Cuba (Havana, Las Terrazas, & Vinales)
An immersive Cuban Music and Culture experience, including daily performances of Cuban traditional/popular music, personalized tours, art studio visits, and breathtaking natural environment. Join us for an opportunity of a lifetime!
* * January 12-19, 2025 * *
Registration Full
In addition to 4 nights in Havana, we will visit spend 2 nights in the picturesque rural town of Viñales town of Trinidad, and a day in the mountainous eco-village of Las Terrazas. This multi-city tour is led by Washington College professors Ken Schweitzer (music) and Aaron Lampman (anthropology), each of whom have extensive knowledge of Cuban Culture and share a deep desire to offer participants an insider’s view of Cuban music, art, culture, cuisine and politics.
Option 1 - Cuba only $3000* (includes housing, most meals, ground transportation, and all activities on the itinerary
in Cuba)
Option 2 - Full Service $3600* (includes everything above plus hotel in Miami, round trip MIA/HAV, & tourist visa)
* Prices are per person, assuming double accommodation. Surcharge for single accommodation: Option 1 ($225) | Option 2 ($360).
Sunday, January 12
Make your way to Miami by flying into either FLL or MIA. We will be staying at the Wyndam Garden Miami International Airport. Around 6PM many of us will head out for dinner and get to know one another. But, you can check in as late as you prefer. (Option 2 only)
Monday, January 13
Today we rise early, and take an early flight to Havana. Once we clear customs, we’ll board our coach bus, drive 40 minutes to our homestays, drop off our luggage and enjoy our first home-cooked meal at our homestay. Afterwards we will take a leisurely stroll to the Prado (Havana’s tree-lined pedestrian boulevard), just four blocks from our homes and explore Havana’s best outdoor artist market. Then we’ll hop in 1950s classic American convertibles and enjoy a tour tour of the city, including some of Havana’s most iconic sites! For dinner, we will head to one of Havana’s finest restaurants (Cafe Laurent). When we return to our homes, our hosts will greet us with a welcome drink. Afterwards, everyone will have the option to retire for the evening, or to set out in search of some nightlife opportunities.
Lunch and Dinner included today
Tuesday, January 14
After a delicious breakfast, we will venture into Havana’s Old Town (Havana Vieja), where we will get a guided tour of Havana’s four main squares (Plaza de Catedrál, Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza de Armas, and Plaza Viejo). After our tour, we will invite you to find lunch on your own, and to wander the old town at your leisure. This is the most photographed part of Havana. Take your time!
On our way back to the homestays, we will stop at the Museum of the Revolution, situated within the former Presidential Palace. In additional to learning about key events in the revolution, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of the Granma, the boat that transported Castro and his militia from Mexico to Eastern Cuba. Back at the homestays, we will then enjoy an Afro-Cuban folkloric performance by members of the Cuba’s premier dance company, the Conjunto Folklórico Nacional. In the evening, those who still have energy will head over to Havana’s most well-known jazz club, La Zorra y el Cuervo to enjoy world-class music. Guests will be responsible for their own transportation home from the club.
Breakfast and Dinner included today.
Wednesday, January 15
Today we will rise early and depart on a two-day tour of Cuba’s beautiful and lush countryside. Our first stop is in Las Terrazas, just one hour to the west of Havana. Once completely deforested as a result of centuries of charcoal production for coffee processing and cooking, Las Terrazas today is a vibrant self-sustaining eco-community and offers prime viewing of Cuba’s most important bird species. We’ll visit the rural village called Rancho Curujey and learn about this self-sustaining community’s successes in reforestation, historical preservation, environmental balance. We will meet with local guides, walk the incredible ruins of a French Coffee Plantation built in 1801 worked by African slaves, visit the workshops of local artists, and have lunch at an open-air restaurant specializing in traditional country cuisine – La Casa del Campesino. The eatery is located on the fresh water shore of the Río San Juan making it lush tropical paradise.
