ALL our Autumn 2013 and Spring 2014 departures to Tibet can now go ahead

In our May eNews we reported that the Chinese government were lifting their restriction on visiting the Rongbuk and Kharta Valleys below Everest. In the last few days they have further eased restrictions on groups visiting the region once again allowing groups composed of more than one nationality. Previously, everyone in the group had to hold the same nationality passport for the group to be granted a visa which made things quite difficult if for example we had six Brits signed up for one of our trips and someone from Canada wanted to join. The Chinese government have now eased this restriction so that a group may be composed of a mix of up to 4 different nationalities. However it appears that for the moment Norwegian and Japanese passport holders will still have difficulty in being granted visas for Tibet. This latest development means several of our holidays to Tibet in the autumn season whose futures were looking uncertain, will now go ahead.

This Autumn we will be running our 16 day Everest from Tibet discovery tour which makes the journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu across the Himalaya, staying in hotels, visiting major monastery towns and Rongbuk close to Everest Base Camp. We will also be running our 20 day, high passes trek to the stupendous Kangchung Face of Everest and the classic 22 day Lhasa to Kathmandu mountain bike traverse right across the Himalaya to the middle hills of Nepal. There are also still 4 places available on the Mount Kailas Circuit which treks from Simikot in far west Nepal to reach Kailas and drives back to Kathmandu via Everest's north side.

Judging by the response to our recent enews article it seems there are many of you out there ready to head for the 'Roof of the World' - just as soon as you get the all clear.  We will be contacting everyone on the waiting list for any of our Tibet holidays over the next couple of days.

Due to the uncertainty about visas for Tibet, there are still spaces available on all our Tibet holidays this Autumn. However, now that the Chinese have announced the lifting of restrictions don't expect these places to be around for long.  Contact us now to secure your place.

Based in Keswick in the Lake District, with views of Skiddaw and the surrounding fells from our windows, this is a stunning  place to live, work and play!

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Colin Prior has announced that he will be leading our Burma in Focus holiday in January 2014. Colin's trips can book up very quickly and Burma - with its exotic people, stunning temples and evocative light - is a simply amazing country that any photographer should aspire to visit.

During your time in Burma (Myanmar) you will be able to photograph many of the acknowledged highlights, starting out in the capital city of Rangoon (Yangon), with its magnificent, golden Schwedagon Pagoda. From here, we take a short flight to the former capital of Bagan, one of the most photogenic highlights of the region on account of its many hundreds of ancient temples, scattered across a tree-studded plain. Pagoda sunsets, riverside markets and timeless village life are amongst the highlights of this part of the itinerary. Next, we make a short hop to Mandalay, where our photographic explorations will include an Irrawaddy boat trip to Mingun, with its giant bell and massive, unfinished temple of King Bodawpaya.

We will also be looking to capture Mandalay's pagodas, markets, monks and handicrafts, as well as the iconic 1200 metre-long teak bridge at U Bein. The final area that we will want to focus on is beautiful Inle Lake, home to floating villages and fishermen with conical nets and a distinctive style of 'foot-rowing'. Early morning and evening sessions on the lake will be prioritized to ensure we get the best shots. Burma is the largest and most diverse of SE Asian countries and has the power to surprise, with its amazing variety of landscape, cultural richness and charming people. This is your opportunity to visit the country and to document a unique way of life - before it is too late.

Colin Prior and KE: Over the past two decades, Scottish photographer Colin Prior has journeyed more than a million miles seeking out the world's last wild places and peoples and his resulting work has received considerable critical acclaim. KE Adventure Travel have helped Colin with several of his photographic projects, including his first trip to the Karakoram Mountains of northern Pakistan almost twenty years ago, when he was collecting material which would subsequently be used in the British Airways Calendar and in the book 'Living Tribes'. Colin has also hosted several KE photographic holidays, including a trip to the Nepalese side of Everest and 4 separate trips to Bhutan. For more information about Colin's work visit www.colinprior.co.uk.

