14 Days
Welcome to Peru. Enjoy a luxurious and fascinating array of excursions, and activities that show off the exceptional beauty and uniqueness of the islands.
A Galapagos Islands visit is an extraordinary personal experience with the natural world. These enchanted isles promise to awe, entertain, and inspire.
Day 1
Arrive Lima, Peru
Day 2
Half Day Colonial Lima with Larco Herrera Museum
Day 3
Flight Lima to Cusco
Half day Pisac Ruins Hike and Market with boxed lunch en-route to hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Day 4
Full day Chincheros with weaving workshop, Moray & Maras, and gourmet Picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Huaypo
Day 5
Tour of Ollantaytambo Ruins and then travel by train to Aguas Calientes
Day 6
Machu Picchu including Huayna Picchu hike
Travel on the Belmond Hiram Bingham Train to Aguas Calientes then onto Cusco
Day 7
Explore Historical Cusco and its inca ruins.
Day 8
Fly from Cusco to Quito, Ecuador
Day 9
Full day Quito & Middle of the World with lunch.
Day 10 - 13
Fly from Quito to Galapagos Islands
Embark on your 4 day Galapagos cruise expedition
Day 14
End cruise and disembarkation
Flight Galapagos to Guayaquil
Evening transfer hotel to airport for flight out of Ecuador
With the help of our travel specialists, create a perfect trip planned around your specific interests, tastes and preferences. We will provide helpful tips and honest advice based on first-hand knowledge of the destination.
Contact Us Now!Upon arriving, you will be picked up and taken to your hotel.
Depart on your half day tour of Colonial Lima and the Larco Museum.
Lima’s colonial downtown is a World Heritage site listed by UNESCO. You will visit the historical San Martín Square and then you will arrive at the Main Square to see the Presidential Palace and the Lima Cathedral, impressive constructions that are still being used. You will then visit the Aliaga followed by a visit to Santo Domingo Church, built over a forty-year period and completed at the end of the 16th century. A visit to the Larco Herrera Museum ends the tour.
Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to the hotel in the Sacred Valley. En-route visit the Pisac Ruins and Market. The Pisac ruins is one of the most important and well-preserved ruins in the Sacred Valley and includes the fascinating Temple of the Sun. Climb to the top of the ruins to take in the spectacular views of the terraced countryside. After your visit to the ruins, head back down the trail to Pisac village where authentic shopping and photographic opportunities abound.
Full day tour of Chincheros with a visit to a weaving workshop and a gourmet Picnic lunch on Lake Huaypo.
Chinchero is a traditional Andean Indian village located high up on the windswept plains of Anta. There are beautiful views overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with the Cordillera Vilcabamba and the snow-capped peak of Salkantay dominating the western horizon. Its colorful Sunday market is one of the most authentic in Peru.
Afterwards venture to Moray, a series of circular terraces worked into the ground with a final stop in Maras, where you can visit some houses and see the preparation of a traditional fermented drink called chicha, as well as the famous old church of San Francisco de Maras.
We are visiting Ollantaytambo where you will find the best surviving example of Incan town planning. Many of the building foundations in old town Ollantaytambo were built by the Inca, and the majority of the Incan canchas, or blocks, are still intact, making for a nice walk.
You will then be transferred to the Ollantaytambo train station for your train journey to Aguas Calientes aboard the IncaRail First Class train. Upon arrival, you will be met and escorted to your hotel.
Machu Picchu, with its spectacular collection of temples, terraced hills and plazas was the mountain-top citadel of the Inca under Pachacutec and Tupac Yupanqui
Huayna Picchu which means “Young Peak” in Quechua, is the large mountain that sits directly behind Machu Picchu. For many trekkers, climbing Huayna Picchu is one of the highlights of a visit to Machu Picchu. The views of the Citadel and surrounding landscape are extraordinary from the top and well worth the climbing effort.
As Huayna Picchu is so close to the city complex it provides a fantastic birds-eye view, and the climb itself provides brilliant vistas of the city from various angles. From the summit, the scale and ingenuity of Machu Picchu and its various structures and terraces is fully revealed.
