March 20-28, 2026 (9 days | 20 guests)
The Trip
Join Professor of Music Andrew Flory and Professor Alfred Montero, Frank B. Kellogg Professor of Political Science, to explore Cuba’s deep musical and political history on this immersive, nine-day cultural journey. Along the way, we will spend seven nights total in Havana experiencing the sights, sounds, and flavors of this thriving city; and one night in the countryside town of Viñales, located in the Pinar del Rio Province, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Enjoy private concerts by El Septeto Nacional, masters and great innovators of Latin music; and Coro Lucecita, a renowned community children’s choir; plus attend a private performance by “Mi Compania,” one of Cuba’s top contemporary dance companies. Explore how art has been woven into the fabric of Cuba’s society through its history, politics, and revolutions. Visit Taller de Gráfica, a co-op where artists worked on printmaking; see contemporary Cuban art exhibits at El Centro del Desarollo de Arte Contemporánea and la Fototeca de Cuba; and visit Fusterlandia, an entire neighborhood transformed into a Gaudí or Brancusiesque wonderland.
Professors Flory and Montero will accompany us throughout the tour and provide insights and guide informal discussions along the way, in addition to several lectures. Complementing Professor Montero’s expertise in political science, we will visit Havana’s Museum of the Revolution, housed in the former Presidential Palace; and hear from two guest speakers: Marc Frank, a well-known American author and journalist, and Rafael Betancourt, a proud Cuban socialist, who will join us to explore the ways in which Cuba’s planned economy and political system work and don’t work.
After our first five nights in Havana, we drive to Viñales, where we enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience staying in rooms at host families’ bed-and-breakfast villas. Return to Havana for our final two nights, including a visit to the hilltop house of Ernest Hemingway, where he lived with his family for two decades; and a special farewell dinner to which we travel at sunset in a 1950s American convertible car.
Not only is Cuba known for its performing and fine arts, but it is also known for its cuisine. You will have a few evenings to explore Cuba’s food scene on your own, but we will also enjoy meals together, sampling Cuban-Mediterranean, traditional Cuban, Creole, modern Cuban, and farm-to-table fare.
If you have ever wanted to visit Cuba, now is the time to go! We will be traveling under the General License for Support for the Cuban People. This program is limited to 20 guests, so please reserve your spot today by contacting Alumni Adventures at (800) 811-7244 or carleton@studytours.org.
Faculty Leaders
Alfred P. Montero is the Frank B. Kellogg Professor of Political Science at Carleton College, and the senior editor of the refereed journal Latin American Politics and Society. His current research focuses on political polarization and the quality of democracy in Latin America with a particular focus on Argentina and Brazil. Al is the author of Brazil: Reversal of Fortune (Polity Press, 2014), Brazilian Politics: Reforming a Democratic State in a Changing World (Polity Press, 2006), Shifting States in Global Markets: Subnational Industrial Policy in Contemporary Brazil and Spain (Penn State University Press, 2002), and he is co-editor with David J. Samuels of Decentralization and Democracy in Latin America (University of Notre Dame Press, 2004). Al has accompanied a number of previous Alumni Adventures, including three previous programs in Cuba and several others, both land tours and small-ship cruises, in Spain, Mexico, Peru, Panama, and Costa Rica. During our Cuba program he plans to discuss the Cuban economy and reforms in various areas of policy in recent years.
Andrew Flory is Professor of Music at Carleton College. He is a historical musicologist with a specialty in rock and R&B styles, and has published widely on American popular music. Flory is the author of the book I Hear a Symphony: Motown and Crossover R&B (Michigan, 2017), co-author of the industry-leading history of rock textbook What’s that Sound (Norton, 2021), and is currently writing a biography of Marvin Gaye. He is deeply interested in the history and study of American music in its widest sense, including Latin American locales like Cuba. Flory has offered a class for the last decade called “America’s Music” that investigates and questions elements of national character according to topics such as religion, performance, and dance. He has a particular fascination with transnational interactions between the U.S. and Cuba involving styles such as R&B, jazz, and electronic dance music.
Prices Per Person (8 nights, double occupancy)
18-20 participants $4,795
15-17 participants $5,095
12-14 participants $5,295
Single Supplement (limited availability) $825
Single room supplement will be charged when requested or required.
With fewer than 12 participants, a small group surcharge may be applied
Itinerary
Friday, March 20, 2026: Fly to Havana, Cuba | Welcome dinner
Saturday, March 21: Havana: Obispo Street, Habana Vieja walking tour, Private concert with El Septeto Nacional, Time at leisure
Sunday, March 22: Havana: AM: Partagás Factory, Capitol Building, Capitolio neighborhood walking tour; PM: Museum of the Revolution, Palacio del Centro Asutriano, La Fábrica de Arte Cubano
Monday, March 23: Havana: Guest speaker Marc Frank, Private performance by “Mi Compania,” Art Curator Cristina Vives, Time at leisure
Tuesday, March 24: Havana: Guest speaker Rafael Betancourt, Visits with Afro-Cuban spiritual leaders, Callejón de Hammel: Rumba and Afro-Cuban lunch, PM at leisure
Wednesday, March 25: Pinar del Rio Province: Finca Paco y Concha, Finca Agroecológica El Paraiso | Viñales: Cuban countryside walk, Optional night of dance & music
Thursday, March 26: Caimito: Finca Marta | Havana: Fusterlandia, PM at leisure, Optional Tropicana visit
Friday, March 27: Havana: Ernest Hemingway’s Finca la Vigía, Lidice Theater, Luis Camejo studio, Private Coro Lucecita concert, Classic convertible car ride | Farewell dinner
Saturday, March 28: Fly home
Additional Information
To reserve your space using an online form, click here.
For reservations or for more information, download the detailed brochure, call 800-811-7244 or email Carleton College Alumni Adventures.