>> View Burma in focus with Colin Prior

>> Budding photographer? We have a 2014 KE Photo Calendar Competition that could win you £25 worth of Cotswold Vouchers and/or an iPad Mini - see competition details for more.

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As an independent company, one of the great advantages of travelling with KE is that you reach a real person when you telephone our office. We are now open from 0900 hrs to 1900 hrs UK time, Monday to Thursday, throughout the year.

So, if it's hard for you to contact us from work, or if you live on the west coast of the USA, you now have the chance to talk to us at sometime during the day. Still tough if you live in Sydney, but we promise to return any emails straight away. 

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KE is regularly mentioned in Wanderlust and 2 of our new adventures also made their top 50 trips for 2013. Our Giants of the Pamir trekking holiday and our new Beaches & Baobabs of Northern Madagascar discovery holiday made the grade. In the awards the Top 2 Emerging Destinations were Nicaragua and Greenland , both already KE regulars, and when it came to the Top 10 Countries, Burma was top but we also ran trips to all the others.

Celebrating 20 years in travel, Wanderlust has more insight into the world than most...and this is what they wrote;

You travelled with 605 different companies this year, and the standard of service is so high that it took 95% in traveller satisfaction to make the top 10 this year; no mean feat! With a whopping 99.79%, Selective Asia takes the crown this year but it's a close-run between the Asia specialists; Bamboo Travel came a close second with 99.65%. Llama Travel, Travel the Unknown, TransIndus and KE Adventures all storm on to your list after missing out last year. 

>>To read more go to Wanderlust Awards 2013

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All Royal Jordanian flights will land and take off from Queen Alia International Airport's new terminal from today.

Mazen Sabri, spokesman for Airport International Group (AIG), which operates AMM, said: "Our efforts will particularly be focused on targeting airlines operating routes in un-served markets, so that we may help develop AMM as a destination and hub within the next few years." Designed by Foster + Partners, the new terminal will expand QAIA's capacity to 12 million passengers a year. Stands will be available to accommodate Royal Jordanian's B787s.

Sabri added: "The immediate focus for AIG is to further develop AMM as an emerging niche hub in the Middle East in partnership with Royal Jordanian." Under a five-year tourism strategy launched in 2011, Jordan is aiming to double the sector's contribution to GDP to $6 billion, according to Sabri.

He added: "It is quite obvious that the new facility will have much more appealing impression on potential tourists compared to the old terminal, thus stimulating potential tourists towards a decision in favour of Jordan.

"The transfer time from arrival to departure is only a few minutes with minimal walking distances for passengers. "For local departing passengers there is easy access to the boarding lounge and shopping areas directly from the security checkpoint."

The completion of the first stage of the new terminal will open seven new stands plus a temporary remote boarding lounge with six gates, with a total capacity of more than 7 million passengers.

The demolition of the existing terminal will then trigger another phase in the expansion plan, bringing capacity up to nine million and then, eventually, 12 million.

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Jbel Toubkal is the highest mountain in the Haute Atlas (High Atlas) and North Africa until you reach Ras Dashen in Ethiopia. Throughout the story of exploration by Europeans it must be remembered that some of the main summits of the Atlas, including Toubkal, were almost certainly reached by Berber tribesmen in the course of hunting trips long before recorded ascents began. Two Frenchmen, the Marquis de Segonzac and Louis Gentil, the second a noted geologist, commenced thorough explorations in which de Segonzac climbed Ari n'Ayachi in 1901 and Gentil came within an ace of reaching the top of Siroua in 1908. Both men continued their work into the 1920s which resulted in the mineral wealth of Morocco being exposed and developed on a large scale. The Moroccan section of the Alpine Club was founded in 1922 and in that year de Segonzac climbed the Iferouane believing it to be the highest point in the range, only to observe the mountain now called Toubkal was distinctly loftier. An attempt on Toubkal in April the following year was rebuffed by fresh snow but de Segonzac and his party returned in June and got to the top. The height of Toubkal was determined in 1924 and a trigonometrical signal was raised on the summit in 1931. After the conquest of Toubkal in 1923 new ascents in the region followed rapidly as French expatriate enthusiasm mounted. The ranks of the regular Morocco contingent grew to a dozen or more; among the leading lights were J. Balay, L. Neltner, M. de Prandières, A. Stofer, and above all Jaques and T. de Lépiney.

