Inti Travel and Tours

Galapagos flights fuel surcharge

intitravel — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:50:42 +0000

Update on Ecuador Airline flight prices set to increase effective January 1, 2012

We had informed you earlier that fuel subsidies for local airlines would be eliminated as announced by President Correa. On December 16, 2011 after analyzing this presidential decree #968, Aerogal Airlines informed us that all passengers traveling to Galapagos as of January 1, 2012 with Aerogal will be subject to an airfare fuel surcharge of USD $50.00 per passenger, each way from Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE) to the Galapagos Islands, the rate will be the same from either city. This fuel surcharge will be applied even to tickets that have already been paid for and/or issued when traveling on January 1 or thereafter (and will also apply to those returning from the Islands Jan 1 who’s cruises initiated Dec 25). For any tickets without the fuel surcharge included, the fee will be collected at the Aerogal counter upon check-in payable in cash or credit card (Master, Visa, Am Ex, Diners).

TAME Airlines will charge a fee of $70 US each way for passengers departing from Quito and $60 from Guayaquil.

Airfares are always subject to change up until the day of departure and therefore, passengers will be responsible to cover any increase in the cost of the ticket.

Increase in Cost of Galapagos Flight

intitravel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:51:39 +0000

The Ecuadorian government has decided to stop subsidizing the cost of jet fuel for the airlines in 2012. As a result, airlines will face a 15 to 20 percent increase in the cost of fuel starting January 1st, 2012. Local airlines have not yet said anything regarding how these costs will affect ticket rates but we are expecting to see a resulting increase of 15 to 20 percent which will result in price adjustments from January 1st ,2012.

Machu Picchu Restrictions

intitravel — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:04:49 +0000

MACHU PICCHU

Following UNESCO recommendations, authorities have declared that starting 20 July 2011 the maximum daily capacity of visitors to Machu Picchu will be 2500. Due to the MP´s anniversary celebrations and local festivities in Peru, these past days the max. capacity was reached and some travelers were not able to visit the Citadel.

Please note the following :

We buy the tickets in advance, but we consider that travelers which overnight in Machu Picchu/Aguas Calientes and expect to buy locally the entrance ticket for their 2^nd day visit could experience problems. There will be days were no tickets will be available.

To avoid this we suggest :
- Send us the travelers details mentioned below in advance. The earlier the better.
- Request the entrance tickets for the 2nd day visit as part of the program

Regarding the entrance tickets it´s important to know:
- To be able to buy the tickets we need : Full Name + Nationality + Age + Gender (Male/Female)
- The reservations stay valid for 6 hours. If not bought the system releases them automatically.
- Once issued/bought, the tickets can be modified (date and names) but paying a penalty of up to 30%

Cusco & Machu Picchu – Climbing to Huayna Picchu

intitravel — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:57:38 +0000

The Peruvian Ministry of Culture instated and already enforced a new law, that Huayna Picchu can only be climbed on a certain schedule by guests who purchased a permit beforehand. As before, the first time slot is from 7:00 to 8:00 AM and the second one is from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Both groups are limited to 200 people, meaning a total of 400 people are allowed to climb Huayna Picchu per day. The permit can be purchased AHEAD of time at the additional cost of US $10 per person. Since the space is very limited, we recommend requesting this approximately 30 days prior to departure. For those guests, whose departure is already close, we can still try to obtain permits but cannot guarantee availability.

Tsunami Update

intitravel — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:44:21 +0000

The arrival of the waves in Galapagos (estimated at nearly 6 feet in Santa Cruz) coincided with high tide and caused significant damage to several coastlines and infrastructure in low lying areas. Fortunately, a tsunami alert was issued early Friday morning and most residents relocated to the highlands. There was no loss of human life, and the damage in Galapagos cannot be compared to the devastation and loss suffered in Japan, for whom we grieve.

The Charles Darwin Research Station did suffer serious damage; the Marine Science labs flooded with several feet of water. Despite emergency preparation, waves completely destroyed a concrete pump house and broke massive wooden doors, flooding laboratories, workshops, and storage facilities, scattering furniture and equipment as far as 650 feet away.

Staff and volunteers are hard at work, cleaning up, assessing damage, and planning for repairs. Galapagos Conservancy is hoping to aid the CDRS with an additional $40,000 in funding from supporters to help rebuild the labs and replace equipment so they can get up and running again as quickly as possible.

