A 10-year-old moratorium banning shark fishing in parts of The Maldives has been extended to cover the whole island group. Since its adoption in 1998, the moratorium covered seven atolls – but now it extends to 12 nautical miles off any Maldives land mass.

The Maldivian Government has taken the step in the face of evidence that shark populations in the area have come under threat from fishing practices. This is brilliant news because many scuba divers (myself included) are attracted to The Maldives for its healthy populations of sharks, in particular hammerheads.

Before you travel, take a photo of any bag you plan to check in.  If your luggage gets lost this will help baggage handlers to identify it, and might save you disruption, as someone else can pick up your bag with the picture as identification

Oman Air has finally secured the slots at Heathrow it has been seeking for months, and with more favourable flight times.  Until now the return flights have been at night, and much as we love The Chedi, it’s policy of not allowing clients to remain in the hotel after check-out time has meant buying another nights’ stay.  The new service will depart Heathrow at 17.40 arriving into Oman the following morning at 08.45 with return legs leaving at 13.20 arriving Heathrow at 17.40.  It is also upgrading its aircraft

The  amount of duty free shopping that UK residents travelling from outside the European Union can now bring back into the UK has been increased.  The changes to current restrictions see the allowance for goods such as electrical products and souvenirs double from £145 to £300.  Additional changes include: an increase from two to four litres of wine; a new allowance of 16 litres of beer; the removal of restrictions on volume of fragrance; an option to mix and match on tobacco products; and the option to mix and match on alcohol products.  For further information, go to www.direct.gov.uk/dutyfree.

We are delighted to announce that Monarch Airlines is to operate a former XL Airways route from Gatwick to the Caribbean.  

The airline is to serve Grenada and Tobago with a weekly service starting on December 17.

Monarch will offer 307 seats in economy and 51 in a premium economy cabin using an Airbus A330 aircraft on the route.

We understand that seats for sale on the service will be at prices close to those of now defunct XL Airways.

We are sure that many holidaymakers will feel comfortable booking their flights with a familiar and well established company like Monarch and are delighted that they are taking up this route to two of our favourite Caribbean islands 

Flights will depart Gatwick at 0930, arriving Grenada 1450 and arriving in Tobago at 1640.

The return flight leaves Grenada at 1605 and Tobago at 1840 arriving back to Gatwick at 0655 the next morning.

Exclusive Escapes congratulates Spoilyourself on their new website and as one of our valued partners we would like to provide Spoilyourself guests with the opportunity to book our exclusive Business Class Service at 50% off!

Exclusive Escapes are delighted to present the first and only full Business Class service to both Dalaman and Cephalonia.

In addition to an upgraded airport and cabin service, the seats are not only wider but also provide a not inconsiderable seat pitch (leg room) of 49-50″ – greater than any scheduled service short-haul Business Class offering!

Turkey
Heathrow       £200 (2009 rate: £400)
Manchester     £200 (2009 rate: £400)

Cephalonia
Heathrow       £125 (2009 rate: £250)

The present Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), which allows most tourists entry to the country for up to 90 days without the need to obtain a visa from the US Embassy, is to be replaced by new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) arrangements, which start on January 12 and is on a voluntary basis until then.

From that date, instead of completing the green VWP I94 form onboard their flight, qualifying UK citizens will need to apply online and in advance of travelling. The process is a simple one and something agents will want to offer clients as part and parcel of their service when booking a US package. US immigration authorities say the ESTA information required of passengers is no different to that on the current I-94 form and that, in the vast majority of cases, a message indicating authorisation to travel – or not – will be instant.

However, some applicants will receive a ‘Pending’ message, which could delay authorisation by up to 48 hours, making an early application crucial.

Anyone planning to travel to the US should apply for their ESTA authorisation as far in advance as possible, and no later than 72 hours before travelling. There will, though, be accommodations for those flying at the last minute or in emergencies”.

