US and Canadian citizens visiting the Solomon Islands as tourists must now apply for an e-visa through a new online system that went into full operation on Aug. 22, 2026, when the government activated online payment processing. The tourist e-visa costs $100 and permits a single-entry stay of up to 90 days, extendable to 180 days depending on approval conditions.
8-day, 7-night “glamping” island-hopping adventure in Ecuador’s GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS. Highlights: On Isabela, Sucre lava cave, Sierra Negra and Chico volcanoes, Las Tintoreras for iguanas, herons, penguins/on Baltra, blue-footed boobies/on Santa Cruz, giant tortoises/on Santa Fe, sea lions, snorkeling ops/boat or kayak in Divine Bay, Santa Cruz Island. $4,865-$5,306 ppdo or $7,157-$8,039 single (per room category). Park entrance fee, $100.
"Of the lemurs, the most friendly were the ringtailed lemurs, who were not afraid of people and kept us company at breakfast at Berenty. A waiter shooed them away, but they only moved a few feet and sat in the sun.
"... But my favorite lemur is the white Verreaux’s sifaka. It hops like a kangaroo, only sideways, and then just jumps up into a tree. It’s as if a string is pulling it up the tree.
(excerpt from Nili Olay's essay)
The beach at Maya Bay, a famous swimming spot in Thailand’s Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, is scheduled to reopen on Jan. 1, 2022, after having been closed since June 1, 2018, to allow the cove’s sea life to regenerate (May ’18, pg. 4 & Oct. ’21, pg. 29). The environment had been damaged by a combination of overcrowding and bathers’ toxic sunscreen.
Boats are banned from the bay.
Marriott International (marriott.com) announced on Nov. 24 that it would begin disclosing any and all resort fees, as part of the nightly rate quoted, before a room is booked. It is the first major hotel chain to decide to reveal these fees up front.
15-day, 14-night archaeological tour with lecturer in GREECE, May 1-15, 2022. Group limit, 16. Highlights: In Heraklion, archaeological museum, Minoan Palace of Phaistos/ancient ruins of Agia Triada/Museum of Cretan Ethnology in Vori/archaeological sites in Zakros, Tylissos, Knossos/15th-century monastery in Toplou/cooking class in Loumas/on island of Spinalonga, 16th-century Venetian fortress/islands of Santorini, Mykonos, Delos. $8,445-$9,945 ppdo (based on group size). Single supp., $1,685. AIA Tours (Walpole, NH; 800/748-6262, www.aiatours.org).
A gunfight erupted on a beach at a resort in Cancun, Mexico, on Nov. 4, with two suspected gang members killed. Police blamed the violence on rival drug gangs. The fight was visible from the resort, where staff quickly ushered guests inside to seek cover. No guests were injured by gunfire, but one guest was treated for a head wound received while taking cover.
According to some reports, members of both groups had been spotted around the hotel carrying rifles hours before the shooting took place.
