DAY 1: Arrive in Lima

You will either fly from your home to Lima (flight not included), you can arrive any time this day. You overnight in the Wyndham Lima Airport Hotel. It’s not very exciting, but it’s within walking distance of the airport and you’ll get the most possible sleep this night.

Overnight in Lima: Costa del Sol Wyndham Airport Hotel (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: None

DAY 2: Arrive Cusco, Coffee Museum and Local’s Tour of Cusco

In the morning, you walk to the departure terminal (a couple of minutes away) and check in for your flight to Cusco (Flight not included in trip pricing).

Welcome to Cusco- touch down, collect your luggage and meet your guide, then drive twenty minutes through the colorful South American streets to your hotel.

Meet in the Coffee Museum at 1pm to enjoy a tasty lunch and learn about the story and people behind this popular drink.

After lunch step out into the Cusco streets and explore with one of our carefully chosen guides. They are not only very knowledgeable but also great fun to be with. You do not want to cram too much in on your first day at altitude, so relax and get used to being up high with a gentle walk around this old Inca capital.

Visit the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the Qoricancha temple of the sun and perhaps take in the sights, sounds and smells of San Pedro food market too. If you normally shop in supermarkets and farmers markets, you are in for a surprise. Stands full of juicy exotic fruits, counters heaving with cow heads and sheep hooves and cheerful local women selling handmade cheeses, local breads, healthy juices and even toad soup.

The evening is free to relax and wander around the UNESCO World Heritage Site city centre.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 3: Sacsayhuaman, Pisac Market & Ruins

So you want to see the best of Cusco and the Sacred Valley but you don’t want to do it with crowds of people? This is how to do it. We swapped the order around, so that you visit places when they are at their quietest.

First you stop amongst the huge megalithic walls of Sacsayhuaman, fifteen minutes above Cusco. Wander among the old stones of this Inca complex and listen to stories of the rebel Incas and Spanish who fought here in 1536. Tread the bloody battlefield where a few desperate Spanish horsemen broke the siege they were under and took on the masses of the Inca army.

Next you drive half an hour through the hills to the small market town of Pisac. Barter with local artisans for handicrafts, munch on an empanada fresh from the town oven and snap away as the local mayors emerge from the church, dressed in their finest traditional clothing, serenaded by assistants blowing conch shells.

Take a break for lunch and try a local Peruvian delicacy. Then hop in the vehicle and drive twenty minutes to Pisac ruins. The views are stunning. Ask your guide everything you ever wanted to know about Peru and the Incas. Such as why they decided to build so high up this hill. He will be delighted to answer.

Once you have filled your camera with photos, your brain with information and your lungs with fresh mountain air drive back down to the valley and check into your hotel for the night.

Overnight in the Sacred Valley: Hotel Sol y Luna (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4: Maras, Moray, Pachamanca Lunch, and Train to Aguas Calientes

Drive high above the Sacred Valley through patchwork farmlands to the gleaming white Maras salt-pans. Watch the locals extract salt by hand as they have done since the times of the Incas. Compose the perfect photo or just sit back and take in the beauty of the place. You can even buy some pink salt to sprinkle on your food back home.

Fifteen minutes more and you arrive at the strange circular ruins of Moray. Look around and decide what you think it was. Was it a landing pad for alien spaceships or was it an experimental Inca agriculture centre?

You then take a secret shortcut to the old Inca town of Ollantaytambo where you enjoy a special Pachamanca lunch on an organic farm. A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature. The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks. Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

While the meal is cooking, you will be shown around this farm, working to sustainable methods to provide food for the Cafe Mayu restaurant. After 45 minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, lamb, pork, alpaca, and chicken straight from the earth.

You can enjoy your meal under a thatch roof in the middle of the farm with views of the Inca temple of Ollantaytambo, mount Pinkulluna and the Veronica glacier. Food is served family style accompanied by chicha, fresh salads and a variety of sauces, including our tasty uchucutas. Beer and wine are available upon request, and we offer our signature Matacuy as a complimentary digestif after the meal.

This is made in the on site distillery, where you can also taste Caña Alta, a sugar cane spirit being distilled here in an attempt to revive lost traditions.

Finally you board a train for the ninety minute ride, along the river to the town of Machu Picchu where you will sleep for the night.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes: Hotel Inkaterra Machu Picchu (Superior Deluxe Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 5: Explore Machu Picchu Ruins and Return to Cusco

Board a morning bus for the twenty minutes ride to the entrance to Machu Picchu. It is a pretty busy place in the morning so you can avoid the crowds by taking a hike to the Sun Gate. Here you can enjoy a wonderful overview of the world famous site and take those all important photos, before your fully guided, in depth tour of the ruins.

Sit down to a nice lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge hotel where you can sample a selection of classic Peruvian dishes.

Finally, you ride the bus down the mountain, take the train back along the river and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6: Depart Cusco & Fly to Guayaquil, Ecuador

You will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Lima and then onto Guayaquil, Ecuador (flights not included). Upon your arrival in Guayaquil, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight in Guayaquil: Hotel Oro Verde (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 7: Fly to Galapagos & Begin Cruise: San Cristobal Island: El Junco Lake

In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the airport in time for your flight to the Galapagos (flight is not included in the trip price, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

Upon arrival to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island, the crew is waiting at the airport to escort you by bus to the main deck and then by zodiac to your yacht anchored in the bay. After the welcome briefing and safety drill, a delicious buffet lunch is served.

Before the yacht pulls anchor, you’ll return to San Cristobal to explore El Junco Lake.  Spanish for “sedge”, El Junco is the caldera of an extinct volcano and only sizable fresh water lake in the Galapagos.  Listen for the calls of sea lions – they may try to approach, and as you ride the zodiac and you’ll see them lounging on the boats docked in the harbor.

Upon your return to the yacht, the Captain and crew will welcome you on board with a cocktail, and a briefing of the next day’s activities.  With the small number of passengers on your yacht, you’ll have an opportunity to dine with the captain later in the week. But for tonight, enjoy meeting your fellow passengers as our kitchen staff treats you to a multi-course dinner complete with complimentary wine.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: San Cristobal: Cerro Brujo & Punta Pitt

You’ll start your exploration today with a Zodiac ride to look for wildlife at Cerro Brujo, which translates to Wizard Hill. Your guide will point out the wide variety of birds soaring around you, from brown pelicans and brown noddy terns to blue-footed boobies dive-bombing the water around you as they fish.

Look for different color patterns that indicate age – for example, a brown pelican will have a white neck when it’s mature. Sally lightfoot crabs, black when they’re young but extremely colorful once fully grown, scurry all over the rocks. Your guides will also point out unusual geological formations, including the Cathedral, jokingly called Darwin’s Pants.

After the Zodiac tour, you’ll be able to take in the gorgeous coral sand beach at your own pace. Take a peaceful walk along the beach, swim with sea lions or you have the option to paddle board or kayak. Paddleboards are beginner-friendly, with the option to kneel if you aren’t comfortable standing.

This is a good opportunity to become familiar with your snorkeling gear from the beach before snorkeling in deep-water.  Your guides will teach you about the various species of fish you’ve encountered so far. If you’d like help identifying any of the fish in your photos, they’ll be happy to lend their expertise.