Visit USA’s chief operating officer, Alan Waddell, said: “ESTA is a clear and simple approval-to-travel mechanism that will remove all the uncertainty of travelling to the US… it will be easy for agents to clear up any confusion their US-bound clients might have about the new arrangements by obtaining ESTA approval for them,”

Once approved, an ESTA is valid for multiple entries over two years – or until the holder’s passport expires.

For more information visit https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

There is also information on the Visit USA website www.visitusa.org.uk
 including a downloadable application form.

On arrival in Ecuador we spent 2 nights in Quito in a beautiful hotel in the old city, just off the main square.  This gave us a chance to recover from the flight  We spent the day looking around the city and the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. Fausto was a wonderful guide who then took us up into the hills to the monument high above the city where the views of the plateau were spectacular.  We then drove about 15 miles out to the equator where we tried various experiments, including watching the water go down the plughole and balancing a raw eggon its end.  Following a lovely Ecuadorian lunch we returned to Quito and spent the rest of the day exploring.

Next morning we flew out to the Galapagos National Park for our week’s adventure.  The volcanic origin of the islands and the unusual mix of climate and marine currents make this a unique place where it is possible to observe, at very close quarters, wildlife that can be seen nowhere else on the planet.  You feel that for a moment in time these animals and birds allow you the privilege of being part of their world  They totally ignore all human presence, unless someone decides to get too near a male sea lion!

Each island has its own unique wildlife, largely dependent on the age of the island, and each day we visited two sites for our hike.  Sometimes these were on the same island, but occasioally we travelled to another island for our afternoon visit during lunch. Our first day we visited Genovesa, where we saw marine iguana and many birds at close quaters  After a lazy hour in a Kayak, and a superb lunch on board, we saw great colonies of Blue Footed Booby and Frigate birds.  Unfortunately our search for the Short Eared Owl was unsuccessful. After a long overnight motor, we visited Fernandina and Isabela the next day. Again we were surrounded by hundreds of Marine Iguanas (you don’t need to use zoom on the camera!)  Red Sally Lightfoot crabs were everywhere and we were even lucky enough to sees a Galapagos Hawk who perched on the tree beside us. We stood and watched the sea lions playing in the water beneath us. Snorkelling followed and then our afternoon visit took us up to a salt water lagoon, trying not to tread on the lava lozards on the way. We then took a ride along  the coast in our panga (rubber dinghy) to see the penguins.  Yes, even on the Equator there are penguins.  Wednesday took us to Santiago with its dramatic lava landscape. The iguana were now bigger and more colourful  and we enjoyed exploring the rock pools and watching the blow holes. Snorkelling with penguins and sharks was an amazing experience and when you felt it couldn’t get better the sea lions jump in to play!  An early morning call the next day saw us hiking up to the top of Bartolome for a spectacular view. and in the afternoon we walked through the thick mud of North Seymour island in torrential rain.  This did not put off the Frigate Birds, who displayed there magnificent red breasts for us. Our visit to Santa Cruz was intersting, not least because it was our first sign of cilization on the islands. We explored tha town, did some people watching and visited the Darwin Research Centre.  Among the Giant Tortoises was Lonesome George and he certainly didn’t look too happy’  A visit to Espanola on our last day was truly amazing. On landing it was difficult to avoid the sea lions littering the beach and the iguana were so colourful, so plentiful and so big!  By the side of our trail a Blue Footed Booby raised himself from his nest (yes HE does the work!) to show off his 2 day old chick and another egg.  What a finale!

Our return to Ecuador was not a disappointment, quite the contrary. Our journey out to the Indian villages was fascinating, exciting and humbling.  Fausto took us to see so many of the local people at work and we even visited some houses to understand their way of life.  A final night in a beautiful hacienda with superb food and a blaxing log fire could only be surpassed by the horse riding in the morning, gazing at the hugely impressive Andes, as we followed the trail along the plateau

Words cannot describe our South American experience, but I hope this gives you some idea of an amazing twelve days.

Rosemary & Paul Murrells

(Rosemary & Paul travelled with South American Experience)