Boobies and Incas
Quito - Galapagos - Lima - Cuzco - Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu (11 days / 10 nts)
From $2882
This trip includes 4 nights cruising around the Galapagos islands on board the Aida Maria, a 16 passenger tourist class motor yacht. You can of course select any other yacht and even cruise length, and we will send you the revised itinerary and prices by email.
Day 1: Arrive Quito
Upon arrival in Quito transfer from the airport to the hotel. Overnight in Quito.
Day 2: Quito - Galapagos (M/Y Aida Maria)
Transfer to the airport to board the flight to Galapagos.Fly from the Ecuadorian Mainland to the islands on an early morning 90-minute flight. As you prepare to arrive at Baltra, peer out the  window. The landscape below will seem otherworldly - and it is for you have come to a place like no other. The Galapagos Islands are unique and you are about to see why. Your bilingual naturalist guide will greet you at the airport and assist you through customs. During lunch he/she will introduce you to the islands and specifically the flora and fauna you will encounter at our first destination: Las Bachas Beach.
On the sandy white beaches of Las Bachas we will get a close look at a sea turtle nesting area and a lake frequented by leggy pink flamingos and other migratory birds. Afterward, we cool ourselves off with our first dip in the deliciously blue Pacific Ocean. As this is our first evening together, the crew will invite us to a pre-dinner cocktail on the yacht before the welcome dinner. If the night is clear, as it usually is, the stars above will bedazzle; look for the Southern Cross, the Big Dipper (turned up-side down!) and Orion.
(Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 3: Genovesa, Darwin Bay - Prince Philip Steps
After We spend the en tire day on Tower (Genovesa), considered to be one of the most spectacular Islands in Galapagos for bird species. Genovesa has 2 principal tourist places: Prince Philips Steps and Darwin Bay, this is one of the most famous places to watch animals like: fragate birds, mask boobies, red footed boobies, sea lions and seals. When you practice snorkelling and diving the sea lions and hammerhead sharks will swim beside you. The Prince Philips Steps is an rock with the shape of steps, this place was called of this way because the prince Phillips visited the island genovesa in the 60´s.
(Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 4: Bartolome - Santiago
Bartolome offers an explosive volcanic landscape. Get ready to climb above 270 feet to admire the dramatic spatter cones and the view of Pinnacle Rock that everyone wants. Later, take a walk on magical golden beaches where sea turtle nest (December to March). Don’t forget to make time to swim near penguins, sharks and lava tubes
Santiago, on the eastern coast of James Island is Sullivan Bay. There you can admire a large area of fresh pahoehoe (ropey) lava flows dating from an eruption in 1897. A walk over this glazed black rock gives the impression of the still-molten lava, as every ripple, swirl, and bubble in its surface has been preserved. Tiny fragile Mollugi plants can be spotted growing out of fissures as they begin to colonize the arid terrain.
(Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 5: Daphne - Santa Cruz
Daphne is one of the central islands, north of Santa Cruz. There is a Daphne Major and Minor both are located north of Santa Cruz. Daphne Minor is closed to the public and visits of Daphne Major are limited by the Galapagos National Park Service to less than 12 people per group. You also see masked boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, brown noddies and swallow-tailed gulls
Santa Cruz: A panga ride to Black Turtle Cove and through mangrove inlets, these lagoons provide refuge to rays, sharks, and sea turtles that will be clearly viewable from the boat.
At Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill) a trail takes you through Palo Santo forests, a brackish salt-water lagoon and Opuntia cacti woodland, where we will be hoping to spot land iguanas and feeding flamingos.
(Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Day 6: Galapagos - Guayaquil - Lima
After breakfast we sail to Santa Cruz Island, where we visit the world-famous Charles Darwin Station, a non-profit institution that dedicates itself to studying and protecting Galapaganean flora and fauna.In the late afternoon we return to town. The visit to Charles Darwin Station will complete your Galapagos adventure. From the station we will take a bus to the airport for departure.
Upon arrival in Guayaquil airport board the flight to Lima where there will be a transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Lima.
(Included meals: breakfast)
Day 7: Lima - Cusco
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Cusco. Assistance on arrival at Cusco airport, then transfer to your hotel. Later that day explore the magical capital of the Incas on a tour including a visit to Plaza Regocijo, Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral and the Santo Domingo Convent Monastery. The Santo Domingo monastery was built over the Koricancha temple, one of the most important temples devoted to worship of the sun. According to the chronicles, it was covered in gold sheet and filled with golden representations of nature.
Then  walk around the old town with its very narrow streets. After seeing the most interesting sites of the city, you will drive to the countryside outside Cusco to visit some of the remarkable inca ruins in the area: the cult centre of Sacsayhuaman, the temple and amphitheatre of Kenko and the Red Fortress of Puca Pucara. Overnight at Cuzco.
(Included meals: breakfast)
Day 8: Cuzco - Sacred Valley of the Incas
Drive to the "Sacred Valley of the Incas", a succession of picturesque towns, agricultural terraces, and many archaeological sites, as well as the world´s most famous corn, combine with an exceptional climate to visit Ollantaytambo, the Inca fortress, which guarded the entry of this part of the valley and protected it from possible invasion from the lower jungles. The fortress consists of a series of superimposed terraces of carved stones accessed by long staircases.
An opportunity to walk through the quaint streets of the nearby town, the design and foundations of the majority of its buildings date from the Inca era, when it was a strategic military, religious, and agricultural center. Lunch at a nearby inn. Visit Pisac, a lively and colorful Indian market where locals sell or exchange their products, as the ancestors did hundreds years ago. Overnight in Sacred Valley.
(Included meals: breakfast, lunch)
Day 9: Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu
 Transfer to Ollantaytambo´s train station to board the rail Expedition coach (vistadome section) for a one and a half hour train ride to Machu Picchu, discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham. Then make the 25-minute motor coach ascent to ´The Lost City of the Incas´. This citadel is considered one of the most extraordinary examples of landscape architecture in the world. It straddles a mountain ridge surrounded by lush tropical forest. The guided tour of this fascinating place is an awe-inspiring experience. Visit the Main Square, the Royal Quarters, the Temple of the Three Windows, the Circular Towers, the Sacred Sun Dial and Burial Grounds. Overnight near Machu Picchu.
(Included meals : breakfast, lunch)
Day 10: Machu Picchu - Cuzco
Morning at leisure (no guide included this day). Early rise is recommended to admire Machu Picchu at sunrise, a truly mystical experience. For hiking enthusiasts, going up the Huayna Picchu peak overlooking the site is suggested (Optional). Afternoon rail to Ollantaytambo station, then van or car transportation to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cuzco transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Cuzco.
(Included meals : breakfast)
Day 11: Cuzco - Fly out from Lima
Transfer from the hotel to Cusco airport to board your flight to Lima, assistance on departure flight.
(Included meals : breakfast)
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