Incas, Amazon & Galapagos Adventure

Arrival
On arrival at the airport you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

Now the capital of Peru and its largest city, Lima was once called the “City of Kings” by Spanish conquistadors. If you look beyond the urban sprawl, you'll be rewarded with the National Museum's pre-Columbian treasures and Plaza Mayor's colonial splendour.

City Tour
Depart this morning on a 5 hour sightseeing tour exploring the most impressive sights of Lima along with some of our handpicked favourites. We will start in Miraflores market, a vibrant place visited by local chefs for its wonderful variety of fresh produce from the coast, the Andes and the Amazon. Take the chance to learn more about Peru’s diversity reflected in the colourful assortment of vegetables, fruits, fish and condiments.

On the way to Lima’s downtown we pass by ‘Huaca Pucllana’ an ancient adobe pyramid structure which served as one of the region’s most important ceremonial temples between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD. We continue to the San Isidro district and visit the impressive ‘El Olivar’ Park before stopping at the Pisco Museum where you have the chance to taste Peru’s national drink, the ‘Pisco Sour’ (optional, not included). Later we visit Lima’s downtown with its historic and traditional buildings: the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s palace and the Metropolitan City Hall surround the Main Square. Continue to San Francisco church and monastery, a 17th century jewel, recognised as a cultural heritage site by UNESCO.

This tour finishes with a guided visit of the Larco Herrera Museum. This is a fabulous private museum with an exquisite collection of gold and silver treasures from ancient Peru. Many pieces in this museum are now world famous after having been exhibited in the best museums around the world.

The remainder of the day is at your leisure to explore the city on your own.

Breakfast included.

Depart
Our representative will pick you up from your hotel in Lima and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.

Arrive in Cusco
On arrival at the airport you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

We suggest that you take it easy today to give yourself the best opportunity to acclimatise to Cusco's altitude. This city is bursting with Andean culture and is one of the great culinary destinations of South America. It also just happens to be the gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, the best-known archaeological site on this vast continent.

Breakfast included.

City & Ruins Tour
Your first morning in Cusco can be spent at your leisure, enjoying breakfast before exploring Cusco or relaxing at your hotel.

In the afternoon you will be met for your guided tour of Cusco and its archaeological sites. Your Cusco tour will include highlights such as Plaza de Armas, the cathedral and Koricancha Temple. We also visit the UNESCO World Heritage listed ruins of Sacsayhuaman just outside of Cusco which were once the former capital of the Incan Empire.

Breakfast included.

Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes
This morning you will be picked up from your hotel to discover the Sacred Valley of the Incas on this full day excursion. This fertile river valley was home to many important sites for the Incas, both strategic and religious. Your first stop will be in Awana Kancha (weaver's palace in Quechua), where you will have the opportunity to learn about the different ancient weaving and dyeing Andean techniques which are still used today. You will then visit a breeding centre for South American camels (guanacos, llamas, alpacas and vicunas).

Continue on to Pisac where you will first visit the archaeological complex, the ruins of the fortress of Pisac which are set high above a valley by patterned fields and rimmed by vast terracing. The stonework and panoramas at Pisac's Inca citadel are magnificent. You will visit the lower part of the complex where the agricultural area and the pre-Hispanic cemetery are located. Afterwards, visit the colourful local market and have free time to search for a souvenir or two before enjoying a typical Andean lunch at a local restaurant.

We then continue our journey along the River Urubamba to Ollantaytambo, where you will visit Ollantaytambo Ruins and one of its best preserved areas, Hanan Hucaypata. You will be transferred to the local train station where you will catch the scenic afternoon train to Aguas Calientes. On arrival you will be escorted to your hotel by the hotel's staff. Enjoy a free evening and prepare for your early morning visit to Machu Picchu the next day.

*Option to add a night in the Sacred Valley and continue to Machu Picchu early tomorrow, giving you the opportunity to enjoy 2 visits to Machu Picchu.

Breakfast and Lunch included.

Guided Tour
This morning you will have an early start to meet your guide and take the shuttle bus to the entrance to the citadel for your first glimpse of Machu Picchu. You will have a guided tour of the ruins and monuments such as the Main Square, the Circular Tower, the Sacred Solar Clock, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows and the Cemeteries. During your guided tour you will experience the uniqueness of the location and the genius that went into its construction. Making use of the provided headsets, you will be able to take pictures freely while enjoying the live briefings. The citadel was discovered in 1911 by the American explorer and academic, Hiram Bingham. Many theories on the citadel exist, but most agree it was a holy site, hidden for centuries and never found by the invading Spanish.

