DAY 1, Sunday - Depart the USA, Arrive in Lima
Depart USA to Peru. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in Lima. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Lima |
DAY 2, Monday - Lima City Tour
This morning meet with your guide for an orientation. Afterwards, depart for a tour of Lima. Enjoy the sights of Peru's capital city with 2000 years of indigenous and colonial heritage before stopping at the San Francisco Monastery, famous for its 17th century architecture and world-renowned library. Spend the remainder of the day at leisure in the "Gastronomical Capital of the Americas" by exploring Lima's nightlife or sampling some of its many restaurants
Optional: Half Day Larco Herrera Museum & Pueblo Libre (PM)
Optional: Dinner at La Dama Juana
Overnight: Lima
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 3, Tuesday - Fly to Cuzco
This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure to explore on your own
Optional: Half Day San Blas Walking Tour (PM)
Overnight: Lima
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 4, Wednesday - Full Day in Cuzco
Spend today at leisure in "The Imperial City". Take time to sightsee or shop independently. Cuzco is declared the Historical Capital by the Constitution of Peru and hosts nearly 1 million visitors every year. Visit some of the numerous Inca monuments or investigate the culinary secrets of Andean cuisine
Optional: Full Day Machu Picchu (choose , , or )
Overnight: Cuzco
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 5, Thursday - Cuzco City Tour
Enjoy this morning at leisure in Cuzco. In the afternoon, depart for a tour of Cuzco, view the impressive Colonial Cathedral in Cuzco, which contains over 400 paintings from the Cusqueña School in addition to colonial art. Continue on to visit the Korikancha, the Temple of the Sun, whose walls and floors were allegedly once covered by sheets of solid gold. This temple was once the most important religious site of the Incas
Optional: Half Day Nearby Ruins (AM)
Optional: Dinner at La Retama
Overnight: Cuzco
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 6, Friday - Fly to Quito
This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Quito. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Quito
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 7, Saturday - Quito City Tour
Your morning tour of Quito begins with a view of the Congress Building, with an outside stone mural that records Ecuador's colorful history. Continue to Quito's Colonial quarter and walk its narrow cobblestone streets for a sense of 16th-century Quito. View the Independence Plaza, the Presidential Palace, Municipal Building, the Archbishop's Palace, and the Churches of La Compania and San Francisco. Afterward, see the Ecuadorian landscape from atop El Panecillo Hill. Balance of the day at leisure
Optional: Middle of the World (PM)
Overnight: Quito
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 8, Sunday - Afternoon on Santa Cruz Island
This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands. Arrive at Baltra Island, and then cross the Itabaca Channel to the island of Santa Cruz. Via coach, travel to the Santa Cruz highlands to visit the Rancho Primicias reserve, where you will see the Giant Tortoises in their natural habitat. A stop will be made to view Los Gemelos (Spanish for "The Twins"), great depressions of sunken lava formed thousands of years ago. Afterwards, enjoy a box lunch en route to the Finch Bay Eco Hotel, where you will spend your next three nights. Balance of the day at leisure. Your Galapagos island itinerary is subject to change. Different islands and sites may be substituted
Overnight: Galapagos
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
DAY 9, Monday - Sail to North Seymour Island
Today enjoy a special boat route to North Seymour Island, a bird-lovers paradise. On this small uplifted island, you can see basking land and marine iguanas as well as a vast variety of endemic tropical birds, including blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls, and the largest frigate bird colony in the Galapagos. The cliffs along the island's north side are home to a large colony of fur sea lions, many of which can be seen bodysurfing the curling waves. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Galapagos
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
DAY 10, Tuesday - Sail to Plaza Island
After breakfast, travel by yacht to Plaza Island. Full of fascinating wildlife along the shores and rocky cliffs, this small island is home to Opuntia cacti and other types of vegetation which change colors with the seasons. Enjoy time at leisure on the island
Overnight: Galapagos
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
DAY 11, Wednesday - Visit Charles Darwin Research Station
Early morning departure to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, a specialized breeding and rearing center for the endangered Galapagos Giant Tortoise. The Darwin Station is a working branch of the international, non-profit Charles Darwin Foundation which works to protect and maintain the Galapagos' precious ecosystems. Following your visit, transfer to the airport in Baltra for your return flight to Guayaquil. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and enjoy the balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Quito
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 12, Thursday - Depart for the USA
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast |
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