Day 01: Quito, Ecuador
Arrive Quito and transfer to your hotel for overnight. Swisshotel QuitoDay 02: Quito
Half-day city tour of Quito. This morning's sightseeing demonstrates some of the reasons why Ecuador's capital has earned its honor as a world cultural site. Marvel at the city’s ornate churches, cathedrals and baroque architecture, and experience a long history of local culture in Quito’s “Old Town” and in the San Francisco Church and Monastery. Rich in art treasures, fine woodcarvings and an altar of gold leaf, the church is an historical icon dedicated to Quito’s patron saint. Continue on to Panecillo Hill topped with a statue of Quito’s ‘Winged Virgin’ visible from almost anywhere in the city. You are welcomed by spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the city below before culminating your tour with a visit to the Equatorial monument - an irresistible opportunity to straddle both hemispheres. Return to your hotel and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Swisshotel Quito (B,L)
Day 03: Quito - Galapagos National Park
Transfer to the Quito airport to board your flight* to Baltra. From Baltra, you are tendered to the your cruise ship - home for the seven-night cruise that forms the heart of your itinerary. Settle in, enjoy an introductory briefing and become acquainted with the ship, its crew and passengers. The Galapagos, located approximately 600 miles off of Ecuador's Pacific coast, is a fascinating archipelago consisting of 13 large islands, 6 smaller ones and over 40 islets. Formed approximately four to five million years ago by underwater volcanoes that erupted and rose above the ocean's surface, the islands were made world-famous when Charles Darwin visited in 1835 and later wrote his famed "The Origin of the Species." MV Eclipse/MV Explorer II (B,L,D)Day 04 - 09: Galapagos National Park
Weather, water and wildlife conditions will affect your actual day-to-day itinerary throughout the week, but visits are planned for main islands and their landmarks. You land by panga on island beaches to wander among the Galapagos' unique species - where you are objects of curiosity rather than fear. For best viewing opportunities, your days start early with morning naturalist-led excursions. Return to the ship in time for lunch, you have time for a short ‘siesta’ before heading back out again in the late afternoon. Before dinner, the ship’s naturalists preview the next day’s activities and offer expert insight into the Galapagos Islands’ natural history and wildlife. MV Eclipse/MV Explorer II (B,L,D)
Day 10: Galapagos National Park - Guayaquil - Lima, Peru
Transfer to the Baltra airport to board you flight* to the mainland of Ecuador, and connecting international flight* to Lima. Arrive Lima International Airport and transfer to your hotel for check-in and overnight. Mira Flores Park Hotel (B)Day 11: Lima - Cusco
Transfer to the Lima airport for your flight* to Cusco. Upon arrival in Cusco, you are met and transferred to your hotel. The morning is free to relax and acclimatize, as you are now at 3400 meters altitude. This afternoon, enjoy a city tour featuring the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas; and the Koricancha Temple. Just outside of Cusco your visit takes you to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testimonial to the Incan architectural skills. Also visit Qenqo (“The Labyrinth,”) an Incan shrine dedicated to the Earth Mother. The Monasterio Hotel (B)Day 12: Cusco - Machu Picchu
After check out (we suggest to bring just an overnight bag) board the Vistadome train bound for Machu Picchu, where a late morning arrival gives you time to begin your explorations of this breathtaking Incan citadel. Accompanied by your guide, explore the city's ruins, and feel its pulse as you visualize the lives of the priests, craftsmen, and servants who inhabited this seemingly uninhabitable citadel. Excavations at the site have revealed skeletons, artifacts and woolen clothing, but no gold. The same precision of assembled stones exists here as in other Incan sites. Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge (B,L,D)Day 13: Machu Picchu - Cusco
It is said that Machu Picchu is a place of great spirituality, and the ultimate spiritual moment of the day happens at sunrise. This morning therefore there is an option to rise early and view the world’s most spectacularly situated ruins at sunrise. Return to Cusco by rail and transfer to your hotel for overnight. Monasterio Hotel (B)Day 14: Cusco - Lima - Depart
Transfer to the Cusco airport to board your return flight* to Lima. Upon arrival in Lima you will be assisted in connection with your international departure flight. (B)
*Flights are not included in land-cruise price.
