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Cuba New Year 2012/2013 -
Viva la Revolucíon!
Cuba 16 days
December 29 2012 - January 13 2013 (ex-London) or
Cuba 15 days
December 29 2012 - January 12 2013 (ex-Havana)
Cuba is one of the world's great musical destinations and on this trip you can enjoy a New Year like no other, as January 1 is also Cuba's National Day. After the party in Havana we head off for a musical tour of the island with Songlines Music Travel leader Philip Sweeney. Sweeney is author of the Rough Guide to Cuban Music and a regular Songlines contributor.
Essentially Cuban music is a mix of African and Spanish ingredients (from the slave population brought to the sugar and tobacco plantations and the Spanish colonisers). Of the original inhabitants, virtually nothing remains except the maracas and the adoption of the name of one of the tribes, Siboney, by the recording studios in Santiago, where son - Cuba's most infectious fusion of African and Latin ingredients was born.
Our trip begins and ends in Havana, but then we head east to make our musical journey from Santiago de Cuba, through Manzanillo, Camagüey, Trinidad and Matanzas before a final stay in Havana. All Songlines Music Travellers will receive an information sheet about the local music, plus recommended recordings and DVDs.
Cuba Itinerary
Day 1 Sat
We meet our Songlines Travel Leader in our hotel in Havana for welcome cocktails and a briefing on the trip's highlights and events planned before heading out to sample the first night in the city.
Day 2-4 Sun-Tues
We have three full days to explore the capital city, Havana, taking in the best on offer including walking along the Malecón, the Necropolis and the Capitol Building. We include a visit to the rum museum and the Museo de la Revolución a must see for anyone wanting to understand Cuba! We have arranged a half day city orientation tour but we also delve into the music of the capital to pick up on the mix of son, salsa, hip-hop and reggaeton that drives the city's music scene. As well as visits to learn about the recording scene here, we will visit several major music venues during our evenings. On New Year's Eve we'll join the party in a local bar away from the tourist scene to enjoy the music and the cocktails!
Day 5 Wed
This morning we transfer to the airport and fly to Santiago de Cuba at the far eastern end of Cuba. Our hotel is in the centre of town and we are well-placed to wander through the historic streets for an initial exploration. This evening we will probably visit the Casa de la Trova, or one of the other celebrated venues which make the Calle Heredia a musical hotspot of Cuba.
Day 6 Thurs
We have arranged a morning tour of the city, and there are optional excursions including a boat trip; but our reason for being here is of course the music. Son first became urbanised here and it was where BVSC's Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer started their musical careers, while other brilliant traditionalists such as Eliades Ochoa and the Valera Miranda family are still based here.
Day 7 Fri
Today we journey west to the little town of Manzanillo, rarely visited by tourists and home to three of the most important bands in eastern Cuba, who we hope to be meeting up with, in addition to some other special treats. En route we will stop in the provincial capital Bayamo, home of the Cuban national anthem, and then drive through the Cauto Valley, the true heartland of the earliest country soneros.
Day 8 Sat
Today we explore Manzanillo's unique Moorish-influenced architecture and continue our discovery of a music scene that the other musical tourists never make it to.
Day 9 Sun
Today we continue our progress across the island. Too many visitors to Cuba only visit the major cities and see little of the life of the rural communities that dot the island. Our drive today will correct that as we drive through cowboy country to Camagüey for the night, where we also glean insights into Cuba's Haitian culture, and its serenade tradition.
Day 10 Mon
We continue west, along country roads towards the remarkably preserved town of Trinidad. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this living museum of colonial architecture has a laid-back feel that belies its vibrant music scene. We stay a few cobbled streets from the main square. In the evening we can listen to music on the great flight of stone steps which is Trinidad's buzzing equivalent of the Calle Heredia or dance until the early hours close to our hotel.
Day 11 Tues
A day to get to know Trinidad. We have arranged a walking tour of the old town, and will be able to explore the religious musics from Africa which are the basis of the Cuban cult of Santeria, thanks to a special private reception by the Cabildo de Congos Reales. There'll also be an opportunity to spend time on beautiful white sand beach at Ancon, outside the town.
Day 12 Wed
Today we drive west again, at first on narrow country roads and then the main central highway. We stop to visit the elegant French-built town of Cienfuegos, birthplace of Cuba's greatest musical hero, Beny More, and then continue to Matanzas, another town scarcely visited by tourists but of vital importance in Cuban musical history.
Day 13 Thurs
A day immersing ourselves in the two genres born in Matanzas: the percussion and dance form of rumba, created by the great port's dockers, and danzon, the lilting salon dance style which gave rise to chachachá and the charangas.
Day 14 Fri
We head back to Havana in the morning for our final day in this vibrant city. The afternoon will be free to catch a few more of the sights or sip a mojito overlooking the Malecón. This evening is our last taste of Cuba so we hit the town.
Day 15 Sat
After breakfast in the hotel, our tour ends.
Pricing Details
Tour price (excl. flights) 15-days £1,749
For information and reservations, call Songlines Music Travel on 020 8505 2582
