Afro-Puerto Rican Rhythms: A Guided Music & Culture Tour
Your Tour:
8 nights
9 days
12 meals
Up to 4 miles / day
Tour overview
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.
In such an event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.
Day by Day
Day 1
Overnight: San Juan
The tour coordinator will greet everyone, and we will review the program schedule, emergency procedures and answer questions. After orientation we will set out with our tour coordinator to take a walk and explore the area around the hotel. At a restaurant, we´ll enjoy a welcome dinner with a delicious set menu.
Day 2
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. We will depart by bus to the town of Cataño, from where you will see the breathtaking view of the Bay of San Juan and El Morro Fort. From Cataño, we will take a ferry to cross the Bay of San Juan where we will enjoy a walking guided tour around San Juan, covering the major points of interest. After this visit, we will have time to have lunch on our own. We will set out with a local expert for a lecture on Puerto Rico’s African heritage.
Day 3
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. We will depart by bus to the town of Loíza, settled in the 16th century by members of the Yoruba tribe that were brought to the Island as slaves. In modern times, most of the music, dance, culinary traditions, and art are produced in Loíza. We will learn about the traditional music, instruments and basic dance steps in an amazing dancing class, learning about bomba y plena dance. After this, we will go together to enjoy a group lunch. Later, we will enjoy a free time at Piñones beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.
Day 4
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. We will set out with a local expert for a lecture on Music: From Jíbara to Reggaetón, where we will learn about the different musical styles that have developed on the island. Following, we will continue our cultural route through the famous neighborhood of la Perla, a poor area of San Juan. Located across the wall, where the seawaves break, this neighborhood has been the backdrop of several music videos. Currently, the community seeks to revive this area with a variety of murals and activities. After the Lunch, we will enjoy a visit to the Music Conservatory, a unique place in San Juan, where we will discover a magnificent building and learn the influence of the music in the island.
In the late afternoon we will enjoy a delicious group dinner and we will attend an incredible live musical show where we will put into practice what we have learned in the Puerto Rican rhythms.
Day 5
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. In the morning our private bus will be waiting for us to go to El Yunque National Rainforest, the only tropical rainforest in the national forest system. With nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, yet one of the most biologically diverse. Come experience the breathtaking scenery, clear mountain rivers, and outdoor recreation through a short hiking adventure. Afterwards, we will take our bus to Luquillo beach where you’ll have the opportunity to taste a traditional lunch in its kioskos on your own and enjoy the afternoon at the beach. After this, we will experience the most exciting activity of the trip: a kayak tour through the Bioluminescent Bay of Fajardo. We will return to the hotel in San Juan in the evening.
Day 6
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. In the morning our private bus will be waiting for us to go to the Museo of the Americas, where we will enjoy its four permanent exhibitions: Popular Arts in the Americas, The African heritage, The Indigenous of America and Conquest and Colonization: birth and evolution of the Puerto Rican nation. After this, we will visit one of the most impressive natural areas of Puerto Rico. In the province of Manatí, where the wonderful beach of Mar Chiquita is located, one of the most popular natural pools in the north coast. Then we will discover La Poza de las Mujeres, an unspoiled beach with crystal clear waters and golden sand.
Day 7
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. We will depart by private bus to the southern city of Ponce. On the way, we will stop in Hacienda La Pomarrosa, a coffee plantation, where we will learn about the whole process from the harvesting to the roasting of the coffee. Then, we will continue our trip visiting the Puerto Rican Music Museum which traces Puerto Rico’s rich musical history through memorabilia of prominent musicians and displays of the musical instruments associated with the three genres of music that originated on this Caribbean island. After lunch, we will have a short walking tour. We will visit the Parque de Bombas (Fire Station) to discover this unique and colorful building. Then, we will take the bus to return to San Juan.
Day 8
Overnight: San Juan
Breakfast at hotel. We will visit the MAC, or Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, where we will learn about current cultural trends. The permanent collection includes pieces by Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Latin American artists.
After this visit we will enjoy an amazing hands-on cooking workshop. There, we will learn how to cook the renowned and most traditional dish of Mofongo and we will have lunch of our own creation.
We will then continue with the Santurce es Ley tour, with an urban character and representative of society, aimed to surprise viewers with its silent message that invites reflection as a preamble to the action. Finally, you’ll have some hours of free time until the farewell dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 9
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport at a designated time.
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances. In the event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.
Tour Inclusions
- Bilingual staff
- Expert tour coordinator during the entire program
- Local experts for each visit and two lectures
- Private ground transportation
- Entrance fees to San Felipe Fortress, Music Conservatory, Museum of Las Américas, Puerto Rican Music Museum in Ponce, MAC Museum
- Enriching experiences: Bomba Plena Workshop, La Perla and Santurce es Ley Walking tour, National Forest "El Yunque", Kayak tour at the Bioluminescent Bay of Fajardo, Coffee plantation la Pomarrosa, Cooking Workshop
- 1 Lecture
- 8 breakfasts, 1 Lunch, 3 dinners
- Accommodation in 3- 4* hotel at city center in San Juan
- Worldwide Health Insurance through CISI for the duration of the entire program
- Tips are included throughout the visits programmed
- 24/7 emergency support from our on-site staff
- Taxes
Tour Pricing
- $2875 USD
Price per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement $635.
For a minimum of 15 pax.
Additional Experiences
Customize your trip according to your interests by adding any of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Painting in non-traditional mediums
Visit to Conservatory Music of Puerto Rico
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