Pinar del Río and historic Havana |
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New hotel options this year: Stay in the classic four-star Hotel Riviera or the historic five-star Hotel Habana Libre |
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| PROGRAM OVERVIEW |
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| CITIES AND SITES VISITS |
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Ancient and modern Havana |
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Viñales Valley and Pinar del Río |
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| NEW HOTEL OPTIONS |
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The recently restored Hotel Riviera de la Habana is the official facility for Jazz Festival performers and guests. |
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Hotel Habana Libre An upscale luxurious respite during an action packed itinerary at this historic five star facility. |
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| TOUR HIGHLIGHTS |
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A special afternoon for reflection and relaxation on the white sand beaches of Playa Santa María. |
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Best seats at the ceremonies, acts, performances and events of the 2010 Jazz Festival! |
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Son, salsa, cha cha chá dance lessons taught by Cuban pros |
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Learn about Afrocuban culture and visit a babalao: Santería priest |
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Tour the Superior Institute of Art and Museum of Modern Art |
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Numerous evening venues where the best Cuban music is performed |
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Meet painter and ceramist José Fuster at his whimsical home studio |
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Dinner at La Guarida where the Oscar-nominated movie Strawberry and Chocolate was filmed |
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Tour the Partagás cigar factory, the Museum of Rum, and the scale models of old and modern Havana |
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Explore the Cueva del Indio (cave) and the Viñales Botanical Gardens |
Read Atlantic Jazz Festival Volunteer Manager Philip Theriault's 2008 Havana Jazz Fest adventure.
MY VISIT to Cuba on the Official Havana Jazz Festival Tour far exceeded all expectations… Read report by 2008 jazz traveler Barbara Fudge.
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Few swine flu fears in Cuba. Click here for updates. Cuba Education Tours prides itself on an impeccable ten-year health and safety record for our travelers. |
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The 2010 Official Havana Int'l Jazz Festival Tour is design by Cubans, Canadians and Americans for first time and returning visitors to get to know Cuban culture while experiencing the best of Latin and international jazz. Tour participants stay at the 1950s classic Hotel Riviera de la Habana, where you can rub shoulders with Cuban and world jazz greats.
The program is fully escorted from the minute you land in Havana until you return home. While on the island you're in the conscientious care of our expert multilingual Cuban guides together with our professional bus chauffeur. Our Canadian, Cuban and American staff ensures worry free Cuba travel before, during and after your trip.
Premium jazz passes are issued to tour participants for all festival activities and concerts. Your guide will keep you updated on scheduled and spontaneous performances. We provide group transport to the main events.
As of May 1, 2010, all island visitors are required to have official Cuban health insurance policies in place prior to arrival. Cuba Education Tours provides this coverage for all participants at no additional cost.
Time to commit. This tour fills up fast (see costs). Do register now. Twenty-three jazz fans missed out in 2009 for late registrations. Tour capacity is generally capped six months prior to departure. (Shy, budget-minded, ultra-independent? Read about the benefits of group travel to Cuba). |
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| TOUR ACTIVITIES LEGEND |
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Chucho Valdés icon for Jazz Tour events |
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Shoe icon for music and dance activities |
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Turret icon for history and architecture |
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Face icon for art, museum, and education visits |
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Owl icon for flora and fauna stuff |
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Fork icon for tour meals included |
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Ball icon for beach, sun and swimming |
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Smiling girl icon for free time and leisure |
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Hint BLUE text links across this site offer extensive details and pictures.
USA travelers This program is legal and licensable for professionals whose work is related to this tour's theme. LegalCubaTravel.com provides an easy step-by-step application kit. If you don't qualify for licensed travel, there are alternatives!
Travel for change Cuba Education Tours is a Vancouver Canada based organization dedicated to green, ethical travel that benefits Cubans and our guests.
 Five-star treatment round-the-clock from our Cuban and Canadian staff ensures worry free travel abroad.
Included in costs are all activities listed below unless noted otherwise.
Island transportation You travel in a private luxury tour coach chauffeured by a professional driver.
Meals All breakfasts are included. Some lunches and dinners are not. Your guide is glad to suggest eateries for every taste and budget.
