Summer Newsletter September 2024

• The entry fee for the Galapagos National Park has risen from $100 to $200 per person. This was long overdue, and will provide extra funding to help protect these incredible islands. This is a very good time to consider visiting: bookings seem to be slightly down on previous years and some boats are offering particularly good value at the moment.
• Back to business with off-the-beaten-track itineraries: Sue has just helped clients plan a 3 week trip which takes in some very special archaeological and wildlife sites in northern Peru, not just Chiclayo and Trujillo but also including Chachapoyas and Cajamarca.

• A visit to our office from Cascada Expeditions reminded us all that their EcoCamp Lodge in Torres del Paine National Park has some new trekking options. One that particularly appealed to us involves a boat trip up the Rio Serrano, approaching the national park from a different angle, and then a W trek in reverse (Lago Grey, French Valley and the Towers themselves) - 7 nights in a mixture of comfortable tents and lodges. See www.lastfrontiers.com/hotels/chile/torres-del-paine/ecocamp-patagonia

• Further north Mountain Lodges of Peru are now running daily departures of their classic Salkantay trek (an alternative Inca Trail to Machu Picchu but staying in comfortable lodges rather than tents) and their Sacred Valley treks (various routes in this fascinating area). See www.lastfrontiers.com/itineraries/walking-in-peru
• The Mexican government are building a new 1,500km railway (the Tren Maya) linking Palenque to the classic Yucatan destinations including Campeche, Mérida, Chichén Itzá, Tulúm and Cancún. We have concerns over the environmental impact, and work is not finished yet, but it will improve connectivity between these important areas.

Earlier this year we welcomed Phil Chanel to our small team. Phil has twenty years' experience in the travel industry and is very pleased to be working with Latin America, his favourite region, after a stint on the far east. We sent him to Costa Rica to refresh his knowledge and you can read his report here:

www.lastfrontiers.com/articles/view/phil-costa-rica-osa-peninsula-may-2024

Sue and Lizzy have both been travelling. Sue was in Brazil and the Galapagos, and Lizzy visited Argentina and then Brazil; their trip reports will appear on our website shortly.

Elliot took advantage of a travel trade event in El Salvador to also look around Nicaragua and Guatemala.

www.lastfrontiers.com/articles/view/off-the-beaten-track-in-central-america-elliot-june-2024

I was in Mexico to see the total solar eclipse which crossed the north American continent from south to north in April. While this was understandably amazing, as were Mexico's colours and its gaiety, I was also very impressed by several really excellent museums (including one with the T. rex skeleton at the top of this newsletter).

www.lastfrontiers.com/articles/view/ed-total-solar-eclipse-mexico