Peru & Galapagos Program

At the appropriate time, you will be met by your transfer-man who will assist you with your flight to Cusco. Upon to your arrival to Cusco, the Imperial City, you will be met by your transfer-man and private driver who will assist you with your luggage and will drive you to your hotel located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Awanacancha textile complex on route (Private)

On the way to the Sacred Valley, visit Awanacancha textile center to observe traditional Andean weaving and to see the four types of camel-related Andean animals – llamas, guanacos, alpacas and vicuñas. Alpacas have thick wool and is the most commonly used while the vicuñas are small and delicate with fur considered the finest. Awanacancha is a weaving center with the goal to keep alive the traditional textile arts. Here you can meet these four types of camelids, learn about the harvesting of the different wools, the natural dying techniques and have a chance to see native weavers from different areas showing their different weaving secrets and lifestyle. Overnight at Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado for two nights in One Superior room, including breakfast, hotel tax and service charges (B/-/-)

FD Pisac Ruins, Pisac Market and Ollantaytambo fortress with lunch (Private)

Your first visit is the town of Pisac, where the Incas built an observatory to study astronomy as well as an impressive network of cultivated terrace. After this, you will have the opportunity to bargain with vendors at the local handicraft market in Pisac. Lunch will take place at a great restaurant accompanied by a Paso Horse Demonstration. Peruvian Paso Horses, with their elegance and noble spirit, symbolize a centuries-old tradition of cultural fusion and folklore that defines and enriches Peru. In this presentation, Paso horses from our stables demonstrate their flowing gait and graceful motion to the rhythm of 'la marinera,' the national dance of Peru.

Lunch is enjoyed in the Wayra Gardens among the native plants, served in a modern environment. We are enveloped by the aroma of freshly baked bread coming out of the wood-burning ovens, tasty empanadas with different fillings and an amazing assortment of native potatoes from remote communities that have preserved them along with their stories.

After lunch, continue to the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. The site was built just as the Spaniards arrived in these territories and evidence of how it was built is still visible. After seeing the magnificent past of the spot stroll through the quaint streets of the present town before returning to your hotel. Overnight at Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado. (B/L/-)

FD tour to Machu Picchu via Vistadome Train RT with lunch (Private)

This morning, you will be transferred to Ollantaytambo's train station, located close to the site where the old Inca hanging bridge crossed the Urubamba. Onboard the Vistadome train you will move along the tracks following the river's course into the jungle lowlands to Aguas Calientes a.k.a. Machu Picchu Pueblo (a 2-hour ride). This is the last stop before getting to the famous archaeological complex. Find crafts, books, restaurants and array of hotels in this buzzling town. The bus zig-zags up the steep side of the mountain for nearly 20 minutes. The pre-Hispanic engineering marvel unveils itself gradually; this was the site Pachacutec Inca (1438-1572) chose as royal retreat and where his "malqui" or mummified remains were to be worshiped. Machu Picchu or "Old Mountain" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders yet the traveler senses a beauty unmatched by these or any other title. How was such a work accomplished? Granite stone buildings that seem to naturally sprout from the earth instead of being constructed on it. Andean mountain aesthetics can truly be appreciated at Machu Picchu; explore the site at your own pace. Visit the Royal Mausoleum or take the path to the Inca Bridge, or the central flight of steps to reach Intihuatana. Or simply contemplate the sacred geography all around; the Urubamba nearly encircling the site and Mount Salkantay ("Wild"), overlooking the citadel from the southeast.

Buffet Lunch at Tinkuy Restaurant – Sanctuary Lodge hotel. Note. - There are 2 shifts for the visit of Machu Picchu citadel, the AM Shift and PM Shift. You are scheduled to visit at any of these turns (not both) and the shift confirmed will depend on the train schedule that we will be able to confirm upon booking time.

After the visit of Machu Picchu, In the afternoon, head to the train station of Aguas Calientes and from there take the VISTADOME TRAIN back to Cusco.

Upon arrival to Ollantaytambo OR Poroy station, a private transport will be waiting for you to take you to Cusco city. Accommodation at Costa del Sol Cusco hotel for two nights, in Contemporanea room. Services of today includes Breakfast and local taxes. (B/L/-)

AM HD City tour of Cusco (private)

Inca rulers once called Cusco the "Navel of the World". Cusco remains today a city that blends colonial Spanish charm with older, more austere remains of pre-Columbian glory. One can see the foundations of Inca structures on many of its city streets today. Today you will go on a guided visit of the Imperial City of Cusco. In this Cusco city tour, you will visit the Main Plaza, which has been the scene of great historical events in the Capital of the Incas, the main Cathedral church, built of great slabs of red granite in renaissance style and thus contrasting with the baroque style silverwork which decorates its interior. You will then continue to the Santo Domingo church, built upon the foundations of the Inca temple Koricancha, which was dedicated to S un worship.