Getting to Cuba Call 1-877-687-3817 toll free or email us. We can help.
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Memories of Cuba last forever. Discover the island on routes less traveled with Cuba Education Tours. |
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| TELL YOUR FRIENDS |
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Announce this website to your friends by email or on social networking sites. |
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| 2010 MARKS the 26th edition of the Havana International Jazz Festival. For over three decades the big names of world jazz have taken to Havana stages at this event, including the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Charlie Haden and Chucho Valdés (2010 festival president). You'll attend the stellar opening ceremony and the gala closing pageant with three solid days of Latin and international jazz in between. |
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| CLICK TO REVIEW EACH TOUR DAY :: 01 :: 02 :: 03 :: 04 :: 05 :: 06 :: 07 :: 08 :: 09 :: 10 :: |
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| Day 1 :: SUNDAY |
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HELLO CUBA |
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Chucho Valdés is revered as a living national treasure in Cuba. He's also the president of the Havana Jazz Festival. Visit his website. |
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You can stay in the 1950s four-star Hotel Riviera de la Habana, a hub for Jazz Festival musicians and participants – a most honorable role for a former mob boss owned casino. See Tour Costs options. |
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Or, choose the five-star Hotel Habana Libre. It's the most famous hotel in Cuba, and prominent city landmark. Located in Vedado neighborhood, it's just blocks away from the Malecón. The hotel offers every imaginable amenity. |
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Jazz Fest enthusiasts hit the streets. |
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| Musician and dancers in Havana. |
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The capital city of Havana as seen from the fortress El Morro, across the harbor from your hotel. |
Arrival at Havana's José Martí International Airport.
Collect your bags and go through customs. See What to take to Cuba.
You're welcomed at the airport by your Cuba Education Tours guide and professional bus chauffeur.
Your Cuba Education Tours guide will direct you to a bank or exchange bureau (CADECA) to purchase Cuban Convertible Pesos.
Group transfer to either the Hotel Riviera de la Habana, or the Hotel Habana Libre, both located in Vedado, the heart of Havana's cultural and entertainment district.
Private check-in with assistance from your guide.
Evening is free for you to settle in, rest up, explore Vedado's vibrant music milieu or stroll the Malecón seawall next to your hotel.
Sumptuous breakfast buffets are complementary and served daily from 7:00am to 10:00am. Special lunches are included on Days 2, 3, 4 and 5, and elegant group dinners on Days 2, 4 and 8. Your guide is available to suggest eateries for every taste and budget for meals not included in tour package.
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José Martí International airport in Havana – a colorful welcome. |
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Havana's Malecón seawall near your hotel – a place for relaxation and new friendships. |
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| Most common questions 1 Is Cuban food good? It's healthy and simple but not spicy. 2 Am I free to ask any question? You'll insult your island hosts by being less than candid. 3 Is the water safe? Yes, but we suggest bottled water for peace of mind. 4 Are vaccinations needed? No. 5 Can Americans join? They are especially welcome to do so! 6 Can I stay in Cuba after the tour? Absolutely and we are glad to help. 7 Do Cubans like tips? Yes, please see our Gratuities Guidelines. |
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Colorful indigenous Cuban Tody. |
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CUBA IS THE LARGEST and least commercialized island in the Caribbean. It hosts 6000 plant species, half of which are endemic. There are 20 million palms in Cuba comprised of 30 species. Other flora includes the rare cork palm, a holdout from the cretaceous period; the jagüey, a fig with aerial roots; the palma barrigona (pot belly palm); the ceiba (sacred silk-cotton tree); and the mariposa (butterfly jasmine, Cuba's national flower). The most abundant land fauna is reptilian: crocodiles, iguanas, lizards, salamanders, turtles and 15 species of nonpoisonous snakes. The biggest land mammal is the jutía, a tree dwelling rodent the size of a cocker spaniel. The native bee hummingbird or zunzún is the world's smallest warm-blooded vertebrate weighing between 1.6 and 1.8 grams. The Cuban trogon or tocororo is the national bird – its red, blue and white plumage reflecting the colors of the Cuban flag. |
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| Day 2 :: monday |
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getting to know the caribbean's largest city |
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Modern machete dance inspired by the working rhythm of sugar cane slaves.
