Cruise to Machu Picchu and Galapagos | 14 Days

Day 01 – Arrive Quito

Arrival to Quito Airport, collection by our representative and transfer to your Quito Hotel.

Day 02 – Morning City Tour of Colonial Quito

Today begins with a visit to the colonial heart of Quito founded in 1534 by Diego de Almagro. The city was made a UNESCO world culture site back in 1978 denoting its exemplary preservation of some of the finest buildings in all of the Americas. The finest churches are included on our tour of La Compania, the monastery of San Francisco and we follow with an insight to working life in Quito at La Ronda. To encompass the panorama of the city we will venture up Panecillo Hill aside the famous Virgin of Panecillo, where we will be able to admire the famous Panecillo’s virgin. Followed by lunch in the heart of the old city. In the afternoon we conclude our Quito visit at Republica del Cacao to enjoy and learn the secrets that have driven this brand to represent the ultimate Ecuadorian chocolate experience.

Day 03 – Luxury Galapagos Cruise

This morning you will fly from Quito across the Pacific some 600 miles to the Galapagos Island of Baltra. On arrival, you will take our guided tour to the beautiful northern highlands for some trekking on Santa Cruz Island. After you’ll travel to the south of the island to meet with your luxury Galapagos cruise boat. You cruise is a 4-night cruise aboard a luxuriously appointed vessel with fully qualified professional naturalist guides.

Day 04 – Luxury Galapagos Cruise

This morning on Santiago Island we take time to visit Sullivan Bay named after Darwin’s officer James Sullivan from the HMS Beagle. There are excellent snorkeling opportunities at this location. Once ashore we get to trek some of its fascinating 19th century lava field. After lunch we set course to Bartholomew Island and its Pinnacle Rock. This island, home to an extinct volcano, is one of the most beautiful in all of the Galapagos. The waters around the Pinnacle Rock are home to penguins, marine turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, and other tropical fish. Looking skyward you can expect to see some herons and Galapagos hawks among a host of others.

Day 05 – Luxury Galapagos Cruise

Today we begin at Prince Phillip's Steps on Genovesa Island. This island is also known as the bird island and is a great location to see red footed boobies, yellow–crowned herons, Nazca boobies and also swallow-tailed gulls along the trail. In the afternoon we visit Darwin Bay, spanning the remnants of a collapsed volcano caldera. It boasts a beautiful coral beach as the starting point of a birdwatcher’s paradise as we venture upward, past tide pools and lava ridges, to a viewing point over the picturesque bay. Rarities here include the sharp-beaked ground finch and the smallest marine iguanas on the archipelago.

Day 06 – Luxury Galapagos Cruise.

We will disembark on a black sandy beach on Santiago (St. James) Island where you can marvel at the host of species to be discovered. These include seals, sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, marine Iguanas, land and sea turtles, dolphins, and sharks to name but a few. Our visit includes Puerto Egas originally home to a salt extraction industry until a few decades ago. This location is a good snorkeling site to view tropical fish such as the king angelfish. Having taken time for lunch we will encounter Espumilla Beach and Buccaneer Cove. The cove is so named as having been a popular anchorage for past sailors to seek out freshwater supplies and tortoise meat before continuing their voyages back to Europe. The waters straddling the dark red sandy beach offer a rich diversity of marine life including, hammerhead sharks, green sea tortoises, eagle rays and barracudas along with shoreline inhabitants of primarily Sally Lightfoot crabs and marine iguanas.

Day 07 – Luxury Galapagos Cruise & Flight to Lima via Guayaquil

Early in the day we visit the lagoon of Carrion Point with its beautiful turquoise waters. At this beautiful spot you can expect to do some snorkeling and view the white-tip reef sharks and marbled ray among a multitude of marine specimens here. Directly after, we disembark and your guide will escort you to the airport and connect you to your onward flight, destination Lima via Guayaquil.

Day 08 – Flight to Cusco and Visit the Sacred Valley

A mid-morning flight will land you in famed Cusco city where our representatives will greet you and take you to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The famed valley is a treasure trove of Inca ruins with spectacular scenery abounding as you drive beneath the soaring peaks of the Andes Mountains and lush farm lands. This day at higher altitude is an easy one to allow you adapt and we will visit the large local market in Pisac followed by lunch at a local hacienda. Overnight at your Sacred Valley Hotel.

Day 09 – Sacred Valley Tour: Maras, Moray & Ollantaytambo

Your Sacred Valley tour will combine three of the most spectacular sites within the valley. Namely Maras Salt Pans, Moray and Ollantaytambo Ruins. The Maras Salt Pans on this mountainside are a wonderful site with the shimmering salt pans looking surreal under the Andean sun. The natural high-quality salt produced here by traditional methods is much sought after the world over. Our next venture is to visit the concentric circles and site of mysterious Moray, thought to possibly be an ancient Inca food laboratory. Next, Ollantaytambo overlooked by The Temple Hill and is an expansive Inca site built about 1450 with military overtones in construction. You will marvel at the entire site but the wall of monolithic stones each weighing over 50 tons is sure to impress. Overnight at your Sacred Valley Hotel.

Day 10 – Vistadome Train to Machu Picchu and Guided Tour

Your train journey sets out from Ollantaytambo station and meanders its way along the lush valley to Aguas Calientes. A short bus trip leads you to the ancient citadel and the anticipation builds. Nothing compares to the first tableau view of Machu Picchu in its natural setting nestled under the peaks of Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain. This is a milestone in your life to savor. Overnight at your hotel near Machu Picchu.

Day 11 – Revisit Machu Picchu & Mountain Trek. Return Train to Cusco

Important moments should never be rushed and so today you revisit the Machu Picchu fortress to further explore the site and also you can partake in a climb of Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu Mountains. Both treks offer exceptional panoramic views to better allow you comprehend the expansiveness of the citadel and hinterland. Later this evening you will board your train Cusco bound.

The luxury Belmond Hiram Bingham Train is also an option for your return route. Why not cap off your visit to Machu Picchu with a luxurious ride back to Cusco aboard this famous train. The journey includes live entertainment, free-flowing drinks and a 4-course gourmet dinner. Consult a luxury Peru Travel advisor for more information and pricing.

Day 12 – Free Morning. Afternoon Tour of Cusco

This morning is a time to relive the great memories of yesterday’s adventure while relaxing in Cusco. In the afternoon you will set out on a tour of Cusco and discover many ancient ruins including Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay and Korikancha. The city of Cusco was the center of the Inca world and also is home to a fine collection of Spanish colonial buildings and beautiful olde-worlde cobblestone lined plazas and streets.

Day 13 – Fly to Lima. Overnight Lima

A short flight takes you to Lima city, home to over ten million limeños. Your base at Miraflores district is perfectly situated aside the Pacific Ocean and within walking distance of a host of world-class restaurants. This is the perfect place to explore the culinary delights of Peru’s fusion food scene that has catapulted it to rank among the best gastronomic destinations in the world. Eateries such as El Central, Astrid y Gaston and Rafael are bywords for exceptional food experiences.

Day 14 – Morning Tour of Lima. Evening Departure

This morning you can choose a tour of colonial Lima or alternately continue on the gastronomic scene and learn how to prepare some of the best Peruvian dishes for yourself. Whatever option you choose it will be a befitting end to a luxury Galapagos and Peru vacation. The memories of the places, people and new friends you have made with Totally Latin America will live in your hearts forever.