As a result of a decision by the Chinese Goernment to change the regulations for  Travel Permits for Tibet, we have been forced to cancel many of our Tibet Departures.

According to the new regulation, Tibet Travel Permits will only be issued to groups of 4 people or more who are of the same nationality and travelling together in the same tour group.

We are working on a solution to this and hope to be able to offer more Tibet tours again in the near future. The 23 Sp 2012 tour is running and is currently open to those people who hold an AU/CA or US Passports.

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime… The first ever “Kumuka Charity Challenge” will get under way on December 3rd 2012. Challengers will race across Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and see many well known and beautiful places and at other times venture right off the beaten track in true Kumuka style! The $1,000 prize money will be donated to winner’s charity of choice - for more information visit http://www.kumuka.com/charity-challenge.aspx

Kumuka's Pick & Win facebook competition is back for 2012! What is your dream Kumuka tour? For competition details visit http://www.kumuka.com/pickandwin.aspx

Following the worst storm in 22 years, the city of Punta Arenas in southern Chile has been affected by severe flooding.
Tours SA029 22.02.12, SA037 22.02.12 and SA025 14.03.12 are scheduled to visit the area in late March, and tour SA025 28.03.12 is scheduled to visit early April.
We are in touch with local suppliers to establish exact areas affected and will monitor the situation closely over the coming weeks, re-routing the tours to avoid the area around Punta Arenas if necessary.

A major train crash at a station in downtown Buenos Aires on 22.02.12 has caused many fatalities and injuries. We do not have any Kumuka groups in Buenos Aires at this time - our next groups are scheduled to arrive into town between 8th and 12th March.

Update Dec 2011

For those travelling to Argentina next year, this is an important announcement. The Argentine government announced the implementation of a reciprocity fee for U.S., Canadian, and Australian nationals: http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/ The official government version of the announcement states that: - The tax is effective as of January 1, 2010 - Collection will be at Ezeiza airport only - The fee will be payable in pesos, US dollars, credit card and travelers checks - The Entry fee / Reciprocity tax is based upon the cost for an Argentine citizen to get a Visa in each respective country: § U.S.: US$131 § Australia: US$100 § Canada: US$70 Please note that this fee has previously applied only to those nationalities flying into Argentina into Ezeiza airport however in recent months this has been extended to include some passengers arriving into Jorge Newbery and arriving via the land border from Uruguay.

NEW ‘Kumuka Explorer’  loyalty programme rewards past travellers with an additional discount on future bookings

Kumuka is pleased to announce the introduction on their ‘Kumuka Explorer’ programme.

‘Our diverse product range means that we have many loyal travellers who come back to experience a different Kumuka destination time and time again’, says Brett Wendorf, Head of Sales and Marketing Asia Pacific. ‘Many travellers have done in excess of 8 tours over the years, so it’s great to be able to show our appreciation and offer them something special’.

Kumuka past passengers that have completed travel on a Kumuka tour in the past will now be entitled to an additional 2.5% discount on their future tour bookings.  Travellers that have been regular passengers, and completed 5 or more Kumuka tours will be entitled to an additional 5% discount.

The ‘Kumuka Explorer’ discount applies to all new bookings made from Monday 07 November 2011 and can combined with monthly Special Offers and Late Deals to a maximum 20% discount.
*Terms and conditions:
1. Kumuka Explorer discount applies to tours deposited only, unless booking is in conjunction with another offer that requires alternative payment terms then these must be adhered to.
2. Discounts are valid until further notice but can be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of Kumuka Worldwide.
3. Kumuka Explorer discount applies to all Kumuka tours except those listed on: www.kumuka.com/downloads/Tours-Excluded.pdf
4. Kumuka Explorer discount can be combined with Kumuka monthly special offers and late deals as displayed on www.kumuka.com to a maximum combined discount of 20%.
5. Discount cannot be combined with expo deals, special promotions or other exclusive deals offered by our preferred partners. Please contact Kumuka for full details.
6. Travel must be completed on qualifying tours before Kumuka Explorer discount can be used on future bookings.
7. Tours eligible and counted towards previous travel must be 7 or more days in duration, combination tours count as 1 tour.
8. Discounts apply to Kumuka tours only, cannot be used for Tailor Made & Group itineraries, pre/post tour accommodation, travel insurance, flights or other services.