After lunch we will continue 2 hours to Viñales, in the provice of Piñar del Río, known around the world for its rugged mountains, known as Mogotes. Upon arrival, we will check-into our homestays. We will make our way to the small downtown area of Viñales where you can enjoy dinner on your own and then head over to the Polo Moñtanez Cultural Center to enjoy an evening of local music and dancing.
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included today.
Thursday, January 16
This morning we have some great options. For those who enjoy the prospect of horseback riding, we offer a three-hour tour of the Valley of Viñales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its dramatic landscape with rocky outcrops, its fertile soil, traditional farming techniques, and tobacco production. During our tour, we will visit a local farm, and spend an hour with its owner who will explain local faming traditions, including all stages of coffee and tobacco production. We will have an opportunity to enjoy coffee, cigars, honey, and a local rum (made from local fruit known as guayabita), all produced from start to finish on this very farm!
For those who would prefer an alternative activity, we will first visit Cueva del Indio (Cave of the Indians), one of the many caves carved into this region’s limestone. Here, we will take a short boat ride in an underground river. Afterwards, we will take a short walk (an alternate route) to the farm described above and enjoy the same guided tour!
After lunch on your own in town, you’ll have time to explore the town, take another salsa class, or just return to our homestay and enjoy the pool and sunset.
Breakfast included today.
Friday, January 17
After another fantastic breakfast, we will leave Viñales behind us and continue back to Havana, stopping on the way at Fusterlandia, the private wonderland of acclaimed Cuban muralist and ceramist José Fúster known as the Picasso of the Caribbean. We will also visit the magnificent studio of ceramist, Beatriz Sala Santacana. We will have enjoy a fantastic seafood lunch at Santy Pescador on the shores of the Rio Jaimanitas, and then continue on to the art studio of Osmeivy Ortega Pacheco.
This evening, we will return to our homes in Havana. We will surely be exhausted this evening. But, for anyone looking for nightlife, we will send you one of Havana's best known nightspots, Cabaret Parisen, featuring dozens of dancers and a live band. And which is attached to the iconic Hotel Nacional, known for its natural beauty and connection to American mobster like Al Capone, and featured in the movie Godfather 2.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included today.
Saturday, January 18
This is our last day in Havana! You have some options. Weather permitting, we'll take beach lovers to Playas de Este about 30 minutes east of Havana. Blessed with white sands and ultra clear aquamarine water, the beaches of Cuba are lovely. Those who prefer to to remain in the city, we will provide a guided tour of Bellas Artes Museo Nacional which features some of Cuba's greatest artistic treasures. In the afternoon, you'll enjoy free time to shop, visit galleries and markets, or just walk one last time through the charming old city. We'll end the tour with dinner and private performance at H Bar Vedado, Havana.
Breakfast and Dinner included today.
Sunday, January 19
Return to Miami (Option 2). Make your way home. Thanks for sharing the experience with us.
Breakfast included today.
Program Details
Visit Ashe Cultural Tours, LLC website to get all the program details, including flight/hotel info, safety/legal concerns, health/safety, and a myriad Frequently Asked Questions.
Meet Your Guides
Dr. Ken Schweitzer is an Associate professor of Music who has spent nealry three decades studying the Afro-Cuban Musical Culture. Initially drawn to Cuba in 1999 to experience first-hand its unparalleled and vibrant music scene, Schweitzer returns annually to continue learning more about the unique musical, cultural, and political landscape of this Caribbean island nation. Dr. Schweitzer has expertise as both a drummer and an ethnomusicologist.
Dr. Aaron Lampman is a professor of Anthropology at Washington College. Dr. Lampman has conducted nineteen years of anthropological research in Latin America extending from Mexico to Peru. In addition to leading short-term student seminars to Panama, the American Southwest, Peru and Tanzania, he has co-led student and adult trips to Cuba 6 times. With a strong grasp of Cuban history, he provides insight into the food and agriculture of the island and expertise on the impact of globalization on Cuba culture.