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 - Transfer to Puno
This morning, transfer to Puno by bus, the balance of the day is at leisure. Puno is located on the banks of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake at 12,421 feet above sea level
Overnight: Puno
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 7, Saturday - Excursion to Uros Islands
Today begins with a boat trip to the Uros Islands. These islands are completely man-made structures, and their inhabitants, the Uros, continue to maintain them as they have since pre-Columbian times, using totora reeds from the lake to build not only the islands, but also their houses. Return to your hotel later in the day and enjoy the balance at leisure
Optional: Half Day Sillustani Tombs (PM)
Overnight: Puno
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 8, Sunday - Fly to Lima
This morning, transfer to the airport in Juliaca for your flight back to Lima. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Lima
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 9, Monday - 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 10, Tuesday - 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 11, Wednesday - Arrive in Galapagos
This morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to San Cristobal, the Galapagos archipelago's oldest and easternmost island. Upon arrival, transfer to the pier and board the Galapagos Explorer II. Settle in for a visit to Cerro Brujo (wet landing) to view pelicans and a variety of sea birds, including Blue and Red-footed Boobies, Common Gallinules, and Frigates. Then, enjoy free time for snorkeling or a swim
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
DAY 12, Thursday - Sail to Bahia Gardner
This morning, sail to Punta Suarez (Española Island) (dry landing), where you can view sea lions surfing the waves and marine iguanas basking in the sun. You may hike further inland and view the Blowhole, a fissure in the lava cliffs where sea water jets high into the air. In the afternoon, arrive at Bahia Gardner (wet landing) and view one of the most pristine beaches in all of the Galapagos, home to many sea lion colonies and endemic mocking birds. Venture out to Gardner Rock for wall dives, where you can encounter tropical fish, rays, cactus finch and other colorful sea life while snorkeling
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
DAY 13, Friday - Sail to Santa Cruz Island
Today, arrive at Santa Cruz Island (dry landing). 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. Afterward, walk through Puerto Ayora, the largest town on the islands. In the afternoon, journey to the small island of Rabida (wet landing), located to the south of Santiago, and home to a central volcano with some of largest and most variegated types of lava in the island chain. A small saltwater lagoon provides occasional sights of Flamingos feeding on pink shrimp larva, while the beach is home to a large sea lion colony. Additionally, there is a short walk to the top of the trail where you will have opportunities to photograph the striking volcanic peaks
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner |
DAY 14, Saturday - Morning in Las Bachas
This morning, enjoy the white-sand beaches of Las Bachas (wet landing). The beaches' color and consistency comes from the eroded coral of which they are made, a color and consistency which also makes them a favorite nesting site for sea turtles. Transfer to the airport for your flight from Baltra to Guayaquil on the mainland. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel and enjoy the balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Guayaquil
Meals: Breakfast |
DAY 15, Sunday - Depart for the USA
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast |
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