Travel alerts

PORT MORESBY Following widespread civil disorder, violence and looting 10 January, a 14-day state of emergency has been declared in Port Moresby. SAHARANSKY does not currently have any travellers in Papua New Guinea as our 2024 trips commence from April. Our trips spend limited time in Port Moresby, using the city as a start and finish point only with no included activities in the city. Our accommodation is situated close to the airport, with excellent security and has not been impacted by the current situation.

ECUADOR A 60-day state of emergency was declared in Ecuador on 8 January 2024 following a series of prison riots. A daily curfew between 11pm and 5am has been imposed, with increased military and police presence around key public buildings, airports and some streets, particularly in Guayaquil and Quito. Exceptions to the curfew include passengers travelling to/from airports who will need to show their passports or ID and their relevant boarding pass or flight booking. All airports remain open and travellers should check with their airlines in case of any flight changes. our tours to Ecuador, including the Galapagos, are unaffected and proceeding as planned. We will continue to monitor the situation on the ground to ensure the safety of our groups by following the advice of local authorities and avoiding areas of increased security activity. Travellers currently in country requiring emergency assistance should contact our 24-hour emergency number.

JAPAN On 1 January 2024, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 occurred off the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture in Central Japan, causing local damage to infrastructure. SAHARANSKY does not currently have any travellers in Japan and all staff are safe and accounted for. Our upcoming trips do not visit the affected areas and are scheduled to depart as planned.

ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES There has been a major escalation in the long-running conflict between Israel and Palestine. All our travellers and tour leaders in the region have been confirmed safe. Due to ongoing safety concerns in the region, departures of the following trips have been cancelled commencing up to and including 30 April 2024: Discover Israel & the Palestinian Territories Premium Israel & the Palestinian Territories Five Days in Israel & the Palestinian Territories Real Food Adventure Israel & the Palestinian Territories Classic Israel & the Palestinian Territories All affected customers have been contacted to discuss options and to assist with travel arrangements. All Private Group departures commencing up to and including 30 April 2024 will also be cancelled. TRAVEL IN EGYPT AND JORDAN There have been no changes to the overall travel advice levels for Egypt and Jordan. All our trips in Egypt & Jordan are running as scheduled. For trips covering Egypt, Jordan and Israel & Palestinian Territories, the Egypt and Jordan section of the itinerary will run as scheduled. All customers booked to travel before 30 April 2024 on combination trips in the region that include Israel & Palestinian Territories have been contacted regarding revised travel arrangements.

ETHIOPIA The political and security situation in Ethiopia remains uncertain due to civil unrest, particularly in the Tigray and neighboring regions, unfortunately without signs that the situation will improve in the near future. Government travel advisories from our key source markets continue to advise against travel to many of the destinations on our itinerary, and an alternative itinerary would require substantial rerouting and safety auditing. We have made the decision to cancel all departures to Ethiopia until 31 August 2024. Customers booked to travel to Ethiopia on affected departures are in the process of being notified. We will continue to closely monitor the situation with our on-ground team and will review our ability to operate tours in Ethiopia from September 2024 over the next few months.