Late this afternoon, you will be travel to Cusco aboard the luxurious Belmond Hiram Bingham train. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel.
Inside Cusco’s historical center, visit Coricancha, also known as the “Temple of the Sun” (or “Premises of the Gilded One”), the Cusco Cathedral, the most important building on the Main Square You will then head to the outskirts of the city and visit the Sacsayhuamán fortress, en emblematic work of the Incas, which protected the Holy City.
The Inti Raymi Festival, which worships the sun, is reenacted on June 24 of each year during the winter solstice. Head to Qenqo, an archaeological complex mainly used for religious purposes, and it is believed that agricultural rituals also took place there.
Time permitting and based on your interests, you can also visit the vestiges of Puka Pukara, located seven kilometers away from Cusco. Puka Pukara, which means “red fortress”, was an architectural complex presumably used for military purposes; it has many rooms, squares, bathrooms, aqueducts, walls and towers, and it is believed that the Inca’s entourage used it while he rested at nearby Tambomachay, a series of aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that may have been a spa resort for wealthy Incas.
Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Quito, Ecuador via Lima.
On arrival, you are met and transferred to your hotel.
This morning you’ll go on a private tour of Quito, Ecuador’s delightful highland capital. Quito retains the old-world Spanish atmosphere, with golden cathedrals and cobblestone streets. In fact, colonial Quito was the first World Heritage Site to be proclaimed by UNESCO.
This interesting tour starts in old colonial Quito in the main square where the Presidential Palace, the main Cathedral and some other important buildings can be seen. Continue to Plaza Santo Domingo and walk through “La Ronda”, one of the oldest streets in town, with colonial homes and shops of the early 1600s.
Your walk continues to the City Museum and San Francisco Plaza, with a quick stop to try typical sweets of Quito. San Francisco is the oldest church in Quito, packed with history, legends and wonderful photo opportunities. La Compañía de Jesús church is one of the most beautiful temples in South America or perhaps the world. Finally, it’s a walk up El Panecillo Hill for a bird’s eye view of the city.
Your guide takes you for a drive north to the Santana Hacienda and Brewing Company. In the last years, the trend of producing craft beers is wining fans, although it represents less than 5% of beer industry. The Navarro family have been living in this 400-year-old hacienda for several generations. It is an oasis in the middle of the dry Equatorial Zone. Experience tasting beer varieties in the main dining room of the mansion with Sebastián and Pedro, the brewers! Lunch will be served at the restaurant with view of the big gardens.
Later, visit the Inti Ñan open-air museum which contains interesting explanations of natural facts applicable only at the Equator. As you drive, you will see the historical point where the French Geodesic Mission measured the circumference of the earth in 1736 and found the latitude zero.
You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands. On arrival, you are met and transferred to your vessel for embarkation. Commence your Galapagos expedition.
Enjoy a fascinating array of activities and excursions, allowing guests to explore the archipelago from multiple perspectives.
PANGA RIDES
Pangas (inflatable dinghies) are the main forms of accessing the different islands from vessels. Excursions by panga can provide a front row seat for exploring mangrove estuaries, hidden bays cliff faces and rocky islets.
KAYAK
Paddling at your own speed is another popular and fun way to experience the islands. With a low vantage point and the absence of motor noise, kayaking gives you the freedom to explore at your own leisure as well as up-close wildlife encounters.
HIKES
Daily hikes are led by the Galapagos National Park naturalist guides and provide a unique and rare insight into the wildlife, geological history and human endeavors of the islands.
Most hikes can go from one to three hours and are suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
Options for extended times for those who like to hike longer are available too.
SNORKEL
Snorkeling excursions allow visitors to go beneath the surface and discover the amazing and unique marine life, some of which is solely known only in the Galapagos. Little to no experience is required, with instruction and all gear provided.
Disembark your vessel and transfer to the airport for your flight to Guayaquil. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Journey back to 20th-century Guayaquil on this 3-hour walking tour; learn more about Ecuador’s traditions and culture; and spot wildlife such as sloths, macaws, and monkeys.
With the help of our travel specialists, create a perfect trip planned around your specific interests, tastes and preferences. We will provide helpful tips and honest advice based on first-hand knowledge of the destination.
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