Ec-Gal-Peru-0041 Galapagos & Peru Adventure 16 Days ✔️

Welcome to Ecuador! There are no activities on this day. In the afternoon you will receive a briefing about your Galapagos upcoming trip.

Leave your Hotel and join your leader on an Orientation Walking tour around the Old Town in Quito. admire the Basilica and if time allows, climb inside it´s towers. Continue on to the Main Square and Achbishop´s Palace. Stroll down and stop at La Compañia before Reaching La Ronda, one of Quito´s most popular neighbourhoods where you can take a break while drinking a warm local Canelazo.

Included Activities
• Quito Walking Tour

Morning transfer to Quito airport. Flight from Quito to San Cristobal island. Once you arrive in the islands you have to pay $ 100 corresponding to Galapagos National Park entrance fee. Our guide will wait for you ay airport to transfer you to the hotel. Then you will start your Galapagos experience.

Stroll along the promenade of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno the capital of the Galapagos Islands. Enjoy the sound and smell of hundreds of sea lions during your walk which are part of the sea lion colonies of this island.

During the visit in the Interpretation Centre you learn about geological, human and natural history of the Galapagos Islands.

The Loberia is a white sandy beach where you will find great quantities of sea lions bathing in the sun or cooling off in the sea. Snorkeling is a highlight here with chances to spot sea turtles.

Included Activities

• Interpretation Center Visit

• San Cristobal Walking Tour

• Snorkeling at Loberia

Due to National Park regulations we are only allowed to board day tours to Kicker Rock up to 12 passengers. Therefore if we have more than 12 passengers on a trip we will be visiting Isla Lobos instead, another great option to get close to wildlife. Both of them are great places for snorkeling.

Walk up to Tijeretas Hill also known as Frigatebird Hill where you enjoy an amazing view of Kicker Rock and Shipwreck Bay.

Included Activities

• Isla Lobos or Leon Dormido Tour
• Tijeretas Hill Viewpoint Tour

Morning navigation from San Cristobal to Isabela by private speed boat. This will take around 6 hours.

Puerto Villamil is the main town of Isabela island with its laidback lifestyle. On your short introduction walk you will visit the main square with restaurants and ending at the beautiful beach of Isabela where you might want to enjoy a drink to cool off.

A 20 minutes pathway leading to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre where you will be crossing salty water lagoons to observe flamingos in their natural habitat while they are feeding.

The giant tortoises is the most known endangered species on the Galapagos Island which are raised in the breeding centre to release them later on into the wild. Observe these gentle giants in different ages in the center.

This short visit is worthwhile to observe flamingos feeding in their natural habitat.

Included Activities
• Breeding Center Visit
• Flamingo Lagoon Visit
• Isabela Walking Tour

Hop on a small boat to reach Tintoreras Islet which is named after the famous ¨tintorera¨ shark which can be found in the small canal where they come for resting. On your way try to spot marine iguanas, sea lions, blue footed boobies, sea turtles. If you are lucky you might even snorkel with a Galapagos Penguin. This tour will be on shared or private basis depending on the number of pax. The rest of the day you can explore Isabela island.

Included Activities
• Tintoreras Tour

Take a 45 min speedboat to Los Tunneles which are famous for its unique underwater world. Get on your snorkelling gear and search for variety of rays, sharks, sea turtles, colourful fish and possibly the highlight of all one of the view spots to see seahorses in the Galapagos.

Included Activities
• Cabo Rosa Day Tour

During your kayaking session (approx 1 hours) in Isabela´s bay you might be able to spot the famous Galapagos penguin, variety of seabirds, marine iguanas, blue footed boobies and with a bit of luck sea turtles and the ¨Tintoreras¨ sharks.

Take a private boat to Puerto Ayora. The journey from Isabela to Puerto Ayora takes around 3 hours.

During a short orientation walk through Puerto Ayora town you will stroll along Av. Charles Darwin where you will find lots of restaurants and souvenir shops. Eventually you will make it to the local fishermen market where you might observe how local fishermen bring in the fresh goods and frigate birds, pelicans and sea lions wait for the scrap of fish.

Included Activities
• Kayaking in Isabela
• Puerto Ayora Walking Tour

Explore the highlands of Santa Cruz visiting a local property where the giant tortoises are at home, enjoying them in their natural habitat is a real highlight of your visit in the Galapagos Islands. Walk around the little trails and appreciate the giant tortoises close up.