Return to the yacht for a BBQ lunch served on the sun deck (weather permitting) before going ashore at Punta Pitt for a hike. This is considered one of the best sites for bird-watching, primarily because it is the only place where you’ll see all three species of boobies: the blue-footed, the red-footed, and the Nazca.

Look for baby blue-footed boobies, fully grown after just a couple of months but fluffy and white until their feathers come in. Your guides will also point out frigates, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, brown pelicans. At Pitt Rock, we can snorkel with sea lions and colorful fish such as King Angel and Surgeon fish. 

A Zodiac will transfer you back to the boat for a briefing and dinner.  As the yacht sets sail, choose from a selection of guide books or fiction in the library, or climb to the top deck for a distant view of “Sleeping Lion”.  Join your guide on deck for an exploration of the Southern skies full of stars if weather permits.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: Española Island: Punta Suarez & Gardner Bay

This morning you’ll land at Punta Suarez on Espanola (Hood) Island. Your guides will point out the large number of endemic species living here, such as the waved albatross. These gorgeous birds spend the first several years of their lives in the open ocean and return to land to mate. If your visit is between April and December, you will witness the well-known courtship dance.

As you walk, take care not to step on the marine iguanas sunbathing on the dark rocks. These iguanas are usually black but acquire bright red and green coloration during mating season from the algae they eat. Follow the trail to the dramatic ocean blow hole, watch for colorful sally light-foot crabs crawling along the shoreline.

We also find Darwin’s Finches, Hood mockingbird, Galapagos Doves, red-billed tropicbirds, Galapagos Hawks, Nazca boobies and swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gull in the world.  Return to the yacht for a BBQ lunch served on deck (weather permitting) and a cooking demonstration on how to make Ecuadorian ceviche. 

After lunch, you’ll have the option to snorkel at Tortuga Rock and explore the caves covered with invertebrates. Disembark at Gardner Bay, site of a beautiful white-sand beach where colonies of sea lions dot the shoreline. The dominant males of a sea lion colony keep watch over their harems to keep them safe. 

Here you’ll have the option to snorkel from the beach, kayak or paddle-board, or simply walk along the beach, sunbathe or explore the Darwin Finches, Espanola mockingbird and Galapagos hawks. After the activities, return to the yacht for a briefing and dinner. Your guide will offer an  enrichment lecture tonight after dinner. Informative and entertaining, the topic for this evening is on marine currents and climate or Geology of the Islands.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: Floreana Island: Punta Cormorant, Devil’s Crown OR Champion Islet & Post Office Bay

Step ashore at Punta Cormorant’s olive-sand beach with the sounds of sea lions, lava herons, yellow-crowned night herons and blue-footed boobies as you walk around Floreana (Charles) Island. The green mineral you’ll see on the beach is caused by a high concentration of iron and manganese from the same basaltic lava found in Hawaii.

As you walk to a brackish lagoon, home to Bahama ducks, common stilts, Galapagos flycatchers and bright pink flamingos, the guides will point out the rich variety of plant life, including morning glories, cut-leaf daisies, mangroves (black, red and white), palo verde and Scalesia.  The trail leads to a beach where sea turtles lay their eggs in the powdery sand dunes and sting rays swim in the shallow water.

Don’t miss the opportunity to snorkel at Devil’s Crown or Champion Islet, a shallow sunken crater colonized by a brilliant array of colorful fish and coral, white-tipped sharks, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and sea stars. Return to the yacht for lunch and a brief history of the human history of Galapagos and explain the fascinating story of why this island is sometimes called the Island of Mysteries.

In the afternoon, you’ll be able to participate in a thrilling Galapagos tradition. Floreana is home to Post Office Bay, the site where English whaling vessels erected a post barrel in the late 18th century. When you drop a postcard in the barrel, no postage is required.

You’ll search through the postcards left by previous visitors, and if you see one addressed to a location near your home, you may choose to take it with you and deliver it in person. Similarly, your note will be delivered by future visitors. Postcards will be provided on board by your guides.

Take a Zodiac excursion at Baroness Point to look for sea turtles and rays. If you have an underwater camera, you’ll be busy snapping photos of sea stars and a brilliant array of colorful fish. Return to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner and a fun filled entertaining pirate themed party – participation is optional.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Center

When you look outside this morning, your view will be completely different from the last few days. A harbor full of boats is bustling with activity at Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, a town with a population of 24,000.

You’ll travel by bus to a higher altitude with beautiful geological formations including the lava tunnels at El Mirador and Los Gemelos (the twins), a pair of massive craters. Your guides will explain how they were formed. The highlight of the morning is a visit to a privately-owned ranch where tortoises roam free. These slow-moving giants can grow to be over 500 pounds!

Lunch will be served back on board the yacht, and in the afternoon you’ll learn about the most famous visitor to the Galapagos – Charles Darwin – as well as current conservation efforts, when you visit the Centro de Crianza Fausto Llerena and Charles Darwin Research Station.

Visit the exhibit honoring Lonesome George, whose death marked the extinction of his species of tortoise from Pinta Island. There’s another story with a happier ending: Diego, a tortoise from the San Diego zoo, brought his species back from the brink of extinction by fathering hundreds of offspring. 

You’ll have free time to explore the town as you walk back to the main dock, the distance of about a mile. If you’re looking for a souvenir, this is the perfect time. Stop at the artisan chocolate shop to select a truffle, with dozens of flavor options, or visit an art gallery for a painting or ceramic piece. Along the way there will be cafes with coffee, ice cream and internet.

You’ll have the option to stay on land for dinner with transfers provided by Zodiac. Otherwise, return to the yacht for the usual delicious multi-course dinner.  Today’s daily briefing will be held in the afternoon to allow for extra time in the evening.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12: Bartolome Island & Black Turtle Cove

When you wake up this morning, you’ll be in solitude once again, with no other boats in sight. You’ll have two options for a morning activity. Today’s hike is a challenge, with about 400 wooden steps winding around Bartolome island, ending in a gorgeous panoramic view of Pinnacle Rock. 

Your guide will stop along the way to describe the geology of the landscape – mini lava cones and bombs formed by flowing magma from past volcanic eruptions. If you’d rather skip the hike, enjoy a Zodiac ride around the island to look for penguins.  You’ll see these adorable animals – the second smallest type of penguin – swimming and diving playfully or grooming themselves on rocks. 

Crystal clear water beckons you to wade in from the beach (1). Snorkel with schools of tropical fish, white-tipped reef sharks and Galapagos Penguins.  Return to the vessel for a BBQ lunch served on the sundeck (weather permitting).   

This afternoon we take a zodiac excursion at Caleta Tortuga Negra (Black Turtle Cove) through a series of coves and inlets surrounded by mangroves. You’ll navigate slowly along the shoreline, listening for the telltale deep inhale of a sea turtle and watching for the wings of a school of golden rays.

Your guide will offer an enrichment lecture tonight after dinner. Informative and entertaining, the topic for this evening is on Charles Darwin and evolution or social/ environmental projects that are supported by Ecoventura 

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 13: South Plazas Island & North Seymour Island

This morning you’ll start out at South Plaza, a small islet with tall cliffs and a trail with a variety of plants and animals. This island’s species of “Opuntia” or prickly pear cactus has been decimated by invasive species, so you’ll see young plants surrounded by nets to protect them. Look for nests for a variety of birds, such as swallow-tailed gulls, shearwaters, small ground finches, and red-billed tropicbirds. 

