Travel Alerts

Severe rainfall has triggered a local state of emergency in Southern Westland due to flooding and slips resulting in road closures. This impacts parts of the West Coast on State Highway 6 in the South Island.

All groups on the ground are safe and we are working to reroute impacted trips to avoid the area. We anticipate that these reroutes will remain in place until 17^th November, but will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as they become available.

For any customers currently in New Zealand requiring urgent assistance, contact our 24-hour New Zealand emergency number: +64 9 520 5593

Hurricane Rafael made landfall in western Cuba as a category 3 storm, bringing strong winds and heavy rains as well as causing power outages in the West of the country on Wednesday, 6 November. On Thursday morning the Cuban Civil Defense declared that Hurricane Rafael is no longer a threat, and the country has moved to the recovery phase, with many areas already returning to normal. Havana’s José Martí International Airport resumed operations at 12:00 p.m. local time on Thursday. While some regions are still without power as of Friday, restoration is underway in Havana, with some areas already reconnected. Guesthouses are using generator power to provide necessary electricity and water services where required. Transport for our trips is operating as normal, with clearance from Civil Defense.

All our groups are safe, with impact on our trips currently in country as follows:

Beautiful Cuba (QUKA241102) are returning to Havana as scheduled.

Best of Cuba (QUSH241103) are currently travelling in the East of the country and are unaffected.

Cycle Cuba: West (QBXC241104) has continued their trip after being accommodated in Havana during the storm.

At this time we anticipate that all upcoming tours to Cuba will be able to operate as scheduled. We have been working closely with our local operations team in the affected area to assess the situation on the ground. Safety is our top priority, and we’ve been closely monitoring developments to determine if we can safely proceed with your scheduled tour. After thorough evaluation and continued communication with our partners, we are confident your trip can proceed as planned. The local conditions have improved, and we have taken all necessary steps to ensure that your experience will be both enjoyable and safe. For customers joining YZD trips in Cuba in the coming days, your leader will communicate any required changes to your itinerary at the Welcome Meeting on Day 1. 

Beautiful Cuba (QUKA241109) - 9 Nov Departure: Minimal changes to the itinerary expected. Activities in Soroa may be affected, pending recovery efforts.

Hola Cuba (QUKP241109) - 9 Nov Departure: Minimal changes to the itinerary expected. Activities in Las Terrazas may be affected, pending recovery efforts.

Premium Cuba (QUPC241109) - 9 Nov Departure: Minimal changes to the itinerary expected. Activities in Soroa may be affected, pending recovery efforts.

Cuba Highlights (QUSA241109) - 9 Nov Departure: Minimal changes to the itinerary expected.

Cycle Cuba: East (QBXE241110) - 10 Nov Departure: Minimal changes to the itinerary expected. Activities in Las Terrazas may be affected, pending recovery efforts.

Best of Cuba (QUSH241110) - 10 Nov Departure: Travel to Baracoa in far eastern Cuba is currently suspended due to the effects of Hurricane Oscar. Reroutes are in place to avoid affected areas. Activities in Santa Clara may be affected, pending recovery efforts.

Any travellers currently in the region requiring assistance should contact our regional 24-hour emergency contact numbers: 

YZD's Local Operator (located in Havana): +53 5333 8121 or +53 5438 9140.

In Cuba, if necessary, you may use *99 prior to dialling to make a reverse charge call.

If you cannot reach the operator using the above numbers, alternatively you may try our Cuba representative located in Australia +61 430 504 636.

Following heavy rainfall on 27th September, Ramechhap Airport road access was closed and all flights to and from Lukla were rerouted to Janakpur Airport. A new road route has now been opened, allowing vehicle access to Ramechhap Airport. Flights to and from Lukla have now resumed operation from Ramechhap.

All tours including flights to/from Lukla will depart from Ramechhap:

HNXE - Everest Base Camp Trek

HNXL- Everest Base Camp & Gokyo Lakes Trek

HNYE - Epic Everest Base Camp Trek

All tours will drive to Ramechhap on Day 2 following this new route, stay overnight in Ramechhap, and take a flight to Lukla on Day 3 to begin their trek. The total distance covered is 200 km (one way), with the total driving time approximately 8 hours, including a 1-hour lunch break. Returning from Lukla we will drive from Ramechhap directly to Kathmandu with a brief stop for lunch.

We anticipate that these reroutes will remain in place until the end of November and will provide further updates as they become available.

For any customers currently in Nepal requiring urgent assistance, contact our 24-hour Nepal emergency number: +977 980 112 3617

On 26 September Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, however some of its most devastating effects were felt further inland as the storm traveled north into the mountainous regions of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Asheville, North Carolina was especially impacted by the storm with massive flooding, power outages, road closures, and significant loss of property as well as several reported fatalities.

Travel to Asheville is temporarily suspended.

For those customers booked on Georgia History Trail to Nashville (SSKX) and Best of the South: Atlanta to New Orleans (SSKYC), your trip will continue to operate, with reroutes in place to avoid affected areas until Asheville is safe to visit again. We anticipate that these reroutes will remain in place until at least the end of November and will provide updates as they become available.

For any customers currently in the USA requiring urgent assistance, contact our 24-hour emergency number: +1 435-231-9696.

On the evening of 1 October, Iran launched a missile attack on Israel. As a matter of precaution, Jordan closed its airspace for about one hour and has since reopened it to air travel. All YZD travellers and staff are safe and accounted for. At this time there are no planned changes to current or upcoming tours to Jordan. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide any updates as needed. Any travellers currently in Jordan requiring assistance should contact our regional 24 hour emergency number: +962 7 9700 4051

Mpox is a rare infectious disease related to the virus that causes smallpox and is mostly found in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa. The low number of cases outside these areas are usually linked to travellers who visit that region and spread the infection when they return home. You can read further information about Mpox here.

There are currently no local or worldwide travel restrictions related to Mpox and the risk to travellers remains low, including in countries where cases have been detected. Travellers are advised to take precautions such as minimising potential of skin to skin contact in crowded areas, washing hands thoroughly and frequently, and maintaining good personal hygiene. All YZD trips are operating as scheduled and we are continuing to monitoring local health and travel advice in all our destinations.