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| PROGRAM SUMMARY |
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Mornings Dance lessons and workshops for two hours |
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Afternoons Amazing private excursions to get to know the real Cuba, its culture and people |
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Evenings Fabulous bands, dance performances and gala ceremonies |
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View 2006 Baila en Cuba photos |
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View 2007 Baila en Cuba photos |
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| TOUR HIGHLIGHTS |
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Ten hours of intensive dance instruction from acclaimed Cuban dance teachers and professional performers |
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Six evenings of music, dance and entertainment from the best Cuban bands! |
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Day trip to the stunning Viñales Valley, visit caves, murals, tobacco farms, botanical gardens, and revel in its natural splendor |
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Dinner at the opening ceremonies and performances of Baila en Cuba |
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Swim in the warm waters and sunbathe on white sand beaches of Playas del Este near Havana |
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Private walking tour exploring Old Havana and a guided coach tour of Modern Havana |
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Visit a Havana cigar factory where you'll learn the secrets of the craft |
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Meet famed painter and ceramist José Fuster at his whimsical studio and dine on his fine cuisine |
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Guided tour of the Museum of Fine Arts where you'll witness Cuban masterpieces spanning 300 years |
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Tour the Afrocuban community of Regla, meet its people, and learn about their dramatic contributions to Cuba culture |
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| Baila en Cuba [Dance in Cuba] is an annual International Latin Dance and Music Festival. It is for students and lovers of Cuban dance and music. |
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| Join us from November 22 to 29, 2008 and learn to dance Rueda de Casino, Salsa, Son, Rumba and Cha Cha Chá like a professional. Return home and teach your friends. |
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| Dance instruction by twelve island masters and their assistants who serve as your partner, and live music accompaniment. |
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| Thirteen famed bands perform over five nights. You'll hear groups like Los Van Van and Pachito Alonso y sus Kini Kini to Anacaona and David Calzado y su Charanga Habanera! |
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| An unparalleled program of dance instruction, exhibitions, competitions and music. |
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| One magical week in the throbbing music and dance capital of the Americas: Havana, Cuba. |
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Aficionados from around the world attend this epic Latin dance and music event. Over eight enchanting days entire dance academies from dozens of countries will perform in competitions and exhibitions. Students and lovers of Latin dance have a rare occasion to learn the basics or hone existing talents and skills from Cuban master instructors. And the thirteen Cuban orchestras performing for Baila en Cuba reads like the top listings from Billboard Music Charts. Come to Cuba with us, dance, have fun and make lasting friends. |
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CUBAN DANCE WORKSHOPS
Classes take place each morning for two hours. Your Cuban teachers and their assistants, who serve as your dance partner, tailor instruction to the individual student: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced (indicate your dance level when you register). Techniques and methods addressed are rhythm, movement fundamentals for women and men, and Afrocuban movement. Dance styles covered are Salsa, Rumba, Son, Cha Cha Chá, Mambo, and Rueda de Casino. Students receive an official Baila en Cuba Certificate of Completion. Courses are taught in English and Spanish. |
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This program is fully escorted from the minute you touch down in Havana until you return home. While on the island you're in the conscientious care of an expert multilingual Cuban guide together with a bus chauffeur. |
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Time to commit. This tour is super popular and fills up fast (see costs). Airline flights are extremely limited. Consider registering now. (Shy, budget-minded or independent? Read about the benefits of group travel to Cuba).
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Dance icon for Baila en Cuba workshops |
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Shoe icon for music and dance events |
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Face icon for art, museum, and education visits |
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Turret icon for history and architecture |
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Owl icon for nature and ecology tours |
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Fork icon for meals included in tour cost |
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Smiling icon for free time and leisure |
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Ball icon for beach, sun and swimming |
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| Hint BLUE text links across this site offer extensive details and pictures. |
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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! Contact us. |
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| Travel for change Cuba Education Tours is a Vancouver Canada based organization dedicated to green, ethical travel that benefits Cubans and our guests. |
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 Five star treatment round-the-clock from our Cuban and Canadian staff ensure worry free travel abroad. |
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| Included in costs are all activities listed below unless noted otherwise. |
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| Island transportation You travel in a private luxury tour coach chauffeured by a professional driver. |
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| Meals B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner indicates meals included. All breakfasts are complementary on this tour. Your guide is glad to suggest eateries for every taste and budget for lunches and dinners not included. |
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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. |
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| SEE EACH TOUR DAY |
:: 01 :: 02 :: 03 :: 04 :: 05 :: 06 :: 07 :: 08 :: |
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Troubadours embrace. |
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Afrocuban folk dance. |
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Music is pervasive across the city. |
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Baila en Cuba dance workshop. |
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| View of Havana at sunrise from your hotel. |
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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 your Hotel Saint Johns located in Vedado – 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.