This geological uplift is home to a colony of bachelor sea lions, with dominant bulls in various stages of recovery from battles over prime beach territory.  You’ll also have an opportunity to see land iguanas up close, and your guides will describe what differentiates them from marine iguanas.

During lunch, you’ll sail to North Seymour Island, where a spectacular sight awaits: frigate birds with red sacs on their chests inflated, seeking mates.  At the height of mating season, you’ll be surrounded by dozens, but no matter what time of year you visit, there will be individuals seeking mates.

The Galapagos Islands are home to two different species of frigates, Great and Magnificent, and your guides will teach you to identify the difference. You’ll have a final opportunity to snorkel in deeper water. Look for sharks, sea lions, and starfish, along with a variety of tropical fish. 

Before dinner, the captain and crew  join you for a champagne toast to celebrate a wonderful week during the Captain’s farewell party. During the briefing, and you’ll receive detailed instructions for disembarking the next morning, After dinner, there is a special presentation from your guides.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 14: San Cristobal Interpretation Center & Depart Galapagos. Fly Home

This morning you’ll disembark the yacht after breakfast.  As a perfect way to sum up the trip, you’ll visit the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal to learn more about the human history of the Galapagos Islands. There’s also a paved trail where you can enjoy a brief walk before a bus ride to town.

You’ll have some free time for last-minute photos before your transfer to the airport. It’s a quick flight back to the mainland, but you’ll be bringing lifelong memories with you!

(Flight is not included, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

If you’re finishing your trip and heading home, you can fly from the Galapagos to either Quito or Guayaquil, which ever city has the best connection for you to fly home. From one of these cities, you’ll catch your international flight home (flights not included in pricing).

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 1: Arrive in Lima

You will either fly from your home to Lima (flight not included), you can arrive any time this day. You overnight in the Wyndham Lima Airport Hotel. It’s not very exciting, but it’s within walking distance of the airport and you’ll get the most possible sleep this night.

Overnight in Lima: Costa del Sol Wyndham Airport Hotel (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: None

DAY 2: Arrive Cusco, Coffee Museum and Local’s Tour of Cusco

In the morning, you walk to the departure terminal (a couple of minutes away) and check in for your flight to Cusco (Flight not included in trip pricing).

Welcome to Cusco- touch down, collect your luggage and meet your guide, then drive twenty minutes through the colorful South American streets to your hotel.

Meet in the Coffee Museum at 1pm to enjoy a tasty lunch and learn about the story and people behind this popular drink.

After lunch step out into the Cusco streets and explore with one of our carefully chosen guides. They are not only very knowledgeable but also great fun to be with. You do not want to cram too much in on your first day at altitude, so relax and get used to being up high with a gentle walk around this old Inca capital.

Visit the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the Qoricancha temple of the sun and perhaps take in the sights, sounds and smells of San Pedro food market too. If you normally shop in supermarkets and farmers markets, you are in for a surprise. Stands full of juicy exotic fruits, counters heaving with cow heads and sheep hooves and cheerful local women selling handmade cheeses, local breads, healthy juices and even toad soup.

The evening is free to relax and wander around the UNESCO World Heritage Site city centre.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 3: Sacsayhuaman, Pisac Market & Ruins

So you want to see the best of Cusco and the Sacred Valley but you don’t want to do it with crowds of people? This is how to do it. We swapped the order around, so that you visit places when they are at their quietest.

First you stop amongst the huge megalithic walls of Sacsayhuaman, fifteen minutes above Cusco. Wander among the old stones of this Inca complex and listen to stories of the rebel Incas and Spanish who fought here in 1536. Tread the bloody battlefield where a few desperate Spanish horsemen broke the siege they were under and took on the masses of the Inca army.

Next you drive half an hour through the hills to the small market town of Pisac. Barter with local artisans for handicrafts, munch on an empanada fresh from the town oven and snap away as the local mayors emerge from the church, dressed in their finest traditional clothing, serenaded by assistants blowing conch shells.

Take a break for lunch and try a local Peruvian delicacy. Then hop in the vehicle and drive twenty minutes to Pisac ruins. The views are stunning. Ask your guide everything you ever wanted to know about Peru and the Incas. Such as why they decided to build so high up this hill. He will be delighted to answer.

Once you have filled your camera with photos, your brain with information and your lungs with fresh mountain air drive back down to the valley and check into your hotel for the night.

Overnight in the Sacred Valley: Hotel Sol y Luna (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4: Maras, Moray, Pachamanca Lunch, and Train to Aguas Calientes

Drive high above the Sacred Valley through patchwork farmlands to the gleaming white Maras salt-pans. Watch the locals extract salt by hand as they have done since the times of the Incas. Compose the perfect photo or just sit back and take in the beauty of the place. You can even buy some pink salt to sprinkle on your food back home.

Fifteen minutes more and you arrive at the strange circular ruins of Moray. Look around and decide what you think it was. Was it a landing pad for alien spaceships or was it an experimental Inca agriculture centre?

You then take a secret shortcut to the old Inca town of Ollantaytambo where you enjoy a special Pachamanca lunch on an organic farm. A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature.

The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks. Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

While the meal is cooking, you will be shown around this farm, working to sustainable methods to provide food for the Cafe Mayu restaurant. After 45 minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, lamb, pork, alpaca, and chicken straight from the earth.

You can enjoy your meal under a thatch roof in the middle of the farm with views of the Inca temple of Ollantaytambo, mount Pinkulluna and the Veronica glacier. Food is served family style accompanied by chicha, fresh salads and a variety of sauces, including our tasty uchucutas. Beer and wine are available upon request, and we offer our signature Matacuy as a complimentary digestif after the meal.

This is made in the on site distillery, where you can also taste Caña Alta, a sugar cane spirit being distilled here in an attempt to revive lost traditions.

Finally you board a train for the ninety minute ride, along the river to the town of Machu Picchu where you will sleep for the night.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes: Hotel Inkaterra Machu Picchu (Superior Deluxe Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 5: Explore Machu Picchu Ruins and Return to Cusco

Board a morning bus for the twenty minutes ride to the entrance to Machu Picchu. It is a pretty busy place in the morning so you can avoid the crowds by taking a hike to the Sun Gate. Here you can enjoy a wonderful overview of the world famous site and take those all important photos, before your fully guided, in depth tour of the ruins.

Sit down to a nice lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge hotel where you can sample a selection of classic Peruvian dishes.

Finally, you ride the bus down the mountain, take the train back along the river and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6: Depart Cusco & Fly to Guayaquil, Ecuador

You will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Lima and then onto Guayaquil, Ecuador (flights not included). Upon your arrival in Guayaquil, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight in Guayaquil: Hotel Oro Verde (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 7: Fly to Galapagos & Begin Cruise: San Cristobal Island: Galapaguera Cerro Colorado

In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the airport in time for your flight to the Galapagos (flight is not included in the trip price, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

Upon arrival to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island, the crew is waiting at the airport to escort you by bus to the main deck and then by zodiac to your yacht anchored in the bay. After the welcome briefing and safety drill, a delicious buffet lunch is served.

