Inspiring Incas & Great Galapagos

• Peru for Less will schedule a private transfer to take you from your hotel to the airport for your flight to Cusco. Upon arrival at the Cusco airport, a Peru For Less representative will meet you for the drive to the historic center.
• Arriving mid-day at your hotel, you will have the rest of the day to relax and explore. Since Cusco is located at 11,300 feet in elevation, during this first day you may want to take it slow to acclimatize. Nevertheless, this is a good chance to wander about the main square, with its many cafes and stores, or even visit a museum. There are also many options for casual and/or fine dining.

• Spend the morning at your leisure. This is a good time to explore some of Cusco’s less-visited attractions including the famous San Pedro Market, the bohemian neighborhood of San Blas, or one of Cusco’s many fine museums.
• In the afternoon, an expert guide will take you to some of the world’s best archeological sites, including the beautiful Cusco Cathedral, the sacred Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, and the spectacular Sacsayhuaman fortress. In the late afternoon, you’ll return to your Cusco hotel. Spend the evening at your leisure enjoying the local cuisine, music, and the splendor of Cusco at night.

• Explore the beautiful Peruvian countryside with a full-day tour of the magical Sacred Valley, home to several royal estates of Incan emperors. First, you will visit the town of Pisac, famous for its bustling indigenous market and for the beautiful Incan ruins on the hillside overlooking the city. Following your visit to Pisac, you will stop for lunch (not included) at a buffet restaurant offering a variety of Peruvian and international food near the town of Urubamba, named after the sacred river that flows through the region.
• Next, you will visit the spectacular fortress of Ollantaytambo. These magnificent Incan ruins that were part of the royal estate of the Incan emperor Pachacuti. Later, you will be taken to your comfortable hotel in the Sacred Valley. If you’ve selected a hotel in Ollantaytambo, you can continue exploring the traditional Incan town at your leisure.

• After breakfast at your Sacred Valley hotel, you will take a train to Machu Picchu, the hidden Inca citadel. This hour-and-a-half to two-hour train journey is one of the most scenic in the world, winding through mountain, river valleys, high jungle and mystical cloud forests. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu, you will be met at the train station and accompanied to the bus station for a 20-minute ride up to the citadel.
• Next, you will meet your expert, English-speaking guide for a tour of the most important sites in Machu Picchu, including the Intihuatana (Sun Stone), the Sun Temple, and the Room of 3 Windows. Plus you’ll be able to marvel at lush mountains that mystically conceal the ruins. In the late afternoon, you will take a comfortable train back to Cusco and then be transferred to your Cusco hotel for the evening.

Optional: If you would like to spend more time at Machu Picchu, this package can be customized to include an overnight stay in Aguas Calientes, which will allow you to make a second visit to the enigmatic citadel. On this second day, a Huayna Picchu and/or Machu Picchu Mountain hike can be added to your itinerary, to get a bird’s eye view of the ruins.

• After breakfast, take a transfer to the Cusco airport for your flight out to Lima and then to Guayaquil in Ecuador.
• Upon arrival in Guayaquil, you will be picked up at the airport and taken to your comfortable Guayaquil hotel and spend the rest of the evening at your leisure.

• After breakfast in your hotel, you will be taken to the airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival, a transfer will take to your confirmed Galapagos cruise ship.
• Have time to settle into your cabin. Attend a briefing by the cruise staff and sit down to a delicious welcome dinner to start off your exciting Galapagos cruise.

• Explore the wonderful Galapagos Archipelago aboard your comfortable cruise ship. Your specific itinerary will depend on the ship that you choose; in all cases, however, you will enjoy land tours to the Galapagos’s most beautiful islands guided by expert naturalists. Some Galapagos boats also offer water activities such as snorkeling or scuba-diving.

• Continue enjoying the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. The islands offer some of the best wildlife viewing in the world, not only because the animals themselves are beautiful and interesting, but also because many of the species are virtually fearless. Through a quirk of evolution, large predators failed to evolve here, resulting in the unique sense of security that many of the islands’ animal inhabitants display. This means that the famous blue-footed booby will perform its awkwardly elegant two-stepped mating dance right under your nose. Mockingbirds will hop onto your shoes. Sea lions will do figure eights to show off their swimming prowess as you snorkel among them.

• Visit more sights within these prized conservational havens. In the Galapagos, whether on land or sea, nature’s splendid surprises lurk around every corner. Giant tortoises grunt ancient cries, pink flamingos sparkle on the shores of hidden lagoons, marine iguanas hiss sprays of salt, and tiny penguins dart amongst colorful schools of fish, while elegant tropical birds glide across deep blue skies.

• After your last breakfast aboard your Galapagos cruise ship, you will disembark and meet your transfer to the airport for your flight home or to continue to your next South American destination.

*Browse our full range of travel specials to see how you can extend your amazing South America vacation.