Frequently Asked Questions

At Cultural Tours we pride ourselves in delivering an unrivalled service. Our well travelled Consultants offer limitless niche knowledge in a crowded industry. Specialisation is our strength.

Our exciting portfolio of tours will take you to destinations that truly exude culture, history and hospitality. Each carefully designed itinerary will introduce you to both the more familiar spots as well as to those off-the-beaten track.

Over the years, with your help we have continued to improve our service and perfect our tours to suite your requirements. Our wish is to show you the very best that our chosen destinations have to offer, in the very best of style.

Based on our in-depth knowledge of the Orient, Middle East and Latin America we have carefully designed tours that we believe encompass the best of the best. However, they may not suit all. That is why we are ready and willing to help you plan any itinerary you wish to follow. Be it climbing mountains, trekking through rain forest or learning Tai Chi we can tailor it to suit your requirements. The choice is yours.

Our team of travel consultants have detailed knowledge and experience of the travel Industry and have travelled extensively throughout the world, compiling information and experiences that they wish to share with you enabling you to get the best from your visit. Also through our extensive network of contacts we will always do our best to cater for more unusual requests and answer any queries.

For China, April, May, September and October are the most clement periods to travel. However as a result, they are the peak seasons for tourists. Be warned it will be busy. Other months are quieter. The weather is hot in mid-summer and dry and cold in winter.

Seasons in Latin America are the reverse of those in Europe but also less marked. Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru can be visited all year around, while September to April are the best seasons for visiting Argentina. You might find it useful by reading the weather chart on our brochure Page 44.

On standard tours, transfers between hotel and airports are included. You will be met by our local representatives once you arrive in your destination. During your tour, our English-speaking guides will introduce the country's long and splendid history. They will deal with any problems that may arise and escort you along the way ensuring that your holiday runs as smoothly as possible. For larger groups, we will also have a tour leader starting from Heathrow Airport. Tailor-made tours will differ accordingly.

The average group size is around 12 people. With low numbers we ensure professional guides on personal tours whilst keeping transfer and waiting times to a minimum. Private groups are available on request.

First read the booking terms and conditions. Then, simply fill in the form in the brochure and return it to us with a deposit of £100 per person. If you have any queries or wish to tailor make a tour, phone our team and they will work through an itinerary with you.

Upon receipt of the booking form and deposit, we will proceed with actual reservations. If there are any problems, we will inform you immediately. Bare in mind that for certain tours various periods of the year are busier than others.

When we have received confirmation from all parties involved we will send you a confirmation invoice which will show the date by which the balance of your payment is due (2 months) together with any visa application forms (optional service). Bookings made within 2 months of departure must be paid in full.

When we have received full payment we will prepare a detailed itinerary, with a list of contacts and send this with any tickets or vouchers in our Cultural Tours travel wallet within 2-3 weeks of departure.

We always try to accommodate any changes. We do also reserve the right to charge for extra demands. Please refer to our booking conditions.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Iberia are the main carriers we choose to use. All airlines offer up-grades on international routings to and from the UK. Within your chosen destination we will use a number of good quality local airlines. For Southeast Asia extensions, we also use Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways International. See the 'About Your Flight' page for more information about our British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights.

It is perfectly acceptable to arrange your own flights before booking a tour with us. However, we have extremely favourable deal rates with our carriers because of our purchasing power. So you would be advised to book the complete journey with us to save money. After all, every penny counts!

In general, four or five star. We feel that this best suits our clients who demand a high quality of service and facilities. In some cases, where clients visit smaller provincial cities and towns, we choose the very best available We do not recommend using triple rooms, as the third bed tends to be a roll-away bed in most hotels.

Yes, you can. Again it is entirely possible to book your accommodation beforehand. However, we suggest you arrange it through us. Our intimate relationship with renowned hotels in the region means our rates are unbeatable.

Yes, we will be happy to help. Prepare a list of the tickets you want to book and ring us up for quotation.

We suggest taking sterling or US dollar traveller's cheques which are accepted in most countries in the world without any problem . A small amount of cash should also be taken for convenience. Major credit cards (Visa, Amex, Mastercard) are accepted in larger banks and hotels and some restaurants.