Books are sold everywhere in Old Havana. |
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Courtyard of the Museum and Factory of Rum.
Don't forget your dancing shoes! Bring several pairs for different steps. Hint You can leave them with your new Cuban friends. |
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Example of restoration in Old Havana. |
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Street pantomime in Old Havana. |
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View of the Capitalio from the Malecón seawall. |
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Inside view of the dome of El Capitalio. |
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| Exterior and interior of the Cathedral of Havana initiated by Jesuits in 1748 and completed in 1777. Click photos for larger view. |
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Dinner at renowned paladar La Guarida, location for Oscar-nominated film Strawberry and Chocolate. |
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Partagás makes the world's most famous cigars. |
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Highly skilled cigar roller at Partagás. You'll meet her and her coworkers at this famed collective enterprise. |
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| Pre-Revolution poster invites Cubanos to switch from beer to rum. The label Havana Club is now owned by the Cuban people. |
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Ornate filigree and statuary adorn Havana's Gran Teatro where the National Ballet performs. |
Morning walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by your Cuba Education Tours guide.
Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana built by the Jesuit order.
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| Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as: |
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Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City. |
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Palacio del Segundo Cabo, seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns. |
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Museo de Artesania at Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. Today it displays treasures of artistic ceramics by the most prestigious Cuban artists from the middle of the last century to present. The institution is host to the Ceramic Biennial. |
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We continue onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter. The square is named after magnificent Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís dating from the 16th century. The basilica is a striking example of Cuba baroque architecture.
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Plaza Vieja in Old Havana. |
And later to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings, and is in contrast surrounded by opulent aristocratic 17th century residences. We'll visit an important center for the visual arts.
Next we'll visit the Scale Model of Old Havana to learn about the community, its history and its development plans.
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Learn mixology secrets from Cuban masters. |
Now we'll tour the Rum Museum, an ancient three floor colonial residence, in Old Havana, is the venue of the Rum Museum. Built in 1780, it was owned by the Counts Mortera. In 1982 it was declared Cultural Patrimony of Havana by the UNESCO. Your guide will take you through all the steps in the manufacture of the original Cuban Rum from slave to modern times, from the sugar cane field through bottling. You'll conclude with a final toast to the rhythm of Cuban traditional music. Visitors can learn how to prepare a mojito (right), the delicious Cuban cocktail, made of rum, lime, sugar and mint leaves.
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Musicians at La Mina restaurant. |
Lunch at La Mina Restaurant where you'll enjoy traditional Cuban dishes and live music!
Free time in the famous open-air handicraft market near Cathedral Square where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
This afternoon we'll visit the Partagás Cigar Factory [Fábrica de Tabacos Partagás] founded in the middle of the 19th century. Here some of Cuba's most famed cigars are produced including Romeo y Julietas and Cohibas among other big names. You'll witness the secrets of the craft.
Welcome dinner at La Guarida paladar, location for Oscar-nominated film "Strawberry and Chocolate."
Tour highlight Tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us. You'll learn how to perform and dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, Mambo and other popular Cuban rhythms from the band members of Grupo Dulce María.
Later we'll enjoy the best Cuban jazz in Havana at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo [The Fox and the Raven] (optional participation, not included in cost, 10 CUC entrance fee). |
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| Day 3 :: tuesday |
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PINAR DEL RIO'S DRAMATIC VINALES VALLEY |
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Consider climbing to the top of a mogote! |
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Viñales is perfect for trekking, bird watching and horseback riding. |
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Exotic and unique plants and animals thrive in Cuba. The island has more protected areas than any other country. |
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A river runs through the Cueva del Indio used by the Guanahatabey Amerindians as a burial site and a refuge from the Spaniards. |
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| CUBA HAS 300 ecologically protected areas comprising 30 percent of its territory. Six of these areas are UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves. Over half the island's diverse flora and fauna is indigenous – existing nowhere else – and is guarded from exploitation. In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund named Cuba the only nation to achieve a planet friendly economy. |
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| Left Cuban parakeet. Right A bumblebee hummingbird (zunzún), perched atop a pencil, gets it name from the sound of a bumblebee, only slightly smaller. Watch a short zunzún film clip. |
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Morning excursion to the rural agriculture-based Viñales Valley. You'll be in awe of its spectacular natural landscape featuring the most interesting and varied geological formations in the Caribbean. The valley is particularly famous for its great freestanding rock formations called mogotes. Viñales is the heart of tobacco cultivation on the island.
