Jetsettersblog

Visas not necessary in Ecuador

The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, ordered that starting this month, visas will not be required for citizens of any nationality who intend to enter Ecuador for tourism and stay for a period of 90 days.

Avenida de los Volcanes implements tourism road signs

The municipalities of Ruminahui, Mejia and the metropolitan district of Quito form a territory with several touristic alternatives for activities such as mountaineering, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, camping, photography and educational activities, as well as services offered by the local population.

Cruise ‘Le Diamant Falklandss, South Georgia, Antarctic

Book by 31 August 2008 to receive special pricing of Euros 3660.00 plus euro 100 onboard credit per cabin.

Get carried away by the sound of waves and let your mind wander. Lean on the rail and ponder the immensity of the ocean. Dream away - you have time for that aboard Le Diamant.

On board Le Diamant, there is always a choice of menus with carefully selected high quality items prepared for you by an experienced staff who maintain the highest standards afloat. The atmosphere on board allows the guest to rediscover the value of time You will love the spacious cabins, some with private balcony and others with panoramic sea view.113 air conditioned cabins and suites range from 17 to 37 m2. All have seaview, 10 have private balcony, and each has a double or twin beds, private bathroom with bathtub or shower, bathrobes, minibar, flat screen satellite tv, radio with music channels, DVD player and telephone.

In the Main lounge, you will enjoy entertainments and lectures .

If you prefer a more intimate style, enjoy the calm of the library, the conviviality of the smaller lounges, or relax in the Observation Lounge with its panoramic views.

For relaxation, a small fitness room, pool, massage room and hairdresser are available.

Future Vacations New Price Match Policy

Future Vacations launched a new Price Match policy. Under terms of the new policy that will match any competitor’s price on comparable vacation packages within three hours, ensuring that travelers always receive the best value for their vacation dollar.

Travel agents or consumers who book a Future Vacations package and find a lower price on a comparable package elsewhere can call Future Vacations’ new Price Match Hotline – 800-373-7801 – and speak directly to a Price Match Specialist for immediate service.

Comparable packages must feature the same airline, hotel, room category, travel dates and inclusions (e.g.: rental car, ground transfers, theme park/show tickets, etc.). For the fastest service, calls must be made during the following Price Match business hours: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 7 pm EST and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm EST.

Calls made outside of these hours will receive a return call the following business day. If Future Vacations is unable to match the price of a package, travelers will receive a $25 travel credit for future use.

The Price Match Policy is effective now and until further notice on all packages in the Future Vacations portfolio, which spans the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Hawaii, Mexico, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East.

For telephone reservations, call 800-456-2323.

See Both Sides of the Arctic with Peregrine

With the launch of its 2009-10 Polar programme, Peregrine is offering a ‘balanced’ experience of the High Arctic, with a new expedition voyage that explores both ‘sides’ of the northern wilderness, travelling from Iceland around the southern tip of Greenland to Canada. The company will be the only operator cruising in the wildlife-rich waters of Canada’s Baffin Island in 2009.

The 15-night Iceland, Greenland and Baffin Island Explorer voyage begins in Reykjavik, Iceland and crosses the Greenland Sea to follow the coast of Greenland south, stopping to visit remote Inuit villages, where brightly-painted houses are set against dramatic mountain-scapes and glaciers, or amid meadows of exquisite wildflowers. The aim of the voyage is to spend as much time off the ship as possible, visiting the locals, hiking in the tundra, cruising among icebergs in the Zodiac inflatable boats and wildlife watching: seals, whales and seabirds are prolific in the region.

Rounding the southern tip of Greenland, the voyage heads north to World Heritage-listed Disko Bay, where the Jacobshaven Glacier – the most active in the world – calves massive bergs into the bay that sometimes drift as far south as New York. The ship then crosses Baffin Bay, home of the Polar bear and massive seabird rookeries that cling to the sea cliffs.

The Iceland, Greenland and Baffin Island Explorer departs from Reykjavik on July 19, 2009 and costs from $9525 per person, twin share, in a Main Deck cabin. For an even more extensive exploration, the trip can be combined with the 13-night Spitsbergen, East Greenland & Iceland voyage for an extraordinary 24 nights.

The 14-night Svalbard in Depth voyage takes a leisurely pace to explore the Svalbard Archipelago to the north of Norway. The trip adds four days to the ‘regular’ itinerary to allow photographers and artists to have more time at each destination to capture the extraordinary beauty of the ice, tundra and the prolific wildlife including seals, seabirds and, of course, Polar bears.

Photographer John Rodsted will conduct workshops and lead excursions for photographers, drawing on his 25 years experience as a commercial photographer and photojournalist, and as a photo essayist working in some of the most challenging landscapes on earth. Lars Jonsson is a celebrated wildlife and landscape artist known for his ability to capture the life and atmosphere surrounding birds in their natural landscape. Both will lead workshops and discussions geared to suit all levels of experience.

The Svalbard in Depth voyage departs from Longyearbyen on June 22, 2009 and costs from $9640 per person, twin share, in a Main Deck cabin.

