MACHU PICCHU unreacheable due to Landslides - Due to recent heavy rainfall the train track to machu Picchu has been damaged by landslides, strapping 1500 and 2000 people who are unable to get out. There have been no reports of casualties but we have four clients staying at the Sanctuary Lodge Hotel who are waiting for helicopters to take them back to Cusco. The Peruvian Authorities and military have declared an emergency and are using helicopters to take everyone out of the area. Orient Express Hotels have chartered a helicopter to bring guests out of the Sanctuary Lodge as soon as the authorities and the weather permit it. This has caused disruption to travel arrangements but no injuries. CHILE EARTHQUAKE We regret to inform that there has been a massive 8.8 earthquake in central Chile close to the town of Conception, causing extensive material damage and the death of over 700 people. We would like to extend our condolences to all the Chileans who have suffered losses. Fortunately none of our clients were affected and the modern standard of Chilean infrastructure and organisation of its people, has limited the number of casualties suffered. The airport in Santiago de Chile remains closed for the moment. HELLO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT & WELCOME TO VELOSO TOURS - We believe that success occurs when preparation meets opportunity. The Veloso Tours you are visiting and more importantly our Team Members represent our preparation to meet the opportunity of serving your needs. Your satisfaction as a customer will be the measure of our success. OUR WEBSITE - Click on the top line for details of our Escorted GROUPS or Private INDIVIDUAL Tours and ESCAPES as well as useful information on our organisation, our people and videos of interesting undiscovered destinations. Click on the top right - About Veloso - for details of our company values and Customer Testimonials. Place your cursor over this text to stop it moving TALK TO OUR EXPERT TRAVEL CONSULTANTS - We have a deep knowledge and understanding of Latin America, its people, landscapes, history and customs. Talk to us and we will prepare a detailed, well presented proposal for your visit. BEST QUALITY AND VALUE - We are constantly improving the High Quality of Service and Value of the holidays we provide. The message from our management, staff, guides and partners, is that we will provide the BEST VALUE while maintaining the excellent QUALITY of our service. You can book your holiday with the confidence that we you will receive the high standard of service and craftmanship that we have developed in over 25 years of travel experience in Latin America. EARLY BIRD OFFER - Book any tour more than 6 months ahead and receive a credit of 5% up to £250 per person. This offer applies to any Group Tour or Individual Tour shown in our brochure and website. It also applies should you wish to book directly with us or via your travel agent. ROYALS IN RIO 200 YEARS AGO - 1808 Rio de Janeiro commemorates in 2008, two hundred years of the arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family and the whole Court of some 10,000 people running away from the Napoleaonic Armies that invaded Lisbon. The 13 years they spent in Rio, with a Coronation and a Royal Wedding, transformed Rio de Janeiro from a colonial backwater into a cosmopolitan city with architecture, Fine Arts, Botanic Gardens. Contact us for ideas of things to see in Rio. SPECIAL OFFERS ON GALAPAGOS CRUISES - up to 25% off We have a number of excellent special offers on Galapagos cruise with prices reduced up to £1000 per couple on some of the cabins on the M/V Santa Cruz. The Eclipse and La Pinta also have special offers for travel in 2009. Please contact us. EARLY BIRD OFFER - 5% off when booking 3 months in advance 5% off brochure price, up to £500 per person when you book more than 3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE of your date of departure. This applies to all prices shown in our brochure and website for Individual and Group Tours, when you book direct with us or through our travel agents. Booking early facilitates confirmation, reducing the cost of both ground services and flights, so you can benefit from a lower price. Please contact us as soon as you have made your decision. GALAPAGOS: Happy 200th Birthday - Charles Darwin Born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England, 200 years ago, Charles Darwin changed the way we view ourselves in nature. His explanation of the evolutionary process occurring through natural selection forms the basis of modern-day biological sciences. SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD Three out of Seven are in Latin America: Rio de Janeiro Statue of Christ The Redeemer, Peru Inca site at Machu Picchu and Mexico Mayan Pyramids at Chichen-Itza FINANCIAL PROTECTION Your money is protected by the CAA, Civil Aviation Authority through our ATOL License, Air Travel Organisers License which we renew every year. This means that, should we cease trading your money is refunded by the CAA. We are also members of ABTA and AITO and our accounts are audited and approved by the CAA, ABTA and AITO to make sure our finances are sound. The logos below provide links to their websites for further information. GROUP TOUR AVAILABILITY Escorted Group Tours 2009: VIRACOCHA - Cross Continent & Bolivia heartland, 25 Days, Departing 05 Oct 2009 OSORNO - Lakes, Andean Peaks & Incas, 24 Days, departing 28 October 2009 More departures available, please click on Group Tours above GALAPAGOS - 200 years since Charles Darwin was born in 2009 Galapagos is celebrating 200 years of the birth of Charles Darwin who later visited the islands and developed the thoery of the evolution of species. Come to Galapagos to for yourself in 2009 PERU & MACHU PICCHU are at their best at Harvest time in APRIL - MAY - JUNE culminating with the INCA Festival of the Sun INTI RAYMI on the 24th June. See Group and Individual Tours or contact us for a Tailor Made itinerary. EXTRA VALUE TOURS For 2009 we offer new tours in Mexico, Brasil and Peru with new itineraries and special value prices. Please contact us BEACH RESORTS in Brazil. With more than 4000 km of coastline, a tropical climate and white sandy beaches fringed by palm trees, Brazil has excellent hotels and resorts where you can unwind and enjoy a few days by the sea. The availability of flights and hotels is good. ARGENTINA and CHILE have excellent new, de luxe mountain lodges for walking, birdwatching, horseriding, fishing or golf surrounded by magnificent Andean landscapes. Please book now for the Summer Season in South America. EXPLORATION CRUISES are available in the Amazon, Antarctica, Chilean Fjords, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia and Galapagos using excellent small yachts and cruise ships. Please enquire or click on Cruises. MEXICO and the YUCATAN Peninsula have impressive Maya and Aztec pyramids, colonial towns and beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise clear water. We favour small hotels on the coast close to Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Akumal. Please click on Mexico or Hotels above. SECURITY WARNING: Only ONE small bag allowed on board aircraft as hand baggage. Liquids in small 100 ml bottles. Allow more time for security checks, shoes may go through x-ray, expect delays.