The Bolivian Government is now asking that ALL international travellers show proof of a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate before gaining entry to Bolivia.

NEW REGULATIONS FOR HUAYNA PICCHU
New regulations introduced by the ‘National Institute of Culture of Peru’ mean that travellers will have to pre-book to climb Huayna Picchu, the mountain often featured behind the ruins of Machu Picchu - the lost city of the Incas - in tourist images.
Kumuka travellers visiting the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu (translates to ‘old peak’ in English) will need to purchase an additional entry permit if they wish to climb Huayna Picchu (translates to ‘young peak’).  Permits will be subject to availability, and must be purchased at the time of booking their Kumuka tour if travellers wish to guarantee their visit to Huayna Picchu. An additional charge will apply for travellers doing the Lares Trek or the Classic Train and for travellers doing the Inca Trail. This will be payable in advance for entry to climb Huayna Picchu.  The climb to the summit is steep and exposed, and visitation is restricted to 200 people in each of the 2 groups (one at 7am and one at 10am) which depart daily. 
Huayna Picchu stands about 360 metres above Machu Picchu, offering stunning views of the archaeological site and of Urubamba River which bends around the base of Huayna Picchu.  It is therefore a popular addition to Machu Picchu visits, and it is for this reason that the climb is restricted to a limited visitor numbers, and that the extra permit is required. Kumuka or your travel agent will confirm permit costs at time of booking.

Please refer to your detailed itinerary for updated information regarding obtaining Brazilian visas.

Following the continued disturbances across the country, UK Foreign Office Advice is advising against all non essential travel to Syria. We will be monitoring the situation on a daily basis as it can change very quickly with warnings lifted.

For the ME7/5/3 24 April 2012 departures -  the tours are running, however if by the time the tours are due to cross into Syria the warnings have not been lifted, then you would have the choice to end the tour back in Istanbul  (with Kumuka refunding you for the balance of your tour), or you could choose to purchase an air ticket from Istanbul to Amman. We would return to Istanbul from Goreme, and then another vehicle would meet you in Amman to continue with the rest of the tour.

Similarly for the ME7R 15 May 2012 and ME5R 29 May 2012 -  the tours are running, however if by the time the tour is due to cross into Syria the warnings have not been lifted, then you would have the choice to end the tour in Amman on 4th June (with Kumuka refunding you for the balance of your tour), or you could choose to purchase an air ticket from Amman to  Istanbul. The plan at this stage would be to travel directly to Goreme from Istanbul, and then to run the itinerary from Goreme back to Istanbul.

We will continue to monitor the situation, and review tours closer to departure.

For further information or to make any changes to your booking, please contact our reservations teams:
Australia: +61 2 9279 0491
UK: +44 207 937 8855
USA: 1 800 517 0867   Canada: 1 888 358 6852

The Bolivian Ministry of Health declared a state of emergency on 19.01.11 due to an increase in cases of dengue fever. The department of Beni has been particularly affected. Rurrenabaque, the starting point for our Bolivian jungle and pampas trips, is located in the department of Beni. You are advised to avoid mosquito bites by covering up and using repellent.

The Cuban government has advised that as of the 1st May all tourists to Cuba must be covered for medical expenses by travel insurance. They have also advised that all insurance companies will be valid EXCEPT for insurance provided by United States companies. For those not in posession of valid travel insurance upon arrival in Cuba, there will be offices at all Cuban Airports selling travel insurance..

Effective from Monday 22.06.09, all clients making a new booking for an Overland or Small Group tour will be required to pay an Inca trek deposit and fill out a booking form in order to secure their place. Full details are available on our website. Please see the following link for full details: www.kumuka.com/Inca-Trail-News.aspx.

Kumuka apply for your Inca Trail permit with the passport details that you supply us with. New Inca Trail regulations mean that if you subsequently re-new your passport, you must either carry your oiginal passport on the trail with you OR provide Kumuka with scans of both your old AND new passport at least 2 weeks prior to your trail departure date for which a fee of USD10 will be payable locally.