Rodsted will be joined by Brett Jarrett, acknowledged leading marine bird and mammal painter specialising in oil on canvas, to guide photographers and artists on a new Peregrine voyage at the opposite end of the world: a 24-night Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica voyage that again adds extra days to a ‘regular’ itinerary. This new trip has been developed in response to clients wanting to spend more time in the wildlife wonderland of the Falklands and South Georgia. These islands – some of the most remote on the planet – are inhabited by overwhelming numbers of penguins, seals and seabirds, which throng the beaches beneath massive mountain peaks in one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife displays.

The Technicolor scenes of these sub-Antarctic islands contrast with the stark, icy plateaus and glacier-backed bays of the Antarctic Peninsula, where a completely different – but equally prolific – collection of wildlife can be seen.

The 24-night Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica voyage departs from Ushuaia, Argentina, on November 6, 2009 and costs from $16580 per person in a Main Deck twin share cabin, cruise only, twin share.

All the voyages are aboard Peregrine’s 100-passenger expedition sister ships, the Peregrine Mariner and Peregrine Explorer, which are widely regarded as the best expedition ships operating in Polar waters.

For further information, contact your travel agent or Peregrine Travel Centre, call 1300 854 500, or visit www.peregrineadventures.com

SERRA VERDE EXPRESS CURITIBA TO PARANAGUÁ

If you enjoy traveling by train and to be in contact with nature, from Curitiba (Capital of the State of Paraná) you can make a fantastic train trip, starting at the heights of the Paraná plateau, going down through the Atlantic Rainforest to the picturesque colonial town of Morretes, with the possibility to go as far as to the port city of Paranaguá. There are two trains departing on a daily basis from Curitiba: at 8 a.m. the regular train and at 9 a.m. the tourist train (equipped with air conditioning).

The train arrives in Morretes by lunch time. Tip: in one of the typical restaurants lining the river that runs through the town, try “BARREADO” (traditional local dish of beef stewed in a sealed clay pot for 24 hours). Be ready for a feast…

If you must, the train returning to Curitiba leaves at 3:00pm. However, having time, stay overnight in one of the “pousadas” (inns) of Morretes. Linger the evening and savor the charm of the town and the riverside walk, the local live music and some of friendliest people you’ll ever hope to meet. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, this region offers eco-tourism options: many trails (easy as well as mountainous), waterfalls, rivers and spectacular flora and fauna in and around the rainforest of Marumbi State Park.

If you go further (by train) to Paranaguá, from there you can catch a ferry to Ilha do Mel (Honey Island), one of the sweetest eco-paradise islands of the South coast of Brazil.

Operated by Serra Verde Express, the whole train trip (Curitiba to Paranaguá) takes a total of 4 hours (110 km), crossing 13 tunnels (through granite) and 67 bridges. The journey owes its appeal to the engineering feats accomplished in the construction of the railway (1885) as well as to the natural beauty and cultural attractions along its path.

According to “Lonely Planet”, the train trip from Curitiba to Paranaguá as a must see in Brazil!

TAM EXTRA FLIGHTS TO BUENOS AIRES

Until August 10th, TAM will temporally offer extra flights from Recife, Porto Seguro, Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo to Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires. TAM operates presently 49 weekly flights to Buenos Aires, with departures from Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo. With the new announced flights, there will be a total of 56 weekly flights to Argentina.

Cape Horn & Tierra Del Fuego - 20% Voyage Discount

Save 20% on a 3-night voyage amongst the channels, fjords and glaciers of Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn with Latin America specialist, Trips Worldwide, part of a longer 14-night holiday also featuring land-based activities in Argentina and Chile. Departures from London by air are available throughout September 2008.

Spend the first part of the tour in Argentina’s capital - Buenos Aires. Wander through the galleries of San Telmos and visit the brightly coloured houses of the old port district, La Boca.

From Buenos Aires transfer to El Calafate, a modern town on the edge of Lago Argentino, and visit the remarkable glaciers at Los Glaciares National Park. Later, board the M/V Australis at Ushuaia, and set sail through the Beagle Channel and Strait of Magellan to explore one of the most captivating wilderness regions in the world - Southern Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego.

First port of call is Cape Horn National Park, declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in June 2005. Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and for many years it was a treacherous milestone on the clipper route (the main route for steam ships travelling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific prior to the construction of the Panama Canal).

A shore excursion in the national park includes a visit to historic Wulaia Bay, once the site of one of the region’s largest aboriginal settlements, and the awe-inspiring Gunther Plüschow Glacier, named after the region’s pioneering German aviator. Next, sail to Chico Sound for an opportunity to observe the majestic Piloto and Nena glaciers.