On Santa Cruz, the decision to temporarily relocate tortoises — including Lonesome George — from the Park’s Tortoise Captive Breeding Center to the highlands proved sound, as the Center and Park docks were also damaged by the waves.

Park rangers are still evaluating damage at the visitor sites and in the protected areas of the islands, including beaches where sea turtles and iguanas nest. Initial reports indicate that the southeast coastline of the island of San Cristóbal was among the areas most affected in the islands. Rangers are assessing the condition of tourist sites where the waves may have caused damage to infrastructure at visitor landing sites.

In the town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, the Red Mangrove Inn, the Finch Bay Hotel, Banco del Pacífico, and the police station suffered substantial damage.

Possible Tsunami…

intitravel — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:26:12 +0000

As you all know by now, Japan has been struck by an earthquake that registered 8.9 on the Richter scale. As a result, an alert has been issued for a possible Tsunami for the entire Pacific region including the Galapagos Islands.

The tsunami is expected to arrive in Galapagos later this afternoon, the exact time could be anywhere from 3 to 7PM local Galapagos time. Therefore, we do have sufficient time to take necessary precautions. Flights to Galapagos today have been cancelled and there is an evacuation order in effect. All tour boats are required to leave port and be at least five miles offshore. The local populations will need to seek higher ground to the highlands and mid sections of the Islands by noon today. Obviously, all visits today have been cancelled.

We will keep you informed of any further developments of the potential tsunami affecting the Galapagos Islands.

Back to normal…

intitravel — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:01:10 +0000

ECUADOR SITUATION UPDATE

We are very pleased to report that the situation in Ecuador is stable now and back to normal, all commercial and banking activities are taking place –only schools are closed for today. Airports are open and flights have resumed. It is a beautiful sunny morning. Guests starting their Galapagos Expeditions have taken the flights to the Galapagos.

Services in the mainland will also be operated today without any problem, since security is guaranteed in all the country.

UPDATE…

intitravel — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 21:14:55 +0000

REPORT ON ECUADOR SITUATION – POLICE PROTESTS

Following to our previous communication, at the moment, the President of Ecuador has declared the State of Exemption. The measure has been taken to reinforce national security and the wellbeing of individuals and it restricts public activities to the minimum required. Ecuador’s military soldiers remain loyal to President Rafael Correa. The police protest by some members of the National Police has been called an insubordination by the authorities.

The Police has issued a communication pointing out their requests and asking that the new law, that would end the practice of giving members of Ecuador’s military and police medals and bonuses with each promotion, not be passed. It is hoped that with a dialogue with the authorities, an agreement can be reached and the police will end their protest soon.

There has been support from other Latin American countries to the democratic government of Ecuador and it does not appear that the police protests threaten to topple the government. There have been no popular uprisings – but instead pacific demonstrations are being organized in support of the President and of democracy.

The mayors of the main cities in Ecuador, since there are no police on the streets, have suggested that banks and commerce be closed as a preventive measure.

Inti Travel and our Ecuadorian associates have taken all the required measures and all our visitors are safe. We are alert to the developments in order to make any necessary rearrangements in the operation of our vessels in Galapagos.

We will issue a new communication when we have more developments.

Airport Closures in Ecuador

intitravel — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:44:05 +0000

Protesting Police, Air Force soldiers seize Ecuador airports

Ecuador is experiencing a situation due to protests of the Police and soldiers of the Air Force who are complaining a new law that cut some of their benefits. They have seized the main airports in Ecuador – in the Capital City Quito and also the airports of Guayaquil and Cuenca are shut, as well as highway access to it.

We are confident that the President of Ecuador will take the correct decisions to solve this situation. At the moment, there has been no violence. The situation is uncertain at the moment, but things have not turned violent and all visitors and Ecuadorian citizens are not facing any problems.

Inti Travel and our Ecuadorian associates are taking actions towards the protection and safety of guests in Ecuador, rest assured that all visitors are safe and personally looked after.

Ecuador – Volcano Erupts

intitravel — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:12:53 +0000

Two huge volcanoes in Central and South America are spewing lava, rocks and debris, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

A volcano known as Tungurahua — Throat of Fire — came to life Friday morning, 130 kilometres southeast of Ecuador’s capital, Quito, and exploded continuously through the night.

People in several nearby villages were forced to leave their homes, while officials shut down the international airport in the city of Guayaquil. Air travel between Quito and Lima, Peru, was also suspended because of ash from the volcano.

More information coming…