11 Days:Quito, Galapagos Islands, Lima, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Cuzco

Tour overview:

Few tours can boast of combining the number of once-in-a-lifetime experiences like this one! From moment you begin your sojourn in Quito, the rich cultural capital of Ecuador, you are bound to be enchanted. Board a cruise to The Galapagos Islands, the world’s most bio-diverse landscape, home to creatures that are found nowhere else on the planet. Once you’ve soaked it all, depart for Cusco, the oldest inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere, and the base for the awe-inspiring, archaeological wonder of Machu Picchu.

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Day 1 - Arrive Quito

Arrive in Quito. You are welcomed at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

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Day 2 - Colonial Quito & The Middle of the World

This morning tour offers the best of Quito, with its rich cultural legacy, ornate façades and dazzling gilt altars. Visit Independence Square, the Archbishop’s Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral as well as other very representative samples of colonial art and architecture. Continue to visit and relive the history of Ecuador’s most ancient cultures in one of the finest archaeological and gold artifact collections in the Americas. There are over 1,800 pieces, beautifully arranged in chronological corridors with explanatory panels and dioramas. (B)

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Day 3 - Quito / Baltra – Galapagos Islands Cruise (Thursday-Monday)

You will be assisted and transferred to the airport for your flight to Baltra. Upon arrival, transfer to the pier to board the cruise. Afternoon, Mosquera Islet. (BD)

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Day 4 - Egas Port (Santiago Island) / Rabida Island (BLD)

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Day 5 - Urbina Bay (Isabela Island) / Tagus Cove (Isabela Island) (BLD)

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Day 6 - Punta Espinosa (Fernandina Island) / Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island) (BLD)

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Day 7 - Highlands Tortoise Reserve or Pit Craters: for extended cruises (Santa Cruz Island) / Baltra Airport / Quito

The Galapagos Islands / Guayaquil / Lima

Arrive in Baltra this morning. Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Ecuador. Upon arrival in Guayaquil, connect with your flight to Lima. Upon arrival to Lima’s airport, you will be met and welcomed by our representative, walk to the hotel and check-in. (B)

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Day 8 - Lima / Cuzco / Sacred Valley of the Incas

Fly to Cuzco, A representative will meet and greet you and drive to Sacred Valley. 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, a centre Andean traditions interpretations, where demonstrations of the elaboration of textile work, adobe, pottery and silverware are carried out in the same way in which they used to in antiquity; an original recreation of Inca traditions. Also, residents of the museum include llamas, sheep and alpacas, and they can be fed! Upon arriving in Ollantaytambo visit its town, inhabited uninterruptedly since Inca times, and have a superior Andean gastronomy experience in a restaurant, where the true spirit of the Sacred Valley is transmitted in a cosy atmosphere! Later, climb the iconic fortress, built next to a mountain and then you are transferred to your hotel. Overnight in the Sacred Valley. (BL)

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Day 9 - Sacred Valley of the Incas / Machu Picchu

A transportation service will pick you up and transfer you to the Ollanta Station to board the train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Following a scenic journey through dramatic Andean landscapes, arrive at the station in Aguas Calientes. Here you board a coach for a 25-minute ride to Machu Picchu. The ‘Lost City of the Incas’ is believed to have been built in the 1450s by Inca emperor Pachacuti as a holiday retreat, yet within a century the city would be abandoned following the Spanish conquest. The Spaniards never found it, so it was spared the destruction they brought on other Inca sites. Instead, it was slowly swallowed up by the jungle and hidden from harm. A guided tour explains the origins behind this awe-inspiring citadel, presenting its most prominent landmarks such as the monumental Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial, and the Burial Grounds. Lunch at Cafe Inkaterra. Overnight in Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town). (BLD)

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Day 10 - Machu Picchu / Cuzco

The delicious breakfast at the hotel is followed by a relaxing morning at leisure.

Enjoy lunch at hotel. Later, in the afternoon, transfer to the Aguas Calientes station and take the train back to Ollanta station. From here you will be transferred to your hotel in Cusco. (BL)

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Day 11 - Depart Cuzco

A vehicle will transfer you from the selected hotel to the airport. A representative will assist you along the way. (B)

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