The group travels by bus to the highlands to visit Centro de Crianza Jacinto Gordillo aka La Galapaguera Cerro Colorado where the national park has established a breeding program for the giant land tortoises that you will encounter in their natural habitat. Learn about their origin, evolution and threats by introduced animals at the information center.

Along the trail, you find the San Cristobal (Chatham) mockingbird and Calandrinia plant, both endemic to this island. After joining your fellow yacht mates this evening for the island briefing, you will enjoy our captain’s welcome cocktail party and dinner prepared by our well-trained chefs.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: Tower (Genovesa) Island: Darwin Bay & Prince Philips Steps

Spend the entire day on Tower Island (Genovesa), considered to be one of the most spectacular Islands in Galapagos for bird species. Your wet landing at Darwin Bay will land you on a coral sand beach where Swallow-tailed and Lava gulls gather near the tide pools.

Enter a forest of Opuntia cactus and mangroves where colonies of Great frigate birds nest. The males inflate their red-throated pouches to attract the females flying overhead. The trail leads through a rich intertidal zone with a wide diversity of wildlife. After lunch and a dry landing at Prince Philip’s Steps, a trail leads to Red-footed boobies nesting in Palo Santo trees and Nazca boobies nesting near the trail.

In an open lava field, find large numbers of Storm petrels. If you are lucky, we will see the elusive Short-eared owl. Chose to have a picnic lunch on deck or dine inside. Look for the beautiful Red-billed Tropic bird found in the crevices along the cliff by kayak or Zodiac.

You can choose to swim or snorkel from the beach with sea lions in these northern warmer waters or for those with experience, we offer snorkeling in deeper water. Return to the yacht for briefing and dinner before we cross the equator.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: Santa Cruz Island: Las Bachas & Cerro Dragon

Today we visit Las Bachas (“the barges”). Just off this long stretch of beach with soft, white sand are interior lagoons where the Greater flamingo forages for food. This stop also provides a wonderful chance to snorkel from the beach. At Black Turtle Cove aka Caleta Tortuga Negra we have a zodiac ride through a series of coves and inlets surrounded by mangroves.

Here you can view pairs of mating sea turtles (Sept to Feb), white-tipped reef sharks and golden cow-nosed rays. Located on the northern tip of Santa Cruz is Cerro Dragon aka Dragon Hill.

Along the trail, we find Darwin Finches, Galapagos Flycatchers, Yellow Warblers, Audubon Shearwater and the endemic land iguanas, orange-yellow in color with large spines along their backs, were once part of the Darwin Station’s breeding program.

We find pink flamingos feeding in the salt-water lagoon as well as other lagoon birds; stilts, pintail ducks, sandpipers and more. From the top of the hill, we enjoy a majestic view of the bay island covered in Opuntia cactus, Palo Santo and Cordia Lutea (muyuyu). After the briefing and dinner, we sail toward the western islands and cross the equator line for the second time.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 10: Fernandina Island: Punta Espinoza & Isabela Island: Urbina Bay

Today you start with a semi-wet landing at Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island, the youngest and most pristine Island in Galapagos where no mammals were introduced. Recent lava flows formed by an active volcano stretch around the coast.

Hundreds of Marine iguanas, members of the largest colony in Galapagos, bask in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Observe sea lion harems with resident bulls carefully guarding their territory. Flightless cormorants build their nests on the point and Galapagos hawks fly overhead.

There is a chance to snorkel here with sea turtles. After lunch, you will cross the Bolivar Chanel where whales are often spotted and dolphins ride the bow wave.

We disembark at Urbina Bay on Isabela Island, where four miles of coastal seabed and its marine life was exposed due to a dramatic uplift in 1954 when the volcano erupted. The marine remnants of coral skeletons, some of them waist-high, are visited after a wet landing on the beach.

Urbina is home to the very large and colorful Galapagos land iguana. You will osee here occasionally giant tortoises and Darwin finches. Brown pelicans and Flightless cormorants nest here, and giant Marine iguanas are seen along the coast.

You may encounter penguins while snorkeling here. At Punta Vicente Roca, a Zodiac ride offers an incredible view of the tuff walls, and can enter the wave-sculpted cave where a sea turtle could be lurking. You may spot the dorsal fin of a Mola Mola, an odd-looking giant sun fish. You return to the yacht for a briefing and dinner.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 11: Isabela Island: Elizabeth Bay & Tagus Cove

Today you visit by zodiac Elizabeth Bay on Isabela Island, starting with a visit to a secluded cove lined with large red mangrove trees. Here, turtles, rays, and shore birds can be seen. You then motor to the rocky islets known as “Las Marielas,” where a colony of nesting penguins, Flightless cormorants and giant Marine iguanas are found. Isabela was created when six volcanoes flowed together and formed the largest island in Galapagos.

You have a dry landing at Tagus Cove, a favorite anchorage for pirates and whalers over the centuries. Old graffiti dating back to the 1800’s is written on the rocky cliffs. Explore the coves by zodiac or kayak to find Galapagos penguins, boobies, pelicans and other seabirds.

An uphill hike brings you to a salt-water lagoon, a scenic overlook with a spectacular view of the ocean, lava fields and volcanic formations. An excellent snorkeling site is offered from the zodiac or, if you prefer, take a kayak and explore the shoreline. After dinner, a sky full of stars beckons all on deck to observe the galaxy while crossing the equator for the last time.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 12: Santiago Island: Puerto Egas & Rabida Island

We stroll along the shoreline at Puerto Egas on Santiago Island (James) looking for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae.

Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, American oystercatchers and yellow-crowned night herons. Our walk ends at the grottos, deep pools of clear water where you encounter fur sea lions. Before returning to the yacht, there is a snorkeling opportunity. After lunch, take a seat on deck to view the dramatic landscape and dolphins that are often spotted here.

You begin the day by disembarking on Rabida Island (Jervis), located near James Island. Rabida is considered the geographic center of Galapagos because this island sports the most diversified volcanic rocks. The dark-red sand beach originated from the high content of iron in the volcanic stones.

While strolling along the trail, you may find Marine iguanas, mocking birds, yellow warblers and several species of Darwin finches leading to a saltwater lagoon where Greater flamingos migrate. After the walk, there is not-to-miss snorkeling option with a large colony of sea lions. You return to the yacht for the Captain’s Farewell cocktail party and dinner as well as a special slide show presentation by your guides.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 13: Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Station

The bus takes the group to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. The scenery gradually changes as the route winds through all seven vegetation zones found in the Galapagos. Here, you visit the tortoise reserve at Las Primicias, one of the private farms in the highlands where giant tortoises are found in their natural habitat.

Next, a stop at “the tunnels,” which are the largest lava tubes found in Galapagos. Then it’s off to visit Los Gemelos (“the twins”), a pair of large pit craters where the bright red male vermilion flycatcher is right at home.

After lunch, a visit to the Centro de Crianza Fausto Llerena (aka the Charles Darwin Research Station) puts you among several tortoise species and the breeding center where new hatchlings are studied and protected until they’re released back into the wild.

Scientists from across the globe work at the station where they conduct biological research from anatomy to zoology. A stop at Van Straelen Hall provides the opportunity to view exhibits and a presentation. Visitors can observe the tortoise and land iguanas.