The company offers security as fully bonded members of ABTA (V1746). All our holidays and flights are ATOL (2906) protected by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as required by the EC. We also have IATA License (No. 91254273), which provides full cover for your air tickets. Your holiday is comprehensively guaranteed.

No. Though it is absolutely essential to have adequate cover, particularly for cancellation and medical expenses. See brochure for our policy rates.

We accept payment by cash, cheque, Visa, Mastercard and Amex. There is a surcharge of 2% for Visa and Mastercard, 4% for Amex.

No Visa is required for British Citizens entering any of the Latin American countries featured. If you are not holding a British Passport then we advise that you should contact the relevant embassy.

All passengers travelling to China will require a visa.

We offer a visa service. Visa application forms will be sent out with your confirmation invoice. The completed forms plus one photo and passports need to be returned to us NO sooner than 2 months before departure. We will then process them and return the passport with the Cultural Tours travel wallet. The application process normally takes about a week.

Passports must be valid for at least 6 months.

Boiled or bottled water is recommended at all times.

American Buffet style breakfast is available in most hotels. For our China tour, Lunches will be at local Chinese restaurants. Since dinner time in China is generally too early for European travellers (normally around 5:30 pm), evening meals are not included in the main tour. You can eat at your own time in the hotel or ask your guide to recommend some local restaurants in the vicinity. Vegetarian food should be ordered in advance.

In Latin America, we prefer to offer more flexibility to our clients, by including meals only when we feel it is necessary such as the lovely buffet lunch in Machu Picchu and full board in the Amazon. A continental or American style Breakfast will be included each morning, but as eating out is more to the European style and taste and each place visited offers marvellous restaurants where you can enjoy good food to suite all pockets and tastes. We feel that by being free to eat out will enable you to sample more of the local atmosphere and culture.

Please consult your local GP for up-to-date advice.

Train journeys are always an enjoyable way to travel and some of our special itineraries will include train travel. Whether it is on the Luxurious Mayan Express or a local overnight train between Beijing and Datong, the experience is certain to be a pleasurable experience.

Overnight onboard a Chinese Train - Each compartment sleeps four people in two bunks on either side. There is no facility for single or double occupancy on trains. All compartments are fitted with air conditioning. There is one continental style toilet in each carriage.

For our China tour, we use a modern fleet of river boats through an American company called Victoria Cruises (www.victoriacruises.com). All boats are fully furnished to a high standard with viewing lounges, dining rooms etc. The Cabins are twin berths. Single supplement does not apply on the boat. Due to variations in river conditions sailing schedules are subject to change. For the Galapagos cruise, we generally use the M/V Santa Cruz. It was built exclusively for Galapagos Islands cruising and was completely renovated in 1998, having been redesigned and refurbished inside and out. The SANTA CRUZ has gained worldwide recognition for its excellent standards, including superb service, expert crew, the most knowledgeable multilingual naturalist/guides and menus that feature the very best international cuisine and celebrated Ecuadorian dishes. Its capacity is for ninety guests.

The Three Gorges Dam, now being built at Sandouping in the eastern part of the Three Gorges region, is the world's largest dam project. It has itself become an attraction, and is included as a shore excursion on all cruises offered by Victoria Cruises. In mid-2003, a system of locks was opened through which ships now sail. At that time, the water level in the Three Gorges region rose to 135 meters above sea level., and will eventually rise to 175-200 meters when the dam is completed in 2009. The gorges rise as high as 1000 meters above sea level, however, so the beautiful scenery still remains. The river has become wider, and the rising water has made navigation easier. Now, larger, more comfortable vessels are used on the Daning River excursion into the scenic small gorges, and they can sail further into the interior. The Yangtze River today is a mix of precious ancient treasures and impressive growth and evolution. Entire new cities are being built above old towns and villages along the water's banks, and sailing along the Yangtze now provides a unique opportunity to witness this historic transformation.

There is no particular dress code aboard any of our cruise, though casual smart dress is recommended.

20kg per person maximum. All excess baggage is the sole responsibility of the client. For added security, we suggest locking all baggage where possible.

Reconfirmation is required when you break your journey for more than 72 hours at the boarding point of the next segment of your itinerary. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of your ticket.