GALAPAGOS AND MACHU PICCHU – 10 day

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL IN CUSCO – WALKING TOUR IN CUSCO

Today we pick you up from Cusco airport and transfer you to your hotel in Cusco City.

First day is a great  opportunity to explore the town, where history is alive.

Therefore, you will have a walking tour. On the way, you will visit Cusco’s central square, which was the main  square of the Inca Empire and the Inkas called “Haukaypata”, then you will walk through some Incas streets  that are an example of masterly Inca masonry. Continuing with your tour, you will enter the local market of San  Pedro, where your five senses will enjoy the great variety of local aromas. Then you will go back to your hotel.

DAY 2 – CITYTOUR IN CUSCO 

We pick you up from your hotel and drive for 15 minutes from Cusco city to Tambomachay where you will see a temple for water, here the Inkas showed their gratitude to this vital element for life, then you will go to Puka Pukara, this place was a check point to control all people who arrived to Qosqo (Cusco) city from the sacred valley.

afterwards you will visit Qenqo, It is a natural rocky outcrop, where the Inkas found a tunnel and used to ceremonies and mummifications process. Your next stop will be Sacsayhuaman the biggest Inca construction with huge rock built for more than 20 thousand people by order of the Inka Pachakuteq, here you will explore longer time walking through all its 3 levels.

We will drive back to Cusco City, after this tour you will have more free time to explore and to enjoy the energy of the beautiful Inka city.

DAY 3 – SACRED VALLEY AND AGUAS CALIENTES  

Today you start at 8:00 am. On this beautiful day, you will visit Chinchero, where you will learn about the textile and the plants that local woman used to dye the wool of Llama, Alpaca or sheep. Then we drive to the Inca laboratory named Moray here you learn how the Incas were able to produce potato at different height levels and obtaining more than 4 thousand varieties of native potatoes.

After the Inca place, you will go to Maras’s town where you will see more than 3000 salty pools, where locals get natural salt from. Then you get back to your private car and we drive to Urubamba town, here a local family will cook your lunch with the all the products that they harvested from their farms.

Later on, you will go to Ollantaytambo to visit an Inka place which has a beautiful view over the small town with the same name because it is on the top of the mountain, after your visit you will go to the train station to take your train to Aguas Calientes Town. This part will last 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Once you arrive, we will lead you to your hotel. Overnight in Aguas Calientes Town or as well-known as Machu Picchu Town.

DAY 4 – MACHU PICCHU TOUR 

Today you will visit one of the new 7 wonders of the world Machu Picchu, this Inka city has survived more than 500 years.

For 2 hours you will be walking through this wonderful city, visiting its most important temples and discovering the secrets of its construction. After this visit you will take the bus back to the town of Aguas Calientes where you will have your lunch at a local restaurant.

After that you will go to the train station to take your train to Ollantaytambo and then you will take your private car to Cusco.

DAY 5 – TRANSFER TO AIRPORT

You will transfer to the airport in Cusco to take your flight to Guayaquil. You will fly to Lima airport and connect in Lima with your flight to Guayaquil. Once you arrive in Guayaquil you will have a city tour in the city.

DAY 6  –  FLY TO GALAPAGOS – TURTLE RANCH, LAVA TUNNELS: 

You will be picked up at the hotel and go to Quito airport. We will offer assistance at the process of paper work for the Galapagos. You will check in for your flight to the Galapagos.

At arrival, you will meet their tour guide who will be holding a sign with your name. You will then visit the Santa Cruz highlands. The first stop will be the twin craters, which are impressive holes were formed by magma (lava) domes which hardened on the outside but continued to flow on the inside, leaving huge but empty chambers that collapsed with the passing of time, creating this breathtaking scenery that resembles two pit crates. After that you will visit the Tortoise Ranch, this is the place to go to for seeing giant tortoises roaming around free. You will have lunch at this place. After that, you will go to the walk through the lava tunnels, which are underground tunnels formed by ancient lava that once flowed across these islands. When the outside layers of lava cooled, they formed a crust while the interior lava still flowed hot and fast. Eventually, the lava inside flowed out of the crust and left a tunnel or a tube behind.

After this, the tour guide will take you the hotel for check in.

DAY 7    – DAY TOUR TO SANTA FE ISLAND

You will leave the hotel at 07h30 to the pier of Puerto Ayora, where we will take our boat to Santa Fe.

Santa Fe Island is located South East of Santa Cruz Island. In this island you will find an endemic land iguana that lives only in this place, sea lions in a white sand beach resting waiting for pictures, they pose to your cameras.

The snorkel will take place in a bay called Fisherman Bay in Santa Fe Island; here you may spot sea turtles, rays, sea lions, fishes, Galapagos sharks and many more in this rocky reef.

Lunch is included in the tour.

Once we are back in town, people will have dinner on their own.

DAY 8 –  CHARLES DARWIN AND TORTUGA BAY: 

You will begin your day at 10h00 with a walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station, a renowned scientific institution dedicated to the conservation and study of the Galapagos’ unique flora and fauna. You will learn about ongoing research projects, conservation efforts, and the importance of protecting the delicate ecosystem of the islands.

Then you will have lunch and after lunch you will take a water taxi to Tortuga Bay. Arriving at Tortuga Bay, you’ll be greeted by a pristine beach that offers the perfect setting for relaxation and exploration. You can relax the rest of the afternoon there, and you will be able to rent kayaks ok spot.

After that you will hike back to the hotel.

DAY 9: TOUR TO SEYMOUR ISLAND

You will be picked up at your hotel between 07h30 – 08h00 to go to Seymour Island. You will go to the Itabaca Cannal to board the boat. You will enjoy a navigable tour to North Seymour, a 1.9 km² island located northbound from Baltra.

The main fauna species of this island are Land Iguanas, the Magnificent Frigate bird with their incredible scarlet regular pouch, blue-footed boobies and their particular courtship dance and sea lions surfing across the waves. Lunch on board.

After lunch we will do snorkeling in Bachas or Mosquera where you will be able to discover tones of different fish species and also swim with sea lions.

Guests will be back at the hotel around 4.30pm.

DAY 10  –  FLY BACK TO QUITO OR GUAYAQUIL. 

This day you will be transferred to the Galapagos airport and fly back to Quito  or Guayaquil, and then connect with a night flight back home or stay an extra day and leave early in the morning.

Payment Policy:

50% required to book the tour. The 50% balance have to be paid 3 months before the trip.

Cancellation Policy: 

• $600 per person
• The rest of the trip is refundable until 3 months before the trip starts:
• Cancellations between 3 months and 2 months, the trip will be 50% refundable.
• Cancellations made before 2 months are not refundable

Included:

 Accommodation every night in local standard hotel: Examples: Costa Sol in Cusco, Hotel Ninfa in Santa Cruz.

 Private driver guide in Peru.

 Entry fee to Machu Picchu.

 Train Ticket from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.

 Entry fees to park and museums

 All tours mentioned in the itinerary.

 Airport transfers.

 All breakfasts

 Lunches, except travel days: Arrival to Quito, departure from Galapagos.

 Flight to the Galapagos

 Flight from Cusco to Guayaquil

Excluded:

 International flight from home to Cusco and then from Ecuador back home.

 Activities not mentioned in the itinerary.

 Dinners.

 Galapagos entry fee: $200 per person.

 Galapagos Registration card: $20 per person.

 Wetsuit rental.

 Travel insurance.

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