Puerto Ayora is the social heart of the islands with the largest population of 24,000 people. This evening you have the option to return to the yacht for a buffet dinner or remain in town on your own account. Those who return to the yacht will be provided zodiacs to return to town to shop for souvenirs or to stop in at an internet café and connect with home. Zodiacs will return you to the yacht.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 14: San Cristobal Interpretation Center & Depart Galapagos. Fly Home.

With a visit to the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal Island you gain a more complete understanding of the natural and human history of the Islands. Afterwards, the group spends time in port before heading to the airport for our flight back to the mainland, departing around noon (flight is not included, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

If you’re finishing your trip and heading home, you can fly from the Galapagos to either Quito or Guayaquil, which ever city has the best connection for you to fly home. From one of these cities, you’ll catch your international flight home (flights not included in pricing).

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 1: Arrive in Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador

You will either fly from your home to either Quito or Guayaquil (flight not included), the two largest cities in Ecuador. You can arrive any time this day. You will be met at the airport by a hotel shuttle. You overnight at an airport near either of the hotels.

Overnight in Quito: Wyndham Airport Hotel (standard room) or similar
Overnight in Guayaquil: Hotel Oro Verde (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: None

DAY 2: Fly to Galapagos & Begin Cruise: San Cristobal Island: Cerro Tijeretas

In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Quito or Guayaquil airport in time for your flight to the Galapagos (flight is not included in the trip price, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

Upon arrival to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island, the crew is waiting at the airport to escort you by bus to the main deck and then by zodiac to your yacht anchored in the bay. After the welcome briefing and safety drill, a delicious buffet lunch is served.

The group travels by bus to Cerro Tijeretas, or “Frigatebird Hill,” situated just outside town near La Predial. A fishing community from 1952 to 1960, La Predial is one of two sites where you can spot nesting colonies of both the Great and Magnificent species of frigate birds.

The trail leads to Playa Mann where you will witness beautiful scenery and vistas. The group returns to the yacht and departs at 3 p.m. to cruise around Leon Dormido aka Kicker Rock, a vertical tuff cone formation that rises abruptly nearly 500 feet from the ocean.

On the cliffs, you will spot blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies and Magnificent frigate birds. After joining your fellow yacht mates this evening for the island briefing, you will enjoy our captain’s welcome cocktail party and dinner prepared by our well-trained chefs.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3: San Cristobal: Cerro Brujo & Punta Pitt

You arrive in Cerro Brujo, a breathtaking white coral beach considered one of the most spectacular in Galapagos and perfect for a peaceful walk. On the walk, you will enjoy expansive views and good bird watching.

You can take an opportunity to snorkel or kayak from the beach or swim with sea lions as well as a Zodiac ride. During lunch, the cruise heads toward the northeastern tip of San Cristobal Island to Punta Pitt, a tuff formation that serves as a nesting site for many sea birds including all three types of boobies:

Blue-footed, Nazca and Red-footed boobies, both frigate species, swallow-tailed gulls, Storm petrels and a colony of sea lions. Punta Pitt is considered a first-class site for birds and on par with Genovesa, or Tower, Island. You will return to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4: Española Island: Punta Suarez & Gardner Bay

You disembark at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island (Hood), where you witness the highest rate of endemic species in Galapagos. Sea lions noisily greet our landing on their beach. Curious Hood mockingbirds peck at your shoelaces.

From April to December, the waved albatross, found only on Espanola, perform their wild mating ritual. Colonies of blue-footed boobies engage in “sky-pointing” to show off for potential mates. Nazca boobies busily care for their young. Stunning swallow-tailed gulls are the only nocturnal gulls in the world and fish at night.

Red-billed tropicbirds take shelter under the cliffs. Also found here are Darwin’s finches, Galapagos doves and Galapagos hawks. This is a great place to observe a unique species of marine iguana identified with traces of red and green colorings. Colorful Sally light-foot crabs crawl along the shoreline near to the famous “blow hole.”

After lunch and a wet landing in Gardner Bay on Espanola Island (Hood), you walk along a seemingly endless stretch of this white sandy beach where you’ll find large colonies of sea lions. With no trail to follow this is a chance to explore or take a long walk.

You may find a Galapagos hawk, Darwin’s finches or Hood mockingbird. Swim with sea lions right from the beach, explore the bay and islets by kayak or just relax on the beach. There’s an excellent snorkeling site off Gardner Islet with a colorful diversity of sea life near Tortuga Rock. Explore caves by Zodiac covered with invertebrates. We return to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5: Floreana Island: Punta Cormorant, Devil’s Crown & Post Office Bay

Step ashore at Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island (Charles), one of the few populated islands in the Galapagos. Floreana presents a rich human history full of mystery and intrigue and the wildlife is abundant. Your first step on the green-sand beach is greeted by the sounds of sea lions.

You’ll follow a trail to a brackish lagoon, and the home of pintail ducks, common stilts, and the Greater Flamingos, the pinkest in the world. Continuing on, you wind your way past a rich variety of plants including Morning Glory, Cut Leaf daisies, Palo Verdes and Scalesia leading to a beach with powder-soft sand.

Sea turtles lay their eggs in the sand dunes and rays swim in the shallow water. After the walk, take the opportunity to snorkel at Devil’s Crown or Champion, a shallow sunken crater colonized by a brilliant array of colorful fish and corral.

Choose to have a picnic lunch on deck or dine inside. After lunch, enjoy a visit to Post Office Bay, which is not the most scenic but definitely one of the most famous sites in Galapagos. Here is where a wooden barrel was erected and put into use by whaling ships in the late 18th century.

Mail was put into the barrel and picked up and delivered by ships heading home, mostly to Europe and the United States. You are invited to leave a post card and to pick up any mail from your home area. Our group returns to the yacht for a briefing followed by dinner.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Center

Our bus takes us to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. The scenery gradually changes as the route winds through all seven vegetation zones found in Galapagos. Here, you visit the tortoise reserve at Las Primicias, one of the private farms in the highlands where giant tortoises are found in their natural habitat.

Next, a stop at “the tunnels,” which are the largest lava tubes found in Galapagos. Then it’s off to visit Los Gemelos (“the twins”), a pair of large pit craters where the bright red male vermilion flycatcher is right at home.

After lunch, a visit to the Centro de Crianza Fausto Llerena (aka the Charles Darwin Research Station) puts us among several tortoise species and the breeding center where new hatchlings are studied and protected until they’re ready for release back to the wild. Scientists from all over the globe work at the station where they conduct biological research from anatomy to zoology.

A stop at Van Straelen Hall provides the opportunity to view exhibits and a presentation. Visitors can see the tortoise and land iguanas. Puerto Ayora is the social heart of the islands with the largest population of 24,000 people. This evening you have the option to return to your yacht for a buffet dinner or remain in town on your own account.

Those who return to the yacht will be provided zodiacs to return to town to shop for souvenirs or to stop in at an internet café and connect with home. Zodiacs will be provided for your return to your yacht.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7: Bartolome Island & Sombrero Chino

At Bartolome Island, after a dry landing you’ll swear you’re walking on the moon. This young Island is inhospitable to most plants and animals. From the beach you climb stairs for 30 minutes to arrive at the summit of a once-active volcano.

Along the way, pause to marvel at lava bombs, spatter cones and cinder cones. From the top of the wooden stairs, gaze out across the island for a panoramic view of the island and “Pinnacle Rock,” an eroded tuff cone. Crystal-clear water is an invitation to snorkel from the beach with schools of tropical fish and Galapagos penguins or take a Zodiac ride.

