ANDES & GALAPAGOS

Day 1 : ARRIVAL IN LIMA (- / - / -)

Upon arrival at Lima airport, you will receive assistance from a representative and a transport service will take you to your hotel. You will have the rest of the day free to get to know the city. The Peruvian capital is a modern metropolis and full of history, with about 10 million inhabitants, currently undergoing an exciting process of cultural and economic changes.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Lima

Day 2 : LIMA – LARCO MUSEUM & CITY TOUR (B / - / -)

Wake up to breakfast at the hotel before hitting the streets of Lima’s old town; a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site packed with fascinating historical buildings. Start with the Larco Museum, located in the traditional Pueblo Libre district, which is housed in a beautifully restored viceregal mansion built on a pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum boasts the world’s most complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver objects, as well as pieces of erotic art. Then visit Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion granted in 1535 by chief conquistador Francisco Pizarro to Jeronimo de Aliaga, one of his captains. This is the only house from that time that to this day has always been owned by the same family.

Continue to a scenic tour in the colonial downtown, which originates and spreads out from the Main Square. Here you can appreciate the grandiose architecture of the Spanish Empire and be amazed by Lima´s Cathedral. Erected in the 16th century, this building took more than 80 years to complete. After the tour, you’ll be transferred back to the hotel.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Lima. 

Day 3 : LIMA – CUSCO:  CITY TOUR AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES (90 min flight) (B / - / -)

A transportation service will take you to the Lima airport to take your flight to Cusco. A representative will welcome you in the Imperial City and accompany you to your selected hotel.

During the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the former capital of the Inca Empire. The tour starts with a visit to Santo Domingo Convent, a large Renaissance-baroque complex, which was built over the Inca Coricancha temple. It was one of the most important temples dedicated to worshipping the sun, and its foundations are still prominent at the base of the convent. Ancient chronicles say the temple was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature.

Then, visit the Cathedral, the most imposing monument of the Main Square. Head to the hills above Cusco to visit the remains of the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose impressive ramparts offer a stunning panoramic view of Cusco, and the ruins of the temple and amphitheatre of Qenqo, where it is believed the Incas practised agricultural rituals. Admire Qenqo and then finally visit Puka Pukara (‘Red fortress’ in Quechua) an Inca military complex located on a prominent hill. Its dwellings, squares, bathrooms, aqueducts, walls, and towers can still be appreciated. Afterwards, return to your hotel. 

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco.

Day 4 : CUSCO – SACRED VALLEY: CHINCHERO, LIVING MUSEUM OF YUCAY AND OLLANTAYTAMBO (B / L / -)

During the morning, you are picked up from your hotel to visit the town of Chinchero, a traditional Cusco urban centre located at an elevated point with a beautiful view of the valley. The inhabitants of this area preserve the artisan traditions and the inherited knowledge of the Incas and display them in their clothes and customs. In Chinchero there are also archaeological remains and a beautiful seventeenth-century church, one of the first Catholic buildings in Peru.

Then, you are transferred to the Living Museum of Yucay, an Andean tradition interpretation centre with demonstrations of the production of textile work, adobe, pottery and silverware, following the techniques used by the ancestors. Also, residents of the museum include llamas, sheep and alpacas, and they can be fed! Visit the town of Ollantaytambo upon your arrival - inhabited uninterruptedly since Inca times - and have a superior Andean gastronomy experience in a restaurant. Fell the true spirit of the Sacred Valley, transmitted in a cosy atmosphere! Later, climb the iconic fortress, built next to a mountain and then you are transferred back to your hotel.

 *On Sundays, also visit the local market.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Sacred Valley.       

Day 5 : SACRED VALLEY - MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO (B / L / -)

A transportation service will pick you up and transfer you to the Ollantaytambo station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Take the train to Aguas Calientes, travel observing the Andean landscapes during a journey of an hour and a half. Our guide will be waiting for you and will accompany you until the departure point of the bus. Afterwards, take a bus for the 25-minute journey up to Machu Picchu, known as the "Lost city of the Incas".

It is believed that this archaeological site was built in 1450 by the Inca Pachacutec as his holiday home. However, a century later, the city was abandoned after the Spanish conquest, escaping the destruction that azotó other Incas settlements. Along with the guided tour, you will have the opportunity to learn about the origins of this impressive city and explore its most outstanding monuments.

After completing the tour, you will take the bus to Aguas Calientes, where you will enjoy lunch at your selected restaurant. Following lunch, you can explore the charming village and, when you're ready, board the train back. The trip by train will take an hour and a half and it will take you back to Ollantaytambo, where our transportation will accompany you back to your hotel in Cusco.

*Lunch time could vary depending on the entrance to the citadel.
**Due to the citadel’s limited capacity we recommend that you confirm your booking as soon as possible to proceed with the tickets purchase. Tickets are subject to availability.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Cusco.

Day 6 : CUSCO DEPARTURE - ARRIVAL IN GUAYAQUIL (B / - / -)

A transport service will take you to the Cusco airport to board your flight to Guayaquil. Upon arrival at the Ecuadorian airport, a representative and a transport service will take you to your hotel. 

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Guayaquil.

Day 7 : GUAYAQUIL - ISLA SANTA CRUZ / GALAPAGOS (B / - / -)

Transfer from the hotel in Guayaquil to the airport to take the flight to Galapagos*. Once at the Galapagos airport, after completing the entry procedures a transport service and a representative will take you to the Itabaca canal to board the ferry on which you will cross to Santa Cruz Island. Once in the upper part of the island, you will visit a beautiful Ecological Reserve: Cerro Mesa or El Chato. Within these reserves, it is possible to observe the giant turtles in their natural habitat, as well as learn about the local endemic flora.