During a visit to the ¨trapiche¨ you will learn about the antique process of how sugar cane juice and its aguardiente is produced, if you are strong enough maybe even give it a try. Galapagos is also know for its organic coffee production. You are shown the process from the coffee bean being picked until it ends in your cup as a tasty coffee.

Enjoy a delicious lunch at Santa Cruz Highlands.

Included Activities
• El Manzanillo Trapiche Experience
• Rancho El Manzanillo Visit

There are no activities planned on this day. We will transfer you to Baltra airport for your flight back to mainland.
Once you arrive in Quito airport we will transfer you to your hotel in Quito.

There are no activities planned on this day. You need to leave your hotel according your Lima flight schedule.
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Welcome to Lima, the "City of Kings". Upon arrival to the airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Your local guide (or Tour Leader) will meet you for a welcome briefing & some tips during your stay in Lima.

In the afternoon, go on a walking tour of downtown Lima, one of the most beautiful cities in South America, and an optional dinner with your group. Be sure to get your hands-on Peru's national dish of ceviche during your stay.

Included Activities
• Group arrival airport transfer in Lima, in private service.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport to take the flight towards the imperial city of Cusco (Flight is NOT included).

Arrive in Cusco, historic heartland and former capital of the Incan Empire. You’ll be met and transferred to your hotel.

Cusco is a favorite destination of many visitors to Peru. As you wander the streets and side alleys of the city you will witness the perfect tapering Inca stonework that provided the foundations for many of Cusco’s colonial and modern buildings. The city itself is the continent's oldest continuously inhabited city and was the home of the Inca Empire for two centuries before the Spanish built their first capital here. Today Cusco is a fascinating combination of both cultures. Take the time to acclimatize to the city's 3450-metre high (11,150 ft) altitude.

In the afternoon get acquainted with this charming city's intriguing blend of Inca and Spanish culture on a guided orientation walking tour. Check out some of Cusco's main attractions, as well as its lesser-known sights such as the Qoricancha temple, San Pedro market, the main square, the 12-Angled Stone, Regocijo Square and San Blas Square. End the walking tour with a visit to the Chocolate Museum where you will sample hot chocolate made from local beans. There’s also a small store where you can shop handicrafts and artisanal chocolate products. Don't miss the opportunity to sample mate de coca (coca tea) while here.

Included Activities
• Group departure airport in Lima, in private service.
• Group arrival airport transfer in Cusco, in private service
• Orientation walk around the center of Cusco including a cup of hot chocolate, in private service

Day In the morning, travel by private car through the Sacred Valley, on the outskirts of Cusco. Known as Wilcamayo to the Incas, the lush, fertile valley has long been the main source of food for the high Andes. Maize crops can be seen surrounding the river and covering the terraces carved high into the valley walls.

You will head to a community in the Valley to learn about local lifestyle and activities and if our visit coincides with market day you can spend time browsing the stalls in search of hand-painted beads or warm ponchos and maybe practicing some of the local language, Quechua. Typical lunch will be included in this community. Later you will continue the tour visiting the town of Ollantaytambo which has been built over an ancient Inca town. This is a magnificent example of Inca urban planning and one of the few places where the Incas defeated the Spanish.

Ollantaytambo's archaeological site is located to the east of the Plaza de Armas. The upper terraces of this site offer great photo opportunities of the squared grid town below (entrance ticket to the site is NOT included PEN 70.00 per person).

At the end of the day, you’ll be transferred to your hotel located in this beautiful town.

Included Activities

• Visit to the Sacred Valley of the including a local community, in private service.

During the next four days you’ll be hiking the Classic Inca Trail. While away from Ollantaytambo, the bulk of your luggage will be stored at your hotel. The evening before you leave Cusco, you'll receive a small duffle bag to carry your clothes in during the trek (5 kg maximum). Your team of porters will carry these bags for you, together with the food and equipment for the trail. Please note that you won't have access to these items until the end of each day, as the porters will always be ahead of the group.

This morning you will set off on a journey on the Inca Trail by travelling from Ollantaytambo heading to Kilometer 82, where your trek begins. Today you will hike past the ancient hilltop fort of Huillca Raccay and the beautiful archaeological site of Llactapata.