After lunch, enjoy a visit to Las Bachas (“barges”). Just off this long stretch of beach with soft, white sand are interior lagoons where the Greater flamingo forages for food. This stop also provides a wonderful chance to snorkel from the beach. Located off the southern tip of Santiago is Sombrero Chino aka Chinese Hat, a place owing its name to its shape.

After a wet beach landing near sea lion colonies, the trail gives way to a primeval landscape of volcanic rubble including cracked lava formations and lava tubes. Marine iguanas and pairs of oystercatchers like it here, where you have the option nearby to snorkel at a site frequented by Galapagos penguins. After a briefing, enjoy a great dinner at anchor in a calm protected area.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: South Plazas Island & North Seymour Island

Today we visit South Plaza Island, a small geological uplift with tall cliffs offering spectacular views. After a dry landing, the trails lead us through prickly pear cactus, or opuntia, and sesuvium. Here you can find the Galapagos Land iguana feeding on the cactus leaves.

Toward the end of the hill, you encounter a colony of bachelor sea lions. The dominant bulls are in various stages of recovery from battles lost over prime beach territory. Swallow-tailed gulls, Shearwaters and Red-billed tropicbirds build their nests along the cliffs.

After a dry landing at North Seymour Island, a small geological uplift, you follow a trail that leads to Swallow-tailed gulls, Blue-footed boobies and the endemic Land iguanas. Visit the largest colony of Magnificent frigate birds found in Galapagos.

Strolling the beach, witness Marine iguanas and sea lions body surf the northern swells. After the walk you can take a snorkeling opportunity offered in deep water. Back at the yacht, you’ll partake in the Captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner as well as a special slide show presentation by your guides.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: San Cristobal Interpretation Center & Depart Galapagos. Fly to Lima, Peru

With a visit to the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal Island you gain a more complete understanding of the natural and human history of the Islands. Afterwards, the group spends time in port before heading to the airport for our flight back to the mainland, departing around noon (flight is not included, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

We recommend flying Galapagos – Guayaquil – Lima, as Guayaquil is closest to both the Galapagos and Lima. It’s also possible to have a layover in Quito, but it’s more flying time. (Flights are not included)

When you arrive in Lima, you will walk (a couple of minutes) to the airport hotel. It’s not a very interesting hotel, but it is very convenient.

Overnight in Lima: Costa del Sol Wyndham Airport Hotel (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 10: Arrive Cusco, Coffee Museum and Local’s Tour of Cusco

In the morning, you walk to the departure terminal (a couple of minutes away) and check in for your flight to Cusco (Flight not included in trip pricing).

Welcome to Cusco- touch down, collect your luggage and meet your guide, then drive twenty minutes through the colorful South American streets to your hotel.

Meet in the Coffee Museum at 1pm to enjoy a tasty lunch and learn about the story and people behind this popular drink.

After lunch step out into the Cusco streets and explore with one of our carefully chosen guides. They are not only very knowledgeable but also great fun to be with. You do not want to cram too much in on your first day at altitude, so relax and get used to being up high with a gentle walk around this old Inca capital.

Visit the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the Qoricancha temple of the sun and perhaps take in the sights, sounds and smells of San Pedro food market too. If you normally shop in supermarkets and farmers markets, you are in for a surprise. Stands full of juicy exotic fruits, counters heaving with cow heads and sheep hooves and cheerful local women selling handmade cheeses, local breads, healthy juices and even toad soup.

The evening is free to relax and wander around the UNESCO World Heritage Site city centre.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 11: Sacsayhuaman, Pisac Market & Ruins

So you want to see the best of Cusco and the Sacred Valley but you don’t want to do it with crowds of people? This is how to do it. We swapped the order around, so that you visit places when they are at their quietest.

First you stop amongst the huge megalithic walls of Sacsayhuaman, fifteen minutes above Cusco. Wander among the old stones of this Inca complex and listen to stories of the rebel Incas and Spanish who fought here in 1536. Tread the bloody battlefield where a few desperate Spanish horsemen broke the siege they were under and took on the masses of the Inca army.

Next you drive half an hour through the hills to the small market town of Pisac. Barter with local artisans for handicrafts, munch on an empanada fresh from the town oven and snap away as the local mayors emerge from the church, dressed in their finest traditional clothing, serenaded by assistants blowing conch shells.

Take a break for lunch and try a local Peruvian delicacy. Then hop in the vehicle and drive twenty minutes to Pisac ruins. The views are stunning. Ask your guide everything you ever wanted to know about Peru and the Incas. Such as why they decided to build so high up this hill. He will be delighted to answer.

Once you have filled your camera with photos, your brain with information and your lungs with fresh mountain air drive back down to the valley and check into your hotel for the night.

Overnight in the Sacred Valley: Hotel Sol y Luna (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 12: Maras, Moray, Pachamanca Lunch, and Train to Aguas Calientes

Drive high above the Sacred Valley through patchwork farmlands to the gleaming white Maras salt-pans. Watch the locals extract salt by hand as they have done since the times of the Incas. Compose the perfect photo or just sit back and take in the beauty of the place. You can even buy some pink salt to sprinkle on your food back home.

Fifteen minutes more and you arrive at the strange circular ruins of Moray. Look around and decide what you think it was. Was it a landing pad for alien spaceships or was it an experimental Inca agriculture centre?

You then take a secret shortcut to the old Inca town of Ollantaytambo where you enjoy a special Pachamanca lunch on an organic farm. A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature.

The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks. Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

While the meal is cooking, you will be shown around this farm, working to sustainable methods to provide food for the Cafe Mayu restaurant. After 45 minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, lamb, pork, alpaca, and chicken straight from the earth.

You can enjoy your meal under a thatch roof in the middle of the farm with views of the Inca temple of Ollantaytambo, mount Pinkulluna and the Veronica glacier. Food is served family style accompanied by chicha, fresh salads and a variety of sauces, including our tasty uchucutas. Beer and wine are available upon request, and we offer our signature Matacuy as a complimentary digestif after the meal.

This is made in the on site distillery, where you can also taste Caña Alta, a sugar cane spirit being distilled here in an attempt to revive lost traditions.

Finally you board a train for the ninety minute ride, along the river to the town of Machu Picchu where you will sleep for the night.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes: Hotel Inkaterra Machu Picchu (Superior Deluxe Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 13: Explore Machu Picchu Ruins and Return to Cusco

Board a morning bus for the twenty minutes ride to the entrance to Machu Picchu. It is a pretty busy place in the morning so you can avoid the crowds by taking a hike to the Sun Gate. Here you can enjoy a wonderful overview of the world famous site and take those all important photos, before your fully guided, in depth tour of the ruins.

Sit down to a nice lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge hotel where you can sample a selection of classic Peruvian dishes.

Finally, you ride the bus down the mountain, take the train back along the river and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 14: Free Morning in Cusco & Depart. Fly Home.

Back once more in the old Inca capital you have time to enjoy all that this city has to offer. Cooking classes, chocolate making, souvenir hunting or even just sitting in one of the many cafes and watching the world go by. The new late flights out of Cusco allow you to really maximize your time and get the most out of this holiday of a lifetime.

You will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Lima and then you connect with your international departure (flights not included).