Finally, visit Magdalena Island, one of Chile’s largest and most important Magellanic Penguin breeding sites with a huge colony of more than 120,000, before the voyage concludes in Punta Arenas. Here, guests disembark for a flight and transfer to the delightful Quincho Country House overlooking Lake Llanquihue and Osorno Volcano in Chile’s lush Lake District region. Delicious home cooked cuisine, fine wine and a range of excursions are all included here. A final couple of days are spent in Valparaiso (near Santiago), with its colourful tangle of houses and collection of ancient-looking funiculars ready to haul travellers up to amazing viewpoints.

The holiday costs from £3,695 p/p including international and internal flights, transfers, hotel accommodation with breakfast (full board at Quincho Country House, with a number of activities also included), a Tango Show in Buenos Aires, 3-nights full board accommodation on the M/V Australis and expertly guided wildlife viewing activities and excursions.

Trips Worldwide
0117 311 4400
14 Frederick Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1AS
info@tripsworldwide.co.uk
www.tripsworldwide.co.uk

Cruz del Sur new routes from Peru

Arrival of foreign tourists increased by 12.3% in first quarter

In the first quarter of this year, Peru registered 502,942 arrivals of foreign tourists through the country’s borders, according to information provided by the General Directorate of Immigration and Naturalization (DIGEMIN) and analyzed by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism.

Inti Raymi will be translated into English, French and Spanish

For the first time, the Inti Raymi ceremony will be simultaneously translated into English, French and Spanish. Participants will receive translation equipment so that it will be easier for them understand this festivity, which is celebrated each June 24th. EMUFEC S.A., Cusco’s municipal company for festivities has placed 3,800 seats on sale to attend Inti Raymi in the esplanade of Sacsahuaman.

Historian maintains that Machu Picchu was discovered by a German in 1867

According to a study carried out by the historian Paolo Greer, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu was discovered by the German Augusto Berns 44 years before the North American explorer Hiram Bingham arrived in the area (in 1911).

LAN Peru will increase flights from Trujillo to the city of Tumbes

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) informed that the airline Lan Peru announced its decision to operate flights to Tumbes. The flights will begin next June 25th and will be carried out as an extension of the flight that Lan Peru’s aircraft currently make to Trujillo.

Cruz del Sur new routes

Cruz del Sur will reopen the service Lima – Paracas – Ica – Nasca at 4.30 am (full day) and Nasca – Arequipa at 3 p.m. With these new frequencies, tourists and the general public will have more travel options besides those already existing to visit the circuit known as “the magical route of the south.”

Hotel Libertador Paracas will open at the beginning of 2009 after an investment of US$23 million

The inauguration of the new Hotel Libertador Paracas is scheduled for the first quarter of 2009 and will require an investment of US$23,055,752. It will have a constructed area of 17,197.88 m2 and 34,136.29 m2, with a new structure that will comply with the highest international standards.

Travel Impressions Offers Free Golf, Spa Treatments

Travel Impressions is offering a special promotion for golf and spa aficionados with its Back Nine & Spa Time package available at participating hotels and resorts in Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Arizona, California, and Central and South America.

Clients who book four nights or longer at a participating resort, such as the Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos, receive amenities that may include (depending upon hotel selected): a free round of golf; free golf equipment rental; a complimentary massage; 50 percent off spa treatments; free use of spa facilities.

The promotion is offered in addition to standard packages which feature roundtrip airport and hotel transfers, hotel accommodations, hotel tax and service. Clients who book an all-inclusive property will also enjoy all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, non-motorized watersports, daily activities and nightly entertainment.

For more information, call 800-284-0044/631-845-8000, or visit www.travelimpressions.com

Hurtigruten Seven North American Segment Options

Hurtigruten, formerly known as Norwegian Coastal Voyage, is offering seven segment departure options from St. John’s, New York, and Port Canaveral for North Americans who want to join its 67-day Longitudinal World Cruise.

The company’s 318-passenger Fram expedition ship travels the East Coast of Canada and the U.S. as it makes its way from above the Arctic Circle to Antarctica. Booking a New York or Port Canaveral segment by July 31 discounts a companion’s fare by 50percent, a savings of $4,424 to $18,650.

This offer is not valid for inside cabins or MG category suites. Guests can sail on a 13-day segment between St. John’s and Port Canaveral, departing Oct. 6. Segments departing New York Oct. 14 include a 22-day segment to Callao, Peru; a 29-day segment to Valparaiso, Chile; and a 46-day segment to Ushuaia, Argentina. From Port Canaveral, segments depart Oct. 18 on 18-, 25- and 42-day segments to the same ports as those departing New York.

Fares range from $3,849 to $22,049 per person, double, for cabins and from $8,649 to $45,999 for suites. Rates include in-depth exploration lectures, expedition guides and all meals onboard.

The World Cruise begins in Reykjavik, Iceland, Sept. 23 and sails to the U.K., Canada, the U.S., Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama (including a Panama Canal crossing), Ecuador, Peru and Chile. Additional North American ports of call include Sailor’s Island, Sydney and Halifax in Canada and Bar Harbor, Gloucester, Martha’s Vineyard, Newport, Charleston and Key West in the U.S.

Call 800-323-7436 or visit www.hurtigruten.us