For those looking for adventure, we recommend the one and one half hour trek up unguided Huayna Picchu Mountain, which overlooks Machu Picchu and allows for spectacular views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding area. Includes guided tour and return bus from Aguas Calientes village.

Return to Cusco
THE BEST SCENIC TRAIN IN LATIN AMERICA, THE 360° MACHU PICCHU TRAIN.

The only train in Peru with an entertainment app on board which will allow you to learn more about the train journey and the Inca civilization. Enjoy our appetising selection of cold and warm drinks, prepared using fruit juices and Andean herbs, and our delicious gourmet and organic delights made with products from the Sacred Valley. Experience a unique way to travel to Machu Picchu from Cusco, exploring the Andean landscape like never before with wider and taller panoramic windows and an observation outdoor carriage including a bar.

You will take the 360° Machui Picchu train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo station where you will continue your journey by bus/van to Cusco. Upon arrival, our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. In case you have left any luggage in the hotel in the Sacred Valley, it will be picked up en route.

Breakfast included.

Depart
Our representative will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.

Arrive in Quito
On arrival at the airport you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

Ecuador's capital city, located high in the Andes Mountains, offers a warm, relaxed and traditional Ecuadorian culture with overflowing markets, a vibrant nightlife and sophisticated culinary options on offer. It's an interesting city to visit and the perfect place to stay before you explore some of Ecuador's many amazing destinations.

Breakfast included.

City Tour
After breakfast, your guide and transportation will pick you up and take you on a comprehensive walking tour of the Colonial District of Quito. On this tour you will visit some of the most famous squares, churches and colonial buildings of the city including the Independence Plaza where you can admire the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Archbishop's Palace. Furthermore, you'll visit the San Francisco Church and the Basilica of Quito, the oldest Church in South America made almost completely out of volcanic stone. Then head to the 'Panecillo Mirador', the most famous hill of Quito, where you can take pictures of both colonial and modern Quito.

While walking through the city your guide will help you appreciate the eventful past of Ecuador including the Inca Empire, the Spanish invasion, and its push towards independence.

Return to your hotel with the afternoon and evening at your leisure.

Breakfast included.

Depart Quito
Our representative will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.

4 Day Amazon Lodge Stay
The accommodations that we use for this package are as follows:

- Comfort: Jamu Lodge
- Superior: Napo Wildlife Center
- Deluxe: La Selva Lodge
Amazon Lodge Arrival Day
Arrive in to Coca, the entrance point to the Yasuní National Park – a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the largest area of tropical rainforest in Ecuador. The Yasuní National Park sits at the intersection of the Andes and the Amazon regions, and offers a variety of excellent lodges where you can experience the rich biodiversity of the area.

From the airport you are met and transferred to the Napo River where we start a canoe ride to your lodge approximately 2 hours away. Along the way you will enjoy a delicious lunch whilst keeping an eye out for birds like herons, kingfishers, toucans, parrots and macaws. You will arrive at your lodge and after a briefing you will have the opportunity to take part in the afternoon and evening activities included. All activities and meals are included during your stay.

Lunch and Dinner included.

Amazon Lodge
Over the next few days you will enjoy the wide variety of activities and attractions available at your lodge and enjoy incredible wildlife encounters. The exact itinerary depends on your lodge but may include a combination of the following;

- Visit a clay lick where several species of parrots, parakeets and macaws can be seen feeding.
- Discover unique rainforest creatures from the rainforest canopy.
- Hike the trails in and around your lodge and learn about the flora and fauna of the region with a naturalist guide.
- Visit native Indian communities and learn about their culture and way of life.
- Evening hiking or canoe rides which allow guests to hear the nocturnal sounds of the jungle and to look for bats, caiman, snakes, spiders and a variety of other insects.
- Go fishing for piranha.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Amazon Lodge Departure Day
This morning you will enjoy breakfast before we return to Coca along the Napo River which may reveal new sightings of giant otters, monkeys, or many other rare birds. From here you will fly out.

Breakfast included.