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 1: Arrive in Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador

You will either fly from your home to either Quito or Guayaquil (flight not included), the two largest cities in Ecuador. You can arrive any time this day. You will be met at the airport by a hotel shuttle. You overnight at an airport near either of the hotels.

Overnight in Quito: Wyndham Airport Hotel (standard room) or similar
Overnight in Guayaquil: Hotel Oro Verde (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: None

DAY 2: Fly to Galapagos & Begin Cruise: San Cristobal Island: Galapaguera Cerro Colorado

In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Quito or Guayaquil airport in time for your flight to the Galapagos (flight is not included in the trip price, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

Upon arrival to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal Island, the crew is waiting at the airport to escort you by bus to the main deck and then by zodiac to your yacht anchored in the bay. After the welcome briefing and safety drill, a delicious buffet lunch is served.

The group travels by bus to the highlands to visit Centro de Crianza Jacinto Gordillo aka La Galapaguera Cerro Colorado where the national park has established a breeding program for the giant land tortoises that you will encounter in their natural habitat. Learn about their origin, evolution and threats by introduced animals at the information center.

Along the trail, you find the San Cristobal (Chatham) mockingbird and Calandrinia plant, both endemic to this island. After joining your fellow yacht mates this evening for the island briefing, you will enjoy our captain’s welcome cocktail party and dinner prepared by our well-trained chefs.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 3: Tower (Genovesa) Island: Darwin Bay & Prince Philips Steps

Spend the entire day on Tower Island (Genovesa), considered to be one of the most spectacular Islands in Galapagos for bird species. Your wet landing at Darwin Bay will land you on a coral sand beach where Swallow-tailed and Lava gulls gather near the tide pools.

Enter a forest of Opuntia cactus and mangroves where colonies of Great frigate birds nest. The males inflate their red-throated pouches to attract the females flying overhead. The trail leads through a rich intertidal zone with a wide diversity of wildlife.

After lunch and a dry landing at Prince Philip’s Steps, a trail leads to Red-footed boobies nesting in Palo Santo trees and Nazca boobies nesting near the trail. In an open lava field, find large numbers of Storm petrels. If you are lucky, we will see the elusive Short-eared owl.

Chose to have a picnic lunch on deck or dine inside. Look for the beautiful Red-billed Tropic bird found in the crevices along the cliff by kayak or Zodiac. You can choose to swim or snorkel from the beach with sea lions in these northern warmer waters or for those with experience, we offer snorkeling in deeper water. Return to the yacht for briefing and dinner before we cross the equator.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 4: Santa Cruz Island: Las Bachas & Cerro Dragon

Today we visit Las Bachas (“the barges”). Just off this long stretch of beach with soft, white sand are interior lagoons where the Greater flamingo forages for food. This stop also provides a wonderful chance to snorkel from the beach. At Black Turtle Cove aka Caleta Tortuga Negra we have a zodiac ride through a series of coves and inlets surrounded by mangroves.

Here you can view pairs of mating sea turtles (Sept to Feb), white-tipped reef sharks and golden cow-nosed rays. Located on the northern tip of Santa Cruz is Cerro Dragon aka Dragon Hill. Along the trail, we find Darwin Finches, Galapagos Flycatchers, Yellow Warblers, Audubon Shearwater and the endemic land iguanas, orange-yellow in color with large spines along their backs, were once part of the Darwin Station’s breeding program.

We find pink flamingos feeding in the salt-water lagoon as well as other lagoon birds; stilts, pintail ducks, sandpipers and more. From the top of the hill, we enjoy a majestic view of the bay island covered in Opuntia cactus, Palo Santo and Cordia Lutea (muyuyu). After the briefing and dinner, we sail toward the western islands and cross the equator line for the second time.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 5: Fernandina Island: Punta Espinoza & Isabela Island: Urbina Bay

Today you start with a semi-wet landing at Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island, the youngest and most pristine Island in Galapagos where no mammals were introduced. Recent lava flows formed by an active volcano stretch around the coast.

Hundreds of Marine iguanas, members of the largest colony in Galapagos, bask in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Observe sea lion harems with resident bulls carefully guarding their territory. Flightless cormorants build their nests on the point and Galapagos hawks fly overhead.

There is a chance to snorkel here with sea turtles. After lunch, you will cross the Bolivar Chanel where whales are often spotted and dolphins ride the bow wave.

We disembark at Urbina Bay on Isabela Island, where four miles of coastal seabed and its marine life was exposed due to a dramatic uplift in 1954 when the volcano erupted. The marine remnants of coral skeletons, some of them waist-high, are visited after a wet landing on the beach.

Urbina is home to the very large and colorful Galapagos land iguana. You will osee here occasionally giant tortoises and Darwin finches. Brown pelicans and Flightless cormorants nest here, and giant Marine iguanas are seen along the coast. You may encounter penguins while snorkeling here.

At Punta Vicente Roca, a Zodiac ride offers an incredible view of the tuff walls, and can enter the wave-sculpted cave where a sea turtle could be lurking. You may spot the dorsal fin of a Mola Mola, an odd-looking giant sun fish. You return to the yacht for a briefing and dinner.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: Isabela Island: Elizabeth Bay & Tagus Cove

Today you visit by zodiac Elizabeth Bay on Isabela Island, starting with a visit to a secluded cove lined with large red mangrove trees. Here, turtles, rays, and shore birds can be seen. You then motor to the rocky islets known as “Las Marielas,” where a colony of nesting penguins, flightless cormorants and giant Marine iguanas are found. Isabela was created when six volcanoes flowed together and formed the largest island in Galapagos.

You have a dry landing at Tagus Cove, a favorite anchorage for pirates and whalers over the centuries. Old graffiti dating back to the 1800’s is written on the rocky cliffs. Explore the coves by zodiac or kayak to find Galapagos penguins, boobies, pelicans and other seabirds.

An uphill hike brings you to a salt-water lagoon, a scenic overlook with a spectacular view of the ocean, lava fields and volcanic formations. An excellent snorkeling site is offered from the zodiac or, if you prefer, take a kayak and explore the shoreline. After dinner, a sky full of stars beckons all on deck to observe the galaxy while crossing the equator for the last time.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 7: Santiago Island: Puerto Egas & Rabida Island

We stroll along the shoreline at Puerto Egas on Santiago Island (James) looking for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae.

Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, American oystercatchers and yellow-crowned night herons. Our walk ends at the grottos, deep pools of clear water where you encounter fur sea lions. Before returning to the yacht, there is a snorkeling opportunity. After lunch, take a seat on deck to view the dramatic landscape and dolphins that are often spotted here.

You begin the day by disembarking on Rabida Island (Jervis), located near James Island. Rabida is considered the geographic center of Galapagos because this island sports the most diversified volcanic rocks. The dark-red sand beach originated from the high content of iron in the volcanic stones.

While strolling along the trail, you may find Marine iguanas, mocking birds, yellow warblers and several species of Darwin finches leading to a saltwater lagoon where Greater flamingos migrate. After the walk, there is not-to-miss snorkeling option with a large colony of sea lions. You return to the yacht for the Captain’s Farewell cocktail party and dinner as well as a special slide show presentation by your guides.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 8: Santa Cruz Island: Highlands & Charles Darwin Station

The bus takes the group to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. The scenery gradually changes as the route winds through all seven vegetation zones found in the Galapagos. Here, you visit the tortoise reserve at Las Primicias, one of the private farms in the highlands where giant tortoises are found in their natural habitat.