We'll take a breathtaking boat ride through the Cueva del Indio used by Guanahatabey Amerindians as a burial site, and later as a refuge from Spanish slavers. Within you'll witness earth's natural history from the Jurassic to the Paleolithic era and beyond.
Visit to Mural de la Prehistoria a huge painting made on the side of a mogote. Early on in the Revolution Fidel Castro responded to an appeal by a local artist to pay tribute to the Darwinian perspective of evolution.
Lunch is included in program cost. You'll enjoy a selection of rural Cuban dishes.
Free time to explore Viñales village at your leisure. Examine its open-air craft market, Parque Martí, main parish, and other interesting highlights of this charming colonial hamlet.
Visit Carmen and Caridad Miranda's magical mini-paradise, known as the Viñales Botanical Garden. These two elderly widows maintain a little Eden full of fruit trees, orchids and medicinal plants nurtured lovingly and organically.
Return to your hotel in Havana. Your evening is free to rest up or go out on the town. Your guide keeps you posted on local events. |
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| Animal partners help out on the farm. Eco-friendly practices result in tasty organic produce and high productivity. |
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Learn about the cultivation and processing of tobacco from seed to leaf culminating in the world's most famous cigars. |
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Junior learns to ride a horse. Cubans can truly claim that no child is left behind. |
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The jutía, native to Cuba, is a large rodent the size of a cocker spaniel. They dwell in trees and are vegetarians. Jutías are the preferred breakfast of crocodiles. |
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| Day 4 :: wednesday |
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EDUCATION, the ancient city, JAZZ FESTIVAL |
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Right Panorama of the ISA (Institute of Superior Arts). Its facilities are considered amongst the most unusual and best examples of architecture globally. |
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Modern dance performance at the celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of the Cuba Revolution held in Santiago de Cuba on 1 January 2009. |
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Above Soldiers fire the 9PM cannon. Below Students watch the blast.
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Morning meeting with Sonia Ortega, Director of International Relations for the Institute of Superior Arts (ISA). We'll tour this architecturally stunning campus and talk with its students – the next generation of Cuban musicians.
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House of acclaimed artist José Fuster. |
This afternoon we'll feast on a delicious lunch hosted by José Fuster, one of Cuba's most important ceramists and painters at his whimsical studio in Jaimanita, just outside of Havana.
Followed by visits to the studios of other contemporary young visual artists.
 Get ready for an air-conditioned luxury coach tour of the most important sites of Modern Havana such as the Capital building, the Grand Theatre, Central Park, Prado promenade, Plaza de la Revolución, Coppelia Ice Cream Park, Plaza José Martí (in front of US Interests Section), Malecón seawall, Monument to the Battleship Maine, Hotel Nacional, University of Havana, Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón, and the Miramar, Central Havana and Vedado neighborhoods.
Group dinner at Prado y Neptuno, a fine Italian style restaurant in Old Havana featuring delicious food and a great atmosphere.
Evening highlight Tonight we visit the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña and tour the facilities where Che Guevara set up his headquarters after the January 1, 1959 victory over US-backed forces. Then onwards to witness a most dramatic ceremony – El Cañonazo – the Firing of the 9PM Cannon La Cabaña. This enchanting colonial reenactment dates back to 1519 when the city of Havana was enclosed by a tall thick rock wall to ward off attacks from pirates and the English. The cannon firing signaled the closing of the city gates for the night. If you were outside at the time, you were in "vedado" or the forbidden zone. Today Vedado is an important cultural hub and beautiful section of modern Havana. |
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| Day 5 :: thursday |
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URBAN PLANNING, DANCE LESSONS, JAZZ FESTIVAL |
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Small section of the incredible scale model (second largest in the world) of the city of Havana used for urban planning. |
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RESTAURANTE EL ALJIBE Always filled to the brim with clued-in local and foreign diners who appear to be having the time of their lives, this joint's barbecued chicken served in bitter-orange, lemon, and chicken juices sauce is the house dish, at once dark and tangy. And, oh yes, the house special of black beans, rice, chicken Aljibe, and tostones is a resplendent all-you-can-eat delight.