Four days at an Amazon Lodge
Travel deep into the Amazon Jungle to a small lodge. Depending on your selected package level you will stay at the following lodges:
Comfort - Jamu Lodge
Superior - La Selva Eco Lodge
Deluxe - Napo Wildlife Centre

A sample itinerary from Jamu Lodge is included below.
Jamu Lodge: Day 1
Meet in Lago Agrio at 9:00 am, where we will take private transportation to the entrance of the Cuyabeno Reserve where we will have a box lunch. At this point the visitors have to register in the Reserve's office and pay the entrance fee. Here our Naturalist Guide will give information about the Reserve, important recommendations and other tips to begin the two hour canoe ride on the Cuyabeno River to Jamu Lodge. During the canoe ride you will get a first glimpse of the amazing plants and wildlife found in the jungle. You may also be able to see a variety of monkeys and other jungle animals, depending on the time and weather conditions. We will arrive at Jamu Lodge at around 4:30pm. At that time you will be shown to your rooms and can relax. After a siesta we will leave the camp for a swim in the lagoon and to watch a beautiful sunset. You will then return to the camp for dinner and can finish your first day in the jungle relaxing in a hammock or having a drink at the bar.

Dinner included.

Jamu Lodge: Day 2
After breakfast we will take a trek in the primary forest for 3 to 4 hours where your guide will explain how this complex tropical ecosystem works. You will learn about medicinal plants and might be able to see some exotic birds or monkeys. We will then return to the camp for lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon, we will have a swim in the lagoon and watch the sunset. With a little luck you can observe the pink river dolphins or an anaconda sunbathing in a tree. You will return to the camp for dinner, and then take a night canoe ride to look for caimans.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Jamu Lodge: Day 3
After breakfast, we head to the Siona Community of Puerto Bolivar, the largest ethnic group in the Reserve. During this tour you will learn their customs, traditions and way of life. You will be part of the preparation of Casabe, a local dish made of yucca (carbohydrates are the principal food of the community). During the 2 hour canoe ride to the community, you can admire the existing fauna along the Rio Cuyabeno such as: birds, monkeys, snakes, pink dolphins and tortoises. A visit to the Shaman, the healer of the community, is also included. This is a full day excursion with lunch in the Community. After returning to the lodge, we will go for a short nocturnal hike through the primary forest in search of insects, spiders, geckos or scorpions, and listen to the night sounds of the jungle.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Jamu Lodge Day 4
Early in the morning, before breakfast, a bird-watching excursion is optional. Back at the lodge we will have breakfast and then return to Lago Agrio to take the bus or flight back to Quito.

Breakfast included.

Arrive in Quito
On arrival at the airport you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

Ecuador's capital city, located high in the Andes Mountains, offers a warm, relaxed and traditional Ecuadorian culture with overflowing markets, a vibrant nightlife and sophisticated culinary options on offer. It's an interesting city to visit and the perfect place to stay before you explore some of Ecuador's many amazing destinations.

Breakfast included.

Depart Quito
Our representative will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.

5 Day Galapagos Cruise
The boats that we use for this package are as follows:

- Comfort: Archipell I
- Superior: Odyssey Yacht
- Deluxe: Infinity
Galapagos Cruise Arrival Day
After a short flight you will arrive at Baltra or San Cristobal Island and after paying your Galapagos National Park entrance fee you will be met by your guide and transferred to your vessel to begin your cruise. You will be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before lunch and a welcome briefing. Your selected cruise then begins with the exact itinerary for the next 5 days being dependent on your choice of vessel.

Lunch and Dinner included.

Galapagos Islands Cruise
Over the next few days you will enjoy fantastic wildlife spotting including island landings and snorkelling opportunities with expert guides. Animals such as Blue and Red-footed Boobies, Galapagos sea lions, giant tortoises, land and marine iguanas, Galapagos penguins and frigate birds are only some of the unique wildlife found in this region. One of the most exciting things for visitors to the Galapagos is the incredible, close-up encounters with its animals which seemingly have no fear of humans.

The volcanic Islands of the Galapagos also offer spectacular scenery, from active volcanos, to lava tubes and impressive red and white sand beaches. It is not only a wildlife haven but an incredible archipelago of diverse islands, and over the course of your cruise you will enjoy many zodiac landings and have the chance to explore them in detail.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Galapagos Islands Departure Day
After a final island landing in the morning, you will be transferred to Baltra or San Cristobal airport in time to catch your flight back to the mainland.