Next, a stop at “the tunnels,” which are the largest lava tubes found in Galapagos. Then it’s off to visit Los Gemelos (“the twins”), a pair of large pit craters where the bright red male vermilion flycatcher is right at home.

After lunch, a visit to the Centro de Crianza Fausto Llerena (aka the Charles Darwin Research Station) puts you among several tortoise species and the breeding center where new hatchlings are studied and protected until they’re released back into the wild. Scientists from across the globe work at the station where they conduct biological research from anatomy to zoology.

A stop at Van Straelen Hall provides the opportunity to view exhibits and a presentation. Visitors can observe the tortoise and land iguanas. Puerto Ayora is the social heart of the islands with the largest population of 24,000 people. This evening you have the option to return to the yacht for a buffet dinner or remain in town on your own account.

Those who return to the yacht will be provided zodiacs to return to town to shop for souvenirs or to stop in at an internet café and connect with home. Zodiacs will return you to the yacht.

Overnight: On the yacht
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 9: San Cristobal Interpretation Center & Depart Galapagos. Fly to Lima, Peru

With a visit to the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal Island you gain a more complete understanding of the natural and human history of the Islands. Afterwards, the group spends time in port before heading to the airport for our flight back to the mainland, departing around noon (flight is not included, but will be booked by the cruise operator and added to your pricing summary).

We recommend flying Galapagos – Guayaquil – Lima, as Guayaquil is closest to both the Galapagos and Lima. It’s also possible to have a layover in Quito, but it’s more flying time. (Flights are not included)

When you arrive in Lima, you will walk (a couple of minutes) to the airport hotel. It’s not a very interesting hotel, but it is very convenient.

Overnight in Lima: Costa del Sol Wyndham Airport Hotel (standard room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 10: Arrive Cusco, Coffee Museum and Local’s Tour of Cusco

In the morning, you walk to the departure terminal (a couple of minutes away) and check in for your flight to Cusco (Flight not included in trip pricing).

Welcome to Cusco- touch down, collect your luggage and meet your guide, then drive twenty minutes through the colorful South American streets to your hotel.

Meet in the Coffee Museum at 1pm to enjoy a tasty lunch and learn about the story and people behind this popular drink.

After lunch step out into the Cusco streets and explore with one of our carefully chosen guides. They are not only very knowledgeable but also great fun to be with. You do not want to cram too much in on your first day at altitude, so relax and get used to being up high with a gentle walk around this old Inca capital.

Visit the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the Qoricancha temple of the sun and perhaps take in the sights, sounds and smells of San Pedro food market too. If you normally shop in supermarkets and farmers markets, you are in for a surprise. Stands full of juicy exotic fruits, counters heaving with cow heads and sheep hooves and cheerful local women selling handmade cheeses, local breads, healthy juices and even toad soup.

The evening is free to relax and wander around the UNESCO World Heritage Site city centre.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 11: Sacsayhuaman, Pisac Market & Ruins

So you want to see the best of Cusco and the Sacred Valley but you don’t want to do it with crowds of people? This is how to do it. We swapped the order around, so that you visit places when they are at their quietest.

First you stop amongst the huge megalithic walls of Sacsayhuaman, fifteen minutes above Cusco. Wander among the old stones of this Inca complex and listen to stories of the rebel Incas and Spanish who fought here in 1536. Tread the bloody battlefield where a few desperate Spanish horsemen broke the siege they were under and took on the masses of the Inca army.

Next you drive half an hour through the hills to the small market town of Pisac. Barter with local artisans for handicrafts, munch on an empanada fresh from the town oven and snap away as the local mayors emerge from the church, dressed in their finest traditional clothing, serenaded by assistants blowing conch shells.

Take a break for lunch and try a local Peruvian delicacy. Then hop in the vehicle and drive twenty minutes to Pisac ruins. The views are stunning. Ask your guide everything you ever wanted to know about Peru and the Incas. Such as why they decided to build so high up this hill. He will be delighted to answer.

Once you have filled your camera with photos, your brain with information and your lungs with fresh mountain air drive back down to the valley and check into your hotel for the night.

Overnight in the Sacred Valley: Hotel Sol y Luna (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 12: Maras, Moray, Pachamanca Lunch, and Train to Aguas Calientes

Drive high above the Sacred Valley through patchwork farmlands to the gleaming white Maras salt-pans. Watch the locals extract salt by hand as they have done since the times of the Incas. Compose the perfect photo or just sit back and take in the beauty of the place. You can even buy some pink salt to sprinkle on your food back home.

Fifteen minutes more and you arrive at the strange circular ruins of Moray. Look around and decide what you think it was. Was it a landing pad for alien spaceships or was it an experimental Inca agriculture centre?

You then take a secret shortcut to the old Inca town of Ollantaytambo where you enjoy a special Pachamanca lunch on an organic farm. A Pachamanca is a traditional way of preparing food in the Andes. In the absence of a stove an oven is built out of stones, the stones are heated with a wood fire and once brought to a very high temperature.

The meat and vegetables are then carefully covered with the rocks. Herbs are then added and the whole mound is covered by wet sheets and finally a mound of earth.

While the meal is cooking, you will be shown around this farm, working to sustainable methods to provide food for the Cafe Mayu restaurant. After 45 minutes the meal is ready and we have the pleasure of digging our delicious potatoes, yams, corn, fava beans, lamb, pork, alpaca, and chicken straight from the earth.

You can enjoy your meal under a thatch roof in the middle of the farm with views of the Inca temple of Ollantaytambo, mount Pinkulluna and the Veronica glacier. Food is served family style accompanied by chicha, fresh salads and a variety of sauces, including our tasty uchucutas.

Beer and wine are available upon request, and we offer our signature Matacuy as a complimentary digestif after the meal. This is made in the on site distillery, where you can also taste Caña Alta, a sugar cane spirit being distilled here in an attempt to revive lost traditions.

Finally you board a train for the ninety minute ride, along the river to the town of Machu Picchu where you will sleep for the night.

Overnight in Aguas Calientes: Hotel Inkaterra Machu Picchu (Superior Deluxe Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 13: Explore Machu Picchu Ruins and Return to Cusco

Board a morning bus for the twenty minutes ride to the entrance to Machu Picchu. It is a pretty busy place in the morning so you can avoid the crowds by taking a hike to the Sun Gate. Here you can enjoy a wonderful overview of the world famous site and take those all important photos, before your fully guided, in depth tour of the ruins.

Sit down to a nice lunch at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge hotel where you can sample a selection of classic Peruvian dishes.

Finally, you ride the bus down the mountain, take the train back along the river and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight in Cusco: Hotel Belmond Monasterio (Superior Room) or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 14: Free Morning in Cusco & Depart. Fly Home.

Back once more in the old Inca capital you have time to enjoy all that this city has to offer. Cooking classes, chocolate making, souvenir hunting or even just sitting in one of the many cafes and watching the world go by. The new late flights out of Cusco allow you to really maximize your time and get the most out of this holiday of a lifetime.

You will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Lima and then you connect with your international departure (flights not included).

Meals Included: Breakfast