So the first European ascent was on 12 June 1923 by V. Berger, H. Dolbeau, Marquis de Segonzac. At present it's climbed by some 500 persons each year. A landmark was established in Moroccan climbing in 1938 with the publication of the the Toubkal area guidebook written by Jean Dresch and Jacques de Lépiney.

Toubkal is a mountain peak in southwestern Morocco, located in the Toubkal National Park. At 4,167 metres (13,671 ft), it is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and in North Africa. It is located 63 km south of the city of Marrakesh, in the Toubkal National Park.

Marquis Édouard Marie René Bardon de Segonzac (7 September 1867 - 1962) was a French army officer and explorer. He became renowned as an explorer and adventurer in Morocco and was also posted to Tunisia.

KE Adventure Travel have 2 treks heading to Morocco that will get you there for the birthday celebrations. Our One Week Toubkal Trek and our Across the High Atlas will have you summiting in this auspicious month.

>> View  One Week Toubkal Trek

>> View Trekking Across the High Atlas

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During 2012, Porters' Progress UK, assisted by KE leader Jo Chaffer, produced a questionnaire that was handed out to porters in Nepal's Khumbu and Annapurna areas.

165 porters responded and their views have helped PPUK target areas where the porters need help. One area that stood out from this survey was the porters request for training. They would like basic language training; some instruction on how they can better serve trekkers; and they would like to know more about altitude. These are all topics we cover in our regular local staff training sessions but for more information check out this link PPUK.

KE Adventure Travel marshalled and briefed their trek leaders to help in the survey distribution and collection over the autumn trekking season of 2012. Jo Chaffer arranged for 220 Nepali language questionnaire forms, along with an introductory letter, to be distributed to porters in the two main trekking areas of Khumbu and the Annapurnas. These were followed up with other areas eg Mustang, Naar & Phu, Ghorka and Rowaling.

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With guaranteed departures for The Great Karakoram Traverse in June, K2 and Concordia in August and our Gondoro La trek - from K2 to Hushe completely booked, it's not just us that know it's still safe.

 >> View all Karakoram Holidays

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A bit more to read if you have the time..IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL IN PAKISTAN?

Karakoram Himalaya in northern Pakistan has seen Government's fall, military dictators flee, the economy falter and then surge, a rise and fall of extremist influences in the west of the nation, devastating natural calamities, and a topsy turvy ride for inbound tourism into this most extra-ordinary of travel destinations. Despite the ups and downs of Pakistani political and social life, we have had the great pleasure to show off and share the amazing natural wonders of this country to our like- minded fellow adventurers.

Despite the bad press of late, the northern areas of Baltistan, Skardu, and the main trekking routes in and around K2 remain quiet and secure, as they have been since the early 1990's heyday when up to 4000 westerners would flock to the region each summer to marvel at the geography and culture of this fascinating location. The region still receives 1000 plus travelers each year, and this season is expecting some 60 - 80 expeditions under permit. It remains an unarguable fact, that no western trekker or climber has come to any harm as a result of an act of aggression against them, in any part of the northern tourist areas, for in excess of 15 years. Try comparing that statistic to your local large western city for assaults on tourists.

To answer an oft asked question - YES it is safe to travel and adventure inside Baltistan, as it has always been, and yes Pakistan is open for business and ready to welcome you with the warm embrace and hospitality that the Balti people are renowned for.