Then we will head to the City’s nearby ruins; the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, a magnificent example of Incan military power; Qenqo, a ritualistic site with subterranean galleries that form an underground maze; Puca Pucara, the red fortress and finally Tambomachay, also known as the Incan Baths. After this amazing educative Cusco city tour, you will be driven back to your hotel. Balance of the afternoon is free. Accommodation at Costa del Sol Cusco hotel, in Contemporanea room. Services of today includes Breakfast and local taxes. (B/-/-)

Half day Peruvian Cooking classes (Private with aditional cost:)

Today, enjoy a three-hour culinary adventure. Pick up from your hotel and transfer to a local market. While in the market, the Chef will provide a briefing about local Andean ingredients, meanwhile, you will have the chance to buy products, mix with the colors and fragrances of the variety of fruits, vegetables, tubercles of the region, interacting with local producers and suppliers. Definitely, this is a whole experimental sojourn, in a traditional Andean Market.

Continue the Cooking adventure at the Chef house, for a private culinary lesson. Get hands-on and learn how to prepare the famous Pisco Sour, entrées, and main courses will be also cooked, which you will taste them. Discover the variety of Peruvian food in a cozy environment, interacting with the chef, between stories and pictures you will get the most out of this culinary lesson. After the tour, transfer back to your hotel.

Transfer hotel / Airport (private)

Arrive in Quito, meet and greet with your local Guide who will take you to your hotel. One night at the LE PARC hotel in Quito (local taxes and buffet breakfast included.

Quito City Tour: (Optional with additional cost)

You will be picked up at the airport from your flight arriving. Your Guide will meet and greet with you and then will take you to visit of LA MITAD DEL MUNDO a city complex located right on the Equator where the monument that divides the Northern from the Southern Hemisphere will be visited. It was built during the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the equatorial line. You will learn some other facts of the Equator as well. Lunch will be served in one typical restaurant of the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo. After lunch, a 45 minute drive takes you to the old city section of Quito, you will go back in time a few hundred years while walking around the colonial streets of Quito and admire architectural monuments built by the Spanish when they colonized the city, amazing religious temples such as La Compañia and San Francisco churches, Independence Square, with the Presidential Palace and many other private homes that just remind you the Spanish presence. Your guide will show you the main squares, churches and architectonic jewels of one of the best-preserved Historical cities of South America.

One of our Guides will pick you up from your hotel and will take you to the Quito airport in time for your flight to Galapagos. Arrive by plane to Baltra Island and transfer to the dock to board the Santa Cruz II where we receive our welcome introductory briefing, boat drill and lunch.

Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill) (Santa Cruz Island)

The north shore of Santa Cruz hosts the fascinating landscapes of Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill). The first part of our walk passes a brackish-water lagoon frequented by shorebirds, ducks and flamingos, while further inland, the trail offers a beautiful view of the bay and the western islands of the archipelago, as well as the chance of observing land iguanas. (B, L, D)

Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island) After breakfast, we explore the coast by panga, while our naturalist guide explains the dramatic geology of the area, a nesting place for several Galapagos highlights: flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, fur seals, boobies, etc. Depending on weather conditions, we can snorkel along the cliffs of this area rich in marine life, seasonally-visited by green sea turtles and oceanic sun fish (Mola mola)
(B, L, D)

Punta Espinoza (Fernandina Island)

The afternoon is dedicated to exploring the youngest island of the archipelago, Fernandina, which, having no introduced mammals, boasts a unique environment with a very high density of marine iguanas, who share their space with sea lions, Sally light-foot crabs, hawks, penguins and the flightless cormorants.
(B, L, D)

Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz Island)

In the morning, we disembark (dry landing followed by a brief bus ride) for our visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station’s giant tortoise Breeding Centre within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest, home to many land birds. These are the headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration. Following our visit, we board our transport to enjoy lunch in the cooler highlands of Santa Cruz Island, a completely different ecosystem.

Santa Cruz Island

We have several options available for the afternoon, which can be discussed in advance with your Expedition Leader. Options include beach walks, kayaks, walks along the tortoise reserve, etc. At the end of the afternoon’s activities, we return to Puerto Ayora and embark on the Santa Cruz II. (B, L, D)

Baroness Tower - Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)

After breakfast, panga ride along the maze of channels on Floreana’s north shore can be enjoyed. We follow this visit by continuing to Baroness Cove with its breathtaking views of Floreana. We land at Post Office Bay to visit the historic barrel that has served as a post office in the archipelago for over two centuries and where postcards are traditionally left for guests from other vessels to hand-deliver to their destinations. Snorkelling off the beach. We then head back on board for lunch.

Champion Islet – Punta Cormorant (Floreana Island)

5 Following lunch and a siesta, we take the pangas and glass-bottom boat to explore the underwater wonders around Champion Islet, an extinct shield volcano, regarded as one of the best snorkelling spots in the archipelago. From there, it’s on to Punta Cormorant, beginning with a wet landing on the olivine-crystal beach for an easy walk that includes a brackish-water lagoon where bird species such as greater flamingos, pintail ducks, common stilts, herons, sandpipers, and others gather. We continue our walk over to a white-sand beach, where sea turtles emerge from the sea at night to nest (from December to May). (B, L, D)

Baltra Island

We disembark at Baltra Island to transfer to the airport to take the flight back to the mainland.
(B)