Galapagos & Machu Picchu Express

You’ll arrive in Quito this evening and be escorted to the nearby airport hotel for a brief overnight stop.

Overnight: Holiday Inn Quito Airport, B

You’ll be transferred back to Quito Airport for your 2-hour flight to San Cristobal, Galápagos. Upon arrival, you will be escorted to the VIP arrivals lounge, where staff will collect your passport and facilitate your entrance formalities with the Galápagos National Park. Once you’ve collected your luggage, you will enjoy lunch and a visit to Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado tortoise reserve and then on to the Interpretation Center and National Museum. You’ll board INTEGRITY in the early evening to begin your cruise.

During the night, INTEGRITY cruise to the island of Santa Fé where a white beach usually covered with sea lions will provide a walk into a giant Opuntia cactus grove and an opportunity to see endemic land iguanas. The land visit will be followed by snorkeling and/or kayaking in the turquoise waters of the bay, full of sea lions, rays, urchins, eels, and fish of all colors.

Repositioning during lunch, you’ll visit the island of South Plaza, where you’ll see another species of Galapagos land iguana as well as cactus finches. The south-facing cliffs swarm with a myriad of bird species. Bachelor sea lions climb steep cliffs in the late afternoon to spend nights away from the larger dominant bulls.

This morning, you’ll find yourself anchored in Darwin Bay, formed by the rim of a sunken crater. Red mangroves along the hiking trail provide habitat for yellow warblers, yellow-crowned night herons, and pintail ducks. The highlight of this site is the incredible abundance of Red-footed Boobies, Great Frigatebirds, Swallow-tailed Gulls, and Yellow-crowned Night Herons. Although the most abundant booby in the islands, this is one of the few places visitors can observe Red-footed Boobies.

The afternoon starts with a rockfall that forms a natural staircase up the cliffs, known as Prince Phillip's Steps or the "Stairway to Seabird Heaven." We'll walk through massive colonies of Red-footed and Nazca Boobies and an extraordinary Palo Santo forest on the way to a lava ridge where thousands of storm petrels dart about while short-eared owls stalk them for prey.

This morning, you’ll go ashore on the eastern shores of Santiego Island, whe'e you’ll walk across a recent lava flow and view its beautiful structural characteristics. Formed in the second half of the 19th Century, the flow is too young for much plant or animal life. The colors and shapes of the lava are fantastic for photos.

In the afternoon, you’ll visit Bartolomé. Arguably the most recognized landmark in Galapagos, Pinnacle Rock juts straight out of Bartolomé's northern bay. Snorkeling in the bay provides visitors with a chance to swim with Galapagos Penguins. Climbing up the 600-m trail to the top of the island provides spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock, Santiago Island, and Daphne Major and Minor.

Landing at Rábida’s Red Beach, you’ll see wading birds and ghost crabs dot the sand. Behind the beach is a saltwater lagoon where Pintail ducks and Common Stilts are frequently seen along with a group of bachelor sea lions. Brown pelicans nest in the nearby salt brush. A short trail inland provides a chance to observe finches, Galapagos Doves, Yellow Warblers, and mockingbirds, as well as the occasional snake.

The turquoise waters near Sombrero Chino provide one of our best opportunities to see Galapagos Penguins. A panga ride in search of wildlife is followed by a snorkel that often includes sharks, sea lions, penguins, and rays. We will land at a beautiful white sand beach for a short walk along a trail that meanders over varying types of lava.

This morning, you’ll say Adios to INTEGRITY at Baltra Harbor, and board a flight to Guayaquil, where you will connect onward to Lima, arriving in the late evening. You’ll have a brief overnight stay at the airport hotel, located opposite the teminal building.

A quick flight over the snow-covered Andes brings you to Cusco, your gateway to the Sacred Valley. After a scenic ride through pastoral farmlands, you’ll reach the town of Chinchero, known for its weaving tradition, unchanged since the time of the Incas. Planned visits include a weaving demonstration, the ancient Incan agricultural laboratory of Moray, and the salt terraces of Maras.

Hotel: Hacienda Urubamba or similar, BLD

You begin the day with a visit to the spectacular temple-fortress and village of Ollantaytambo, a site that is little changed from the days of the Incas. You’ll catch a morning train in Ollantaytambo for one of the most breathtaking rail journeys in the world. The rail line follows the river down the impressive Canyon of the Vilcanota to the foot of Machu Picchu.

Your accommodations are at the lovely riverside Machu Picchu Pueblo, a short stroll from the Aguas Calientes train station. Following check-in, you will board a bus and head up to the archeaological site of Machu Picchu. It is an amazing ride including 22 switch backs.

You start your exploration of Machu Picchu with an orientation stroll around the site. This will give a rough sense of the layout of the ruins. After lunch you will enjoy an extended guided walking tour.

Hotel: Machu Picchu Pueblo; Sanctuary Lodge by request, BLD

After breakfast, you will explore Machu Picchu once more.  You have the option for a morning hike up Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu Mountains for spectacular views of the ruins and river below.  

After lunch, you will transfer to the train station to catch the Vistadome train to Ollantaytambo and connect to Cusco.

Hotel: La Casona or similar, BL

You visit the bustling Cusco "Mercado Central", a traditional market were you will get a sense of the daily rhythm of Cuzqueño life. From open air stalls, everything from coca leaves, carrots, rubber boots, jeans, padlocks, beef, live chickens and ducks, to cuys, Band-Aids, and a range of familiar and unfamiliar fruits and vegetables are sold -sometimes for cash, sometimes in the traditional manner-barter.

Later you view an archbishop's private collection of colonial and Indian art. After lunch you will visit the Inca Historical Museum for a fine overview of the history of the Inca Empire from its beginning to its demise.

In the late afternoon you will venture up to Sacsayhuaman to explore the spectacular ceremonial and "parade" grounds used by the Incas for major celebrations, pageants and sporting events. Inti Raymi, the Incan "Festival of the Sun," is still celebrated here on June 24. Cusco fills with colorfully dressed, chicha-drinking Indians from villages all over the Andes, who come for this week-long festival of folk-dance competitions, pageantry and renowned debauchery.

Hotel: La Casona or similar, BLD

After breakfast, your Galapagos and Machu Picchu Express adventure comes to an end. You’ll be transfered back to Cusco airport for your flight back to Lima and onward.

You may wish to consider exending your say in Cusco, spending some time exploring Lima’s fine dining scene, or possibly extending your exploration to include Arequipa, the Amazon, or Lake Titicaca.