It is a fairly leisurely hike and along the way there are stunning views of snow-capped Veronica Peak (5860m). Following the river, you will pass a tiny village and continue on to your camp at Wayllabamba, located at 3000 meters. Porters are provided on this trek, so during the day you will only need to carry a daypack with your personal items. This needs to be big enough to carry such items as water, camera and a warm jacket.

Note: The Inca Trail is within the abilities of most reasonably fit people, but please come prepared, as the trail is 45 kilometers long and often steep. Each day's journey generally consists of seven hours of walking (uphill and downhill), with stops for snacks and lunch. Trekking usually begins at 7 am (except on the fourth morning) and you reach the campsite around 5 pm. Accommodation on the trek is camping (three nights). Double tents (twin-share) and foam camping mats will be provided. The porters will set up the tents while the cook prepares meals.

Included Activities
• Classic Inca Trail Trek, in private service.

Today is the most difficult part of the trek as you climb to Warminwanusca, or Dead Woman’s Pass (4200m). Along the way you will trek through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery to be seen anywhere in the Andes. This is the first and highest of three Andean passes on the Inca Trail, with breathtaking views over the snow-capped Vilcanota and Vilcabama mountain ranges. Ahead of you, you will see the ruins of Runkuracay and in the valley below, Rio Pacamayo (Sunrise River). Here the trail changes from dirt to steps and stone pathways, your route will take you through a landscape dotted with rural hamlets, grazing llamas and well-preserved remnants of the Incan culture. Although it's not too arduous, you will still need to make a steep descent to the valley below, where you will camp beneath the cliff tops at Pacamayo (3600m), overlooking the cloud forest.

Included Activities
• Classic Inca Trail Trek, in private service.

You will climb up to the oval shaped ruin of Runkurakay, which is believed to have once been an Inca tambo or post house. Pushing on up the Inca staircase and beside two tiny and fast diminishing mountain lakes, you will be rewarded at the summit of your second pass (3900m) with spectacular views of Pumasillo (6245m) and the entire snow-capped Vilcabamba range. From here it will be a steep descent and then ascent to your third pass and the ruins of Phullupatamarca, where we embark on a long descent into a beautiful orchid-filled cloud forest. The scenery will blow you away! Butterflies flutter across the trail and the air is pure and clean as you head to breathtaking Winaywayna (2650m).

Included Activities
• Classic Inca Trail Trek, in private service.

The day starts before dawn with breakfast served nice and early at approximately 4.30am. The early start serves two purposes, one we farewell our porters as they descend to the train station to catch their 6.30 am train home and two, you are ready to start hiking by 6am by when the gate that leads through to the Inti-Punku (sun gate) opens. The walk to the sun gate takes approximately 2 to 2.5 hours.

Here you will enjoy your first views of the complex of Machu Picchu, often referred to as the Lost City of the Incas. On a clear morning the view from the Sun Gate can be quite stunning and creates a lasting impression that will stay with you long after you return home. Built around 1450, the city was deserted less than a century later following the Spanish invasion and ‘lost’ for hundreds of years before it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. The architecture of Machu Picchu is quite extraordinary, with the mortar-free design particularly earthquake resistant and the stones so precisely cut that to this day not even a knife fits between them.

You will have a guided tour to this great archaeological site and then will have a free time to take more photos on your own, before taking the bus down to the small town of Aguas Calientes followed by the tourist train back to Ollantaytambo town. Then you’ll be transferred to Cusco in private service.

Note: According to Machu Picchu visiting regulations, all visitors must follow a pre-determined route within the site. This route must be followed in one direction only and once the guided visit commences, exiting and reentering the site is not permitted. Once the guided visit concludes, visitors must exit the site and personal exploration of Machu Picchu is not permitted.

Included Activities
• Classic Inca Trail Trek, in private service.
• Guided visit of Machu Picchu ruins, in private service
• Shuttle bus from Machu Picchu ruins to Aguas Calientes town.
• Tourist train tickets from Aguas Calientes town to Ollantaytambo town on INCA Rail The Voyager service (https://incarail.com/the-voyager-machu-picchu-train)
• Transfer from Ollantaytambo train station to Cusco, in private service

Your tour comes to an end today and there are no activities planned. If you may like to stay on for a few extra days to make the most of your visit here, then we’ll be happy to assist in booking accommodation (subject to availability) and extra activities.

At the appropriate time, you’ll be transferred to the airport to take your flight back to Lima (Flight is NOT included), followed by the international connection flight to home.

Included Activities
• Group departure airport transfer in Cusco, in private service.