Breakfast included.

South & East Galapagos Islands
The Archipell I provides a great space and comfort for a relaxing cruise in the Galapagos Islands. Catering to 16 passengers, all cabins of Archipell I count on fantastic exterior views. This 5 day cruise offers a wonderful opportunities to discover the amazing land of the Galapagos South & East Islands.
Day 1: Baltra - Santa Cruz Highlands
Arrival at San Christobal Airport and transfer in. One of our representative Guides will meet you and transfer you to the M/C Archipell I.

Because wild Galapagos giant tortoises don’t stop at official National Park boundaries, dozens of them also roam on the adjacent woodlands in the populated agricultural zone of Santa Cruz.

Thanks to their concentrations around their favourite muddy pools, these semi-open pastures and moist scalesia-woodlands are the best place for a quick visit.

After this excursion you will have some time to visit the surroundings.

Dinner included.

Day 2: Cormorant Point & Post Office Bay, Floreana
The peninsula of Cormorant Point forms the extreme north cape of Floreana, which was formed by a number of smaller volcanic cones, covered with tropical dry forest (palo santo). At the landing beach, you will be welcomed by a small Galapagos sea lion-colony. The green sand on this beach contains a high percentage of glassy olivine crystals that have been blown out by the surrounding tuff cones. The ‘flour sand’ beach on the southern side of the peninsula is made up of even finer white coral sand that feels very smooth on your feet. Parrotfish have pulverised it, grinding the calcareous skeletons of living coral. You can spot schools of stingrays who love burying themselves in the sandy bottom. During the first months of the year, Pacific green turtles come ashore to bury their eggs.

While having lunch we will navigate back to Post Office Bay (about 1hr). Post your holiday greetings in the historical barrel, one of three nearby visitor’s sites on Floreana’s north coast (short displacement, wet landing) and relax. Besides Galapagos sea lions, Pacific green turtles and golden cownose rays you might spot Galapagos penguins! This is the only place in the south-eastern archipelago where penguins reside. Explore by inflatable dinghy – or in your own pace by sea-kayak – another submerged crater rim around the bay of Baroness Lookout. Climb the miniature basaltic cone of Baroness Lookout and take in the paradisiacal coastal views. This viewpoint was the favourite spot of one of Floreana’s first colonists, the eccentric Baroness and self-proclaimed ‘Empress of Galapagos’ Eloisa von Wagner Bosquet, who even built her house a few metres behind. She and one of her lovers were the first in a series of mysterious disappearings and deaths in the 1930s.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Day 3: Gardner Bay & Suarez Point, Espanola
Being one of the crown jewels of Galapagos, Española gives you the exclusive opportunity to become eyewitness of revolution. It is home to many birds, like the endemic Hood-Mockingbird. Gardner Bay provides you an excellent beach for swimming. Around the small islets nearby, snorkelers will find lots of fish and sometimes turtles and sharks. The bay is also frequented by colonies of sea lions, which like to swim with you.

Española’s west tip, Suarez Point, is a true bird watcher’s and photographer’s dream. Feel yourself right within an exciting nature documentary, and hike in short distance past most colourful marine iguanas.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Day 4: Pitt Point & Witch Hill, San Cristobal
Two wind sculptured tuff cones at Pitt Point constitute the extreme eastern end of Galapagos and were the first sight of land of HMS Beagle with Darwin aboard. Punta Pitt is one of the only two sites where all three types of boobies breed, and as well the site where great frigate birds swallow tailed gulls and Galapagos storm-petrels.

Enjoy a leisure afternoon in the lovely setting of Witch Hill’s crescent-shaped natural beach of soft power sand

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included.

Day 5: Lobos Island - Depart San Cristobal Island
On your last day, visit the Asylum of Peace hike goes past a mesmerizing cave and visits a fascinating freshwater spring. La Loberia beach is an ideal spot to enjoy the ocean, as well as the cute sea lions that habit there.

You will be transferred to San Cristobal airport for your flight back to mainland Ecuador.

Breakfast included.

Fly to Guayaquil
On arrival at the airport you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel.

Breakfast included.

Depart Ecuador
Our representative will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your departure flight.

Breakfast included.