All breakfasts are complementary daily from 07:00AM to 10:00AM.
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Ever popular and crowded Coppelia ice cream park adjacent to your hotel. |
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TIME AND CLIME IN HAVANA NOW
Island-wide annual averages
Summer temp average: 81F | 27C
Winter temp average: 72F | 22C
Ocean temp average: 78F | 25.5C
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Beach salsa. |
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Street festival on the Malecón. |
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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. |
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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 national flower, the mariposa (butterfly jasmine). 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 bee hummingbird or zunzún is the world's smallest weighing between 1.6 and 1.8 grams. The tocororo is the national bird – its red, white and blue plumage reflecting the colors of the Cuban flag. |
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| NATURAL CUBA – DAY TRIP TO PINAL DEL RIO AND VINALES VALLEY |
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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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Young person staffs farmers market. |
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The worlds smallest bird weighing less than a dime is called a zunzún (bumblebee hummingbird). Watch a movie clip of a zunzún. |
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Mogotes (tropical karsts) are remnants of eroded limestone sedimentary layers. The heights of these dramatic hills are generally less than 25 meters; diameters range from 10 to 200 meters. |
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| Cuba is recognized as the global leader in environmental sustainability. It 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. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) declared Cuba the only country with a planet friendly economy. |
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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.
Followed by a magical walking and boat tour 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 and social history from the Jurassic to the Paleolithic era and beyond.
Four kilometers from Viñales Village, on one side of the Dos Hermanas (Two Sisters) mogote, stands the Mural de la Prehistoria (Mural of Prehistory), an impressive 120-meter high fresco painted in 1961 by Cuban artist Leovigildo González, a student of the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. Depicted are the animals and other creatures that lived in the valley in prehistoric times. The mural pays tribute to the Darwinian perspective of evolution.
Lunch at the restaurant of Hotel La Emita. You'll enjoy fine food and a beautiful view of the farmlands and mogotes of Viñales Valley.
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.
Late afternoon return to Havana.
Tonight we attend the gala opening dinner and ceremonies for Baila en Cuba. |
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In the countryside many youth are engaged in organic agriculture combined with rigorous academics. Animal partners help out on the farm. Eco-friendly practices result in tasty produce and high productivity. |
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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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1930s photo of a Cuban sugar cane cutters dance. Island music and movement has its origins in labor combined with the admixture of African and Spanish cultures known as syncretism. Youth (below) practice modern machete dance.
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| Some among many staples grown organically in Havana and Pinar del Río provinces: Left to right Bananas, coffee beans, cucumbers, pineapple, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and avocados. |
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| GETTING TO KNOW THE CARIBBEAN'S LARGEST Capital |
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Cuban hip hop artist. |
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Street pantomime in Old Havana. |
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View of El the Capitolio from the Malecón seawall. |
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Inside view of the dome of El Capitolio. |
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| Exterior and interior of the Cathedral of Havana initiated by Jesuits in 1748 and completed in 1777. |
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Young people gather every evening to socialize on the Malecón seawall. |
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Ornate filigree and statuary adorn Havana's Gran Teatro where the National Ballet performs. |
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Morning Baila en Cuba dance lessons. You'll learn from Cuban masters and be coupled with a Cuban dance partner. Session is two hours with a 15 minute break.
Lunch break at La Mina Restaurant where you'll enjoy traditional Cuban dishes and live music (not included in cost).
Afternoon 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 Cathedral of Havana 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.
And later onto Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings. We'll visit an important center for the visual arts.
Free time in the famous open-air handicraft market of Old Havana where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
Baila en Cuban Night Concert by one of Cuba's top bands and a Rueda de Casino exhibition show. |
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| CUBAN ARTS AND CULTURE DAY IN MODERN HAVANA |
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How Baila en Cuba dance lessons unfold: In addition to instruction by island dance masters you'll have support from Cubans who also serve as dancer partners. |
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Entrance to the Palacio de Bellas Artes. |
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Modernist sculpture by noted Cuban artist Rita Lonja stands outside the entrance to Palacio de Bellas Artes. |
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Interior courtyard of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. |
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The Fortress Morro as seen from Central Havana. |
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Morning Baila en Cuba dance lessons. You'll learn from Cuban masters and be coupled with a Cuban dance partner. Session is two hours with a 15 minute break.
