Tour operators and cruise lines have altered plans and bolstered security in Ecuador, where the president declared a state of emergency due to civil unrest in Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.
Lindblad Expeditions canceled its upcoming Jan. 12 and Jan. 13 Galapagos sailings on the National Geographic Endeavour II and National Geographic Islander II, respectively, citing a lack of clarity regarding flight access and out of an abundance of caution.
Both ships are currently sailing in the Galapagos, where current active expeditions onboard both ships will continue as planned.
"We have implemented additional security precautions in the region and are working diligently to quickly and comfortably reaccommodate all traveling guests impacted by flight delays and cancellations in the region," a Lindblad spokesman said.
"Our global security teams are closely monitoring the evolving situation," said a spokesman for Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity and Silversea, which both operate Galapagos cruises year-round. "Should any changes be necessary, impacted guests will be notified directly."
Silversea canceled one call in Ecuador on the Silver Nova, which departed from Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 4 on a 71-day roundtrip sailing around South America. Silversea will no longer call in Manta on Friday.
Intrepid and G Adventures posted travel alerts on their websites informing travelers of the 60-day state of emergency and that they are monitoring the situation carefully while tours continue to operate.
Both companies offer trips that explore Ecuador's mainland, in addition to the Galapagos. Intrepid said it currently has six trips operating in the Galapagos but none on the mainland.
Intrepid said that as part of the state of emergency, a daily curfew between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. has been introduced with increased military and police presence around key public buildings, airports and some streets, particularly in Guayaquil and Quito. The company said that airports remain open.
Visitors traveling to and from the airports are exempt from the curfew but will need to have identification and boarding pass or flight booking details available to show officials.