The next European destination to be pinned to the growing Llama Travel map is Slovenia. From the soaring peaks of the Julian Alps to the short but sweet Adriatic coast; the cobbled old town streets of Ljubljana to the sparkling turquoise lakes of Bled and Bohinj, the bite-sized country of Slovenia packs a huge punch. It is the green heart of Europe, with more than half of its total area covered in forest.

Here’s what Otto, a member of the Llama Travel sales team, saw during his time in Slovenia - all the photos in this blog are his own. 

Lesser travelled than other corners of Europe are the three Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. All three countries are compact and share a similar history, but within them are three completely distinct cultures, different traditions and languages. For all their differences, they all offer the perfect mix of UNESCO-listed Old Towns, medieval castles and picturesque natural landscapes.

Here’s what Gary, Llama Travel Sales Manager, saw during his time in the Baltics - all the photos in this blog are his own. 

We’ve spent the past year preparing a range of holidays in Europe and nearby to some fabulous destinations that perhaps many people are less familiar with. We've worked hard to put the Llama Travel touch on these, and we know that we can add greatly to your experience, with excellent guides and carefully prepared itineraries.

Lesser known than its Balkan neighbours, Albania is gifted with beautiful mountain scenery, pristine coastline and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We will be launching our Albania holidays in the next few weeks, but we want to give you a sneak peak now.

Here’s what Graham, from the Llama Travel sales team, saw during his time in Albania - all the photos in this blog are his own. 

Over the past year, we've been busy preparing fascinating new destinations to pin on the ever-growing Llama Travel map. We are excited to announce a whole new continent: Europe. We've worked hard to put the Llama Travel touch on these, with the same combination of high quality, excellent value and small group tours that we offer in Latin America and Africa. Our Europe holidays will offer the same mix of fascinating history, rich culture, beautiful scenery and great food.

Look towards the East for one of our first European destinations: Romania. We will be launching our Romania holidays in the next few weeks, but we want to give you a sneak peek now.

Here’s what Paige, a member of the Llama Travel sales team, saw during her time in Romania - all the photos in this blog are her own. 

We will only operate holidays when we feel people are able to have a good, safe trip, based on UK and local government advice.

Flexibility, including a full refund if your holiday cannot operate

We are reviewing whether each trip can operate approximately 60 days before the departure date. At that stage, if the holiday cannot go ahead, we are offering all customers the option to rebook for a future date or get a full refund.

In addition, you can defer your trip on one occasion to a later date at any point until your balance is due without any amendment fee. If you choose to travel on a more expensive date, you will only pay the difference. We will reduce the price of your holiday if you travel on a cheaper date. There may be cancellation costs for services that have already been paid for and are non-transferable.

Entry requirements

Each country has its own entry requirements. In some cases, just a simple form needs to be completed. Some countries may require a covid test prior to travel, or for travellers to be vaccinated. Requirements can change, and we are monitoring the situation in all of our destinations, and we will advise our customers of specific entry requirements. If you would like to know the current situation in a particular destination, please contact us.

Travel Insurance

Many travel insurance policies now provide cover for cancellation due to covid reasons, as well as costs incurred overseas. We recommend you book a travel insurance policy with covid cover at the time of booking your holiday. Please ask us if you would like information of companies that other travellers have used.

We will look after you no matter what

When the pandemic struck, our first priority was to repatriate all of our passengers who were on holiday in Latin America and Africa when travel restrictions were implemented. Our team worked tirelessly to make sure everyone could return to the UK as quickly and safely as possible, and we have been overwhelmed by kind messages from our passengers:

“We are indeed safely back home and I should like to thank Llama Travel, and in particular Scott, for their efforts and organisation in getting us here in a timely fashion. I believe that without the support of your company we would have been left behind and trapped in quarantine for an indefinite period. Although sad to have had our adventure curtailed, it is a preferable outcome to be safely home.” 

 - Mr and Mrs S returned early from Argentina.

Financial Position

We are fortunate that Llama Travel has been successful in recent years and has built up very strong cash reserves, which has meant that we have been able to provide refunds promptly, even, for example, when we haven’t received money back from airlines. This situation, whilst clearly unwelcome, is not a problem for us financially. We can also confirm that ATOL protection will continue to apply to any holiday transferred to a new date and all new bookings.

If you have any additional questions, please call us on 020 7263 3000.

Perched at 2,800 metres above sea level with a beautiful backdrop of the Andes Mountains, the city of Quito is a great place to spend a few days before discovering the rest of Ecuador’s mainland or the enchanting Galapagos Islands. Whilst three days is generally a good amount of time to see the city’s best bits, it is good to have some insider knowledge.

During my six months living in Quito, I explored the ins and outs of the city, and got to know the places that aren’t on the tourist trail. The thing I love about Quito is the variety of neighbourhoods – in La Floresta you can meet owners of local art galleries and have a coffee in a beautiful old cinema, whilst in Parque Metropolitano you can hike on nature trails with views of Quito. Ecuador is small so day trips from Quito are also a great option, whether it’s perusing South America’s largest indigenous market or spotting rare bird species in the cloud forest.