Havana Music Tours -

Char Jones

The Havana Music Tour for the International Jazz Festival was the tour of a lifetime. I’m filled with gratitude and joy for all of the cultural, music and cuisine experiences we had. Chaz, Yami and their wonderful team made the tour so special. Our small group of 9 people became friends and we had so much fun together. I wish I could give this tour 10 stars!

Nancy Joseph

Roberto, Miguel, Ismely, Rocio, Yomi, Chaz made Havana music tours an incredible adventure in Cuban culture and Music. Along this adventure my husband and I gained siblings! We danced, sang, and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. I will be back for sure!!

Stephen Humble

Wonderful tour! Excellent knowledgeable local guides. Highly organized with excellent shows, food and educational experiences. The Jazz Plaza festival was only made better with the help of Havana Music Tours.

Kara

My family and I visited Cuba via Havana Music Tours. We had a wonderful experience. Chaz the co-founder of Havana Music tours, made booking the tour so easy. Chaz was helpful throughout the entire process, answered all of my questions, and what I like the most there were no surprises. Honest answers were provided, and the trip was reasonably PRICED.

From the moment we arrived in Havana Cuba, our tour guide Ismelys was at the airport waiting on us. Couldn't ask for a better tour guide. Ismelys helped us check into both our hotels. In Havana we stayed at the La Habana Grand Aston and the Selectum Family Resort while staying in Varadero. Beautiful ocean view rooms at both hotels, courtesy of Chaz! Ismelys is efficient, caring and has the soul of an angel. My mother whose 73 years old really adored Ismelys attention to detail and her caring spirit. She taught us the history and culture of Cuba. We visited amazing historical sights, met famous musicians, ate great food amongst family and friends, and had lots of fun at the Varadero Josone musical festival.

My takeaway is that Cuba is a country stuck in time. Not all aspects of the island are the same due to the government and political concerns. However, through it all, the Cuban people still find a way to survive through the many talents of the Cuban people.

If you want to visit Cuba, Havana Music Tours is the way to go!

Mary Dupont

My husband and I spent six days with Ismelys from Havana Music Tours over the past week. We structured our tour so that we could have plenty of time exploring on our own and several hours each day with Ismelys going on a variety of music adventures. Our times with this young woman were the highlight of our trip. She showed us a side of Cuba that is not your typical tourist destination (although she threw in a few of those too), where we were introduced to local musicians, venues, and experiences that helped us to get to the heart of the Cuban culture and its people. It’s one thing to read about it or be told how things work in a place and another to dive in and be a part of it.

I had a salsa lesson, as someone who loves to dance but never mastered the footwork or moves, I learned the magic rhythm of the Afro-Cuban beats while my husband simultaneously took a lesson on keyboards learning the same thing. We witnessed an Afro-Cuban dance performance by a group of neighborhood women dressed in full garb in honor to their ancestral deity of Oshun. We visited a nightclub full of young people in an extraordinary museum full of contemporary art. We went to a rocking concert by a Grammy-award-winning family group ranging in age from 82 to 22, with 5 percussionists, 4 dancers, musicians, and vocalists, that filled the stage and a huge warehouse of people with the magnetic rhythms of Cuba over the generations. And let's not forget of course our first-night intro to Havana at the Buena Vista Social Club where we ended the evening on stage with the musicians dancing up a frenzy with the rest of the audience. We were wined and dined at the best restaurants, and treated like celebrities everywhere we went, or at least it felt that way. We had a great time and relished every adventure.

Ismeyls is a jewel, born and raised in Havana, and she seemed to know every neighborhood and the people in them. She is a born connector and helped us to become a part of Havana’s neighborhoods and music scene during the brief time we had with her. It was more of a becoming than an observing. Thank you Ismelys and to all your friends and colleagues who showed us the real Cuba and welcomed us into their lives! Viva La Habana!

Jan Celt

We were given a tour of Havana's Music and Culture that exceeded all of our expectations. Our tour guide took us to some amazing places, and did everything conceivably possible to make sure things went smoothly for us. We were served up Music and Culture on a platter, and came away deeply impressed in the most favorable way. Totally, enthusiastically recommend Havana Music Tours as an agency.

Robert Goldberg

Chaz and team deliver a very authentic, behind the scenes peak at not just the music scene in Cuba, but politics and the realities of everyday life. Great trip and highly recommend to anyone who wants to get an un-sanitized experience. The crew also highly attentive to individual needs and tastes.

John Spitzer

My wife and I attended the Havana Jazz Festival 2022 with Havana Music Tours. It was a great experience in every way. Tour director Chaz Chambers and his Cuban wife Yamilka curated a tremendous selection of music performances - some official,, others informal and/or private - covering a broad spectrum of Cuban musical styles: jazz, trova, salsa, rumba, tonadas, and more. They also arranged lodging at well-appointed BnBs and provided meals at some of Havana's best restaurants. Although US government regulations constrain travel to Cuba, it's still perfectly easy to travel there, and Havana Music Tours made the experience smooth, rewarding, and exciting. Cuban music operates at a very high level; North Americans should take advantage of this opportunity to experience it.