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A great day to explore pre-Jazz Festival performances around the city including jazz "garage" bands. |
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Morning visit to the Scale Model of Havana and a private meeting with world-renowned architect Dr Miguel Coyula, director of the Group for the Integral Development of the Capital. His organization hosts a museum that contains a model of the entire city of Havana. The model took nine years to build and is the second largest in the world after one of New York. Havana's 727 square kilometers are represented in an area of 22 meters of length and 10 meters of width. City planners needed to see and have a tactile sense of the impressive physical and cultural patrimony of Havana, spanning five centuries as a port city, island and Caribbean Capital, and launching pad for the conquest of the Americas.
Historical periods of construction are displayed through the use of different colors. Brown represents the colonial period, ochre the republican period, ivory the revolutionary period, and white represents new projects, sculptural monuments and cemeteries. With the use of textures and colors similar to the natural ones, the vegetation, parks, beaches and plazas are distinguished. This virtual tool enables city planners practical and realistic planning. They experiment by placing miniature buildings in the peewee metropolis to see how they fit within a specific area and architectural context. If planners don't like a proposal, they can move it somewhere else, demand a design change, or nix it. You'll learn how each part of the city has developed historically, and the tough challenges each district faces today.
Lunch at one of Havana's most popular restaurants: El Aljibe. This eatery is so famous and food so tasty it is being franchised.
Afternoon activities Check out pre-Jazz Festival performance happenings around the city.
Evening spectacular Opening Ceremonies of the Havana Jazz Festival at the Karl Marx Theatre in Miramar.
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You'll meet with renowned architect Dr Miguel Coyula, a leading member of the Group for the Integral Development of Havana. |
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Afrocuban inspired folkdance. |
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Street dancing and musicians are everywhere especially during the Jazz Festival. |
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Jazz Festival band and dancers perform on the Malecón. |
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| Day 6 :: friday |
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EXPLORING AFROCUBAN CULTURE, JAZZ FESTival |
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Evening dance during the festival. |
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Youth snake dance in the island's annual Carnival – a Latin America tradition – in Cuba with strong African influences. |
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Morning ferryboat ride across Havana harbor to the municipality of Regla. This Afrocuban community has a long, rich and still active tradition of African-inspired religions.
We'll visit Regla's church dedicated to the black "Virgen de Regla" Yemayá, the African goddess of the sea in the Yoruba religion and the patron saint of sailors.
Tour of Regla's municipal museum to learn the origins of this unique community and its Afrocuban cultures.
Meet a babalao (highest priest in the Santería religion) in his home.
All night! Following your return to Havana – time to get down for all the Havana Jazz Festival happenings. |
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Regla's church honors a black goddess who protects fishers and sailors. |
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Ferryboat traversing Havana harbor to the municipality of Regla. |
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Cuban performers at the Havana International Jazz Festival. |
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| An Afrocuban dance performance staged for participants of our 2008 Havana International Jazz Festival Tour. Photos: Barbara Fudge |
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| Day 7 :: SATURDAY |
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CUBAN ART AND THE HAVANA JAZZ FESTIVAL |
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Community Rumba performance in Havana's Callejón de Hamel. |
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Troubadours embrace. |
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Entrance to the Museum of Fine Arts' Cuban Collection. |
Afternoon visit to the Museum of Fine Arts Cuban Collection where we see the evolution of Cuba's visual arts over the last 300 years. The collection accounts for the richness of the island's Spanish, French, Chinese, African cultural roots.
Free afternoon to explore festival happenings. Why not try a paladar (small private restaurant) for an intimate meal with your friends?