After the experience, head to the town of Puerto Ayora, where you visit the Charles Darwin station, a scientific research centre on the evolution of species and the history of the islands. Finally, return to the hotel.
    
*We suggest booking the earliest flight from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands, as well as the later flight from Galapagos to Guayaquil so you can enjoy the Islands longer.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Santa Cruz Island.

Day 8 : SANTA CRUZ ISLAND / ISLAND NAVIGATION (B / L / -)

Enjoy the day while sailing to one of the impressive islands that make up the Galapagos archipelago. During the morning, you will be transferred to the pier to begin the excursion. The route takes place according to availability to one of the following Islands: Isabela, San Cristóbal, Bartolomé, Plazas, Seymour Norte or Santa Fe. Get in direct contact with nature and discover the impressive biodiversity that has captivated explorers and visitors for centuries. At the end of the excursion, you will return to the hotel in Puerto Ayora.

BARTOLOME ISLAND :

Bartolome is famous for its Pinnacle Rock, which is one of the most representative geological and photogenic landmarks of the Galapagos. Clumsily walking around the rocks at the base of Pinnacle Rock is a small colony of the Galápagos Penguins, one of the smallest species of penguin in the world and the only one found north of the Equator. The visit to Bartolome includes a climb to the highest point of the island for spectacular views of the surrounding lava scenery, an area often referred as the Galapagos “moonscape”. The site is an open textbook of geology, featuring small craters and some amazing rock, ash and lava formations of varied types and origins, as well as some “pioneer” plants colonizing the fresh lava and ash-flows.

ISABELA ISLAND :

At the Puerto Ayora dock board the boat to navigate to Isabela Island (approximately 2 hours navigation). Upon arrival to Isabela Island start the visit of this fascinating island. The first stop will be at the Flamingos lagoon to closely watch these beautiful birds in the natural habitat. Continue to visit the town´s Breeding Center and learn about the natural history of the Galápagos Islands and finally visit Concha Perla Beach, located a few meters from ¨El Embarcadero pier which can be reached along by a wooden walkway; the path runs through a mangrove forest and a small colony of sea lions up to a calm bay enclosed by natural rocks and fed by the sea with shallow and clear waters. It is the idea place for observing the incredible array of marine life. You will be able to swim and snorkel alongside tropical fish, sea lions, penguins and turtles.

PLAZA SUR ISLAND :

One of South Plaza´s main characteristics is its unusual vegetation which includes another species of Opuntia Cacti and the colorful Sesuvium plants. These are a native variety of a succulent plant that stores water on its tubular leafs, forming a reddish carpet that spreads over the gray lava rocks. A colony of Galapagos land iguanas is found over parts of the small island. The sheer cliffs of the southern shore are an unparalleled bird observatory and the perfect habitat for several sea-birds, including blue-footed boobies, pelicans, swallow-tailed gulls and the very colorful red-billed tropic birds.

SANTA FE ISLAND :

Santa Fe has one of the most beautiful bays of all the visitor sites in the Galápagos. It boasts a turquoise-color cove protected by a narrow peninsula that extends along the northern shore. The sandy beaches are often covered with colonies of Galapagos sea-lions. A marked rocky trail leads to interior and Cliffside areas where the Santa Fe endemic species of land iguana can be found within a very picturesque forest of Opuntia or prickly-pear Cacti. These endemic cactus trees are the largest of their kind in the islands. After the hike you can swim in the calm waters of the bay or snorkel amongst often playful sea lions.

SEYMOUR NORTE ISLAND :

Flatter than other islands, North Seymour is one of the islands uplifted by underground seismic activity. Located north of Baltra, where the Archipelago’s main airport is found; this Island is one of the best places to see blue-footed boobies nesting on the flat rocky areas near the coast of the island. Following the trail that leads to the interior of the island, visitors will find one of the largest colonies of Magnificent Frigate birds. During the mating season, an explosion of bright red pouches inflated by male frigates to attract females provides some of the most spectacular sights in the Galápagos.

SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND :

You will be picked up at the hotel and transferred to Puerto Ayora dock to board a small boat to navigate to San Cristobal (Approximately 2 hour’s navigation).  Upon arrival to San Cristobal take the navigation excursion to a nearby site: Lobos Island or Ochoa beach or Kicker Rock. This visit will allow you to discover the fascinating flora and fauna of the archipelago.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

Day 9 : PUERTO AYORA - SANTA CRUZ ISLAND (B / - / -)

Tour Santa Cruz Island on a unique tour through its rich bay. During the morning, you will be transferred to the pier from where you will depart to the first destination: la Lobería, a small island where you can swim with curious sea lions. Continue navigating the Love Channel, Sharks Channel, Grietas and Los Perros Beach. Enjoy the sighting of sharks, blue-footed boobies, iguanas, rays and many other species during this impressive tour. When finished, you will return to Puerto Ayora and have the afternoon free to rest or go on optional activities on Santa Cruz Island.

▪    Overnight at the selected hotel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

Day 10 : DEPARTURE GALAPAGOS (B / - / -)

A transport service will take you from the hotel in Puerto Ayora to the Baltra airport to take the flight back to Continental Ecuador for your departure.