12-DAY TWIN JEWELS: MACHU PICCHU & GALAPAGOS

The moment you arrive in Lima, a representative will be waiting for you at the airport and take you to the Costa Del Sol Wyndham Lima Airport Hotel (150 meters from Lima Airport).

A representative will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the airport where you will take your flight to Cusco! After your arrival in Cusco, your guide will be waiting for you and take you to the Sacred Valley, with lunch in a local restaurant. Then on to the village of Chincheros to the northwest of Cusco. This picturesque village was an important Inca center and is known for the traditional Andean weaving techniques still used by its people.

Wearing traditional clothes, the people of Chincheros meet in the Main Square to sell local handicrafts to visitors — a colorful and beautiful spectacle. Then spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

We descend 1,500 feet to the valley floor, arriving at the sacred Urubamba River and the village of Pisac. Here we stop to explore a traditional market, ideal for browsing and buying local souvenirs. Then, we head up to the impressive Pisac ruins, where a guided tour awaits. The Citadel of Pisac features temples, homes, altars, carvings, tunnels, caves, and the famous Intihuatana — “The Hitching Post of the Sun.”

After about 90 minutes at the ruins, we drive to Urubamba for a lunch stop (~45 minutes). A short 30-minute drive then takes us to Ollantaytambo, a stunning Incan site surrounded by sacred mountains. Here we spend about an hour exploring its remarkable temple of the sun, stone fountains, staircases, and agricultural terraces.

In the afternoon, we transfer to the Ollantaytambo train station for the 3:00 pm train (subject to change). The scenic two-hour ride brings us to Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs Town), where you can enjoy a relaxing soak in the natural thermal baths.

Wake up early for breakfast before your guide picks you up at 05:40 am for the short bus ride to the gates of Machu Picchu. Here, you’ll witness a magical sunrise over the citadel. Upon entering the site, enjoy a guided walking tour (approximately two hours) through the iconic ruins.

After the tour, you’ll have free time to explore the mysterious city at your own pace.

Optional Service: Wayna Picchu – $30 per person
For those with energy to spare, a climb up Wayna Picchu offers unforgettable panoramic views of Machu Picchu. The ascent involves narrow Inca-carved stone steps and winding paths, rewarding hikers with unique perspectives of the ruins.

In the afternoon, descend by bus to Aguas Calientes for lunch, then board the train back to Poroy. Upon arrival, you’ll be transferred to your hotel in Cusco.

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your own pace. Once the capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco is now known as the archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent.

City Tour & Cathedral Visit – $30 per person (excludes entrance fee)
Pick-up at 2:00 PM for a guided tour of the following landmarks:

• Koricancha – Temple of the Sun
• Sacsayhuaman – Magnificent stonework with blocks up to 120 tons
• Q’enqo – Labyrinthine site for earth worship
• Puca Pucara – Military control center
• Tambomachay – Temple dedicated to water rituals

Classic Cooking Class – $40 per person
Begin at 11:00 AM with a pick-up and transfer to a local cook’s home. After a brief introduction, participate in hands-on cooking of traditional dishes led by an expert chef. Enjoy the meal with the cook’s family, immersed in the warmth of local hospitality and culture.

Folklore Show & Dinner – $25 per person
Dine at Tunupa Restaurant, near the Plaza de Armas. Enjoy a varied buffet of typical Peruvian dishes while experiencing live traditional music and folk dance performances. Join the dancers for an unforgettable cultural celebration.

This morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to Quito, Ecuador. Upon arrival, an Adventure Journeys assistant will welcome you and take you to your hotel.

In the evening at 6:00 PM, you will meet your AJ trip leader and fellow travelers. During this meeting, you’ll receive important details about the upcoming adventure and have a chance to ask questions and get prepared for the next leg of the journey.

Today you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Baltra airport in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival you will be picked up and transferred to Santa Cruz, a nearby island, crossing the narrow Itabaca channel by ferry. From here we will continue by car to our first stop in the highlands of Santa Cruz.

The highlands are home to the iconic giant Galapagos tortoises. Here you will visit a private ranch where you will enjoy lunch before heading out for a walk in search of the giant tortoises. During this visit, you will also visit some lava tubes, which are formed when the surface of a lava stream solidifies.

After this tour, you will continue by private vehicle to your hotel. Here you will have a meet and greet with your local guide who will explain the following day’s itinerary to you. Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure to relax and introduce yourself to this beautiful island.

Today after breakfast you will enjoy a half-day tour of Academy Bay. Be sure to pack everything you need for this trip. Optional snorkel equipment will be provided free of charge to anyone who wishes to use it.

During the tour, you will take a boat to Academy Bay where you can swim and snorkel with all kinds of exotic fish and marine life, as well as the famous sea lions; they are very curious animals and like to swim next to you underwater. Here you can also see the sought after blue-footed boobies.

Afterwards, climb to a nearby viewpoint, and if you are lucky, you can see white-tipped reef sharks swimming in the ocean below.

In the afternoon we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild, as well as the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Galapagos Islands.

Today we will take a quick boat to the largest island in the archipelago and where most of the volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island was formed by six shield volcanoes: Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf; five of them are still active which makes the island one of the most volcanically active places on earth.

Upon arrival we will visit the giant tortoise breeding center and the flamingo lagoon to admire this incredible species in their natural habitat.

In the afternoon we will visit Tintoreras Islet, located a short distance from Puerto Villamil and home to a great variety of wildlife. Its turquoise, crystalline waters are inhabited by white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos Penguins, marine turtles, and sea lions. One of its beaches, surrounded by mangroves, is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

After driving up from Puerto Villamil to the trail head, we will prepare our backpacks for the hike into a young forest ecosystem, a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the rim of Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano which last erupted in June 2018. Upon arrival, we take in breathtaking views and explore the circumference of the massive, lava-filled crater, a caldera that is over six miles across at its widest point.

If we feel energetic enough, we can continue our hike to Volcan Chico, a secondary crater that has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations; great examples of the dramatic geological events that have formed the Galapagos Islands over millennia.

In the afternoon you will have time to enjoy the crystalline water of Concha Perla and practice some snorkeling to observe marine wildlife.

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of sea lions, we have a transfer to Baltra’s airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland.

Today our trip will end and you will have your International departures. Take with you your memories and photos and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a “Buen viaje”!