All night! Havana Jazz Festival happenings! Check with your Cuba Education Tours guide for up-to-the-minute festival events.
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| Day 8 :: Sunday |
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leisure, FARWELL DINNER, JAZZ CLOSING EVENT |
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Tonight Special evening of reminiscence and fine dining for you and tourmates at Café del Oriente in the Plaza San Francisco. |
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Cuban performer at the Havana International Jazz Festival. Right bottom Panorama of audience at Jazz Fest closing ceremonies. |
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Expect the very best musicians at the closing ceremonies of the Havana International Jazz Festival. |
Free morning and afternoon to relax at the edge of your hotel's swimming pool, pal around with tour mates or new Cuban friends, or take in Havana Jazz Festival activities and events.
Program highlight Farewell dinner at Café del Oriente! This elegant eatery with its beautiful patterned marble floor, high ceilings, and dark wainscoted walls is considered tops in the city. The menu is one of the more extravagant in Havana, offering exotic entrees available nowhere else.
Evening gala event Closing ceremonies of Havana Jazz Festival! This is your last chance to enjoy world-class jazz in Cuba – until 2011!
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| Day 9 :: monday |
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FREE DAY IN HAVANA OR ON THE BEACH! |
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Havana's eastern beaches are called Playas del este [Eastern beaches]. |
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| Musicians (and kids) play on the Playa Santa María, aka Playas del este [Eastern beaches]. |
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Today is free to explore the city, spend time with your new Cuban friends and tourmates, and decompress in preparation for "reentry" into the hustle and bustle of home. Why not check out the rich history, architecture, art and culture of the metropolis? See our list of 64 Amazing Things To Do and See in Havana. |
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A perfect place for snorkeling and other water sports. |
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Beach trip! How about an afternoon at the Playas del este [Eastern beaches] just 20 kilometers outside Havana? Easy and economical arrangements can be made at your hotel's tourist desk. Don't forget your swimwear and sunscreen; el sol shines stronger on the island! These beautiful white sand beaches rival the best sun destinations in the Caribbean. |
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| Day 10 :: tuesday |
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GOODBYE CUBA – HELLO NORTH AMERICA |
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| KEEP IN TOUCH with your new Cuban friends – exchange email addresses! Bring some business cards to pass out on the island. Take pictures and keep a journal. Upon your return, we'll post them on this website for all to see and enjoy. |
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Early morning transfer to Havana's José Martí Int'l Airport for your return home. Don't forget to save 25.00 CUC for your Cuban airport departure tax and some money for meals on Air Canada flights home.
Want to stay longer in Cuba following the tour? Contact us and we will help make it happen. |
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| We'll miss you and hope you return soon! |
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Old Cuban saying, "a true friend remembers the song in your heart when you have forgotten the lyrics." |
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| BARBARA FUDGE |
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2008 JAZZ FESTIVAL TOUR PARTICIPANT COMMENTS |
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Left My photo of Chucho Valdés! Right A boy we befriended in Havana. Below Cuban jazz band performs at 2008 Festival.
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Barbara Fudge |
MY VISIT to Cuba on the 2008 Official Havana International Jazz Festival Tour far exceeded all expectations, not only due to the level of organization and richness of the program, but also the charm and extraordinary hospitality of the Cuban people, and the beauty and intrigue of the City of Havana.
From the moment we landed in Havana, me and my tourmates were captivated by the warm welcome of our amazing guides and hosts Mildred and Tatiana, who, for our entire visit, worked tirelessly to ensure our happiness and comfort; and our bus drivers could not have been more gracious and accommodating.
We were immediately immersed in the history of Havana and Cuba, visited interesting museums, enjoyed a variety of art, smoked cigars, drank mojitos and rum, listened to music everywhere, and even became salsa dancers! We visited old and modern Havana, the Afrocuban community of Regla, the famous Institute of Art, unique restaurants, rural Viñales Valley, and had access to extremely impressive hosts and speakers. And, of course, the Havana International Jazz Festival with Chucho Valdés was too much fun! Thank you to everyone who made such a wonderful experience possible!
Barbara Fudge is a jazz aficionado and resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. |
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