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, Revolution Square, 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.
Tour highlight 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.
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Víctor Manuel's Gitana Tropical, known as the Cuban Mona Lisa, was painted in Paris in 1929. |
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Followed by a guided tour of the Palacio de Bellas Artes [Palace of Fine Arts] dedicated exclusively to housing Cuban art spanning three centuries. Sections are devoted to landscape, religious subjects and narrative scenes of Cuban life. A gallery devoted to the 1970s displays the latest generation of Cuban artists whose works reflect the strong symbolic imagery prevalent in recent decades. Together the exhibits account for the richness of the island's Spanish, French, Chinese, African cultural roots. Notable works include those of René Portocarrero and Wilfredo Lam.
Baila en Cuban Night Concert by one of Cuba's top bands and a Rueda de Casino exhibition show. |
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Fantasy garden and studio of acclaimed artist José Fuster. |
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Moviemaker Michael Moore visits the home of Cuban artist José Fuster while filming "SiCKO" in March 2007. |
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Kids playing at José Fuster's house. |
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Get ready for an evening of dance. |
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| CIGAR FACTORY VISIT, CUBA DANCE LESSONS AND CUBAN MUSIC |
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Spontaneous dance on the Malecón. |
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 Flamenco dancers. |
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Havana street percussionist. |
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Morning Baila en Cuba dance lessons. You'll learn from Cuban masters and be coupled with a Cuban dance partner. Session is two hours with a 15 minute break.
Lunch at one of Havana's most popular restaurants: El Aljibe (not included in cost).
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Highly skilled cigar factory worker. |
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Visit to Tabaquería La Corona (cigar factory) one of the most famous names of Cuban cigars. You'll see the process from selection of the cured leaves to expert rolling by skilled workers. If you're an aficionado or want to buy a special gift for a friend back home, this is the place.
Baila en Cuban Night Concert by one of Cuba's top bands and a Rueda de Casino exhibition show. |
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Festive dancing at Casa de la Amistad. |
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Experimental dance in Havana explores hip hop and Afrocuban movement. |
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El Aljibe's chicken is world famed. |
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| DANCE LESSONS AND BEACH DAY! |
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Havana's eastern beaches are called Playas del Estes. |
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Dance exercises on the beach. |
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Cuban beach boys. |
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Morning Baila en Cuba dance lessons. You'll learn from Cuban masters and be coupled with a Cuban dance partner. Session is two hours with a 15 minute break.
Lunch in Havana's Chinatown (not included in cost).
Beach Trip! Afternoon at the Playas del Este (Eastern beaches) 20 kilometers outside the metropolis. 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. Don't like the beach? That's ok. You can stay in Havana and explore the city or spend time with your new Cuban friends.
Baila en Cuban Night Concert by one of Cuba's top bands and a Rueda de Casino exhibition show.
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| Musicians (and kids) play at Playas del Estes. |
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A perfect place for snorkeling and other water sports. |
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| DANCE LESSONS AND AFROCUBAN CULTURE AND ART |
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Cabaret Tropicana performance. |
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Callejón de Hamel, located in Central Havana's Cayo Hueso neighborhood, is an Afrocuban cultural hotspot. |
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Afrocuban inspired folkdance. |
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Cuban band performs in the community of Regla. |
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Morning Baila en Cuba dance lessons. You'll learn from Cuban masters and be coupled with a Cuban dance partner. Session is two hours with a 15 minute break.
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.
We'll tour the Museo Municipal de Regla and learn of the origins of this unique community and its Afrocuban cultures.
We'll visit home studio of painter, master printmaker and designer Antonio Canet.
Baila en Cuban Night Concert by one of Cuba's top bands and a Rueda de Casino exhibition show. Presentation of official Baila en Cuba Certificates of Completion for dance workshops. |
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Regla's church honors a black goddess who protects fishers and sailors. |
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Alter detail of the black "Virgen de Regla" Yemayá. |
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Ferryboat traversing Havana harbor to the municipality of Regla. |
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Cubans come in all colors and are proud of it! |
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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 International Airport for your return home. Don't forget to save 25.00 CUC for your Cuban airport departure tax.
Want to stay longer on your own? 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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