Day 1: (Thursday) | Arrive in Lima, Peru
Fly from your home city to Lima, Peru. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel for check-in and overnight.
Hotel: Hotel B or similar
Day 2: (Friday) | Lima
Lima is a large city with a population of over 9 million in its metropolitan area. It also has flower gardens, great plazas, huge cathedrals, elegant colonial homes, fine museums, surfing, hopping nightlife, some of the world's finest restaurants, and excellent hotels. You tour historic Lima, including the Plaza de Armas where you'll see elegant carved wooden balconies and colonial architecture.
You visit the National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History which has one of the largest collections of Pre-Hispanic art and relics including exceptionally well preserved mummies. From here you proceed to Museo Larco to see an impressive collection of pottery plus gold and silver artifacts.
You'll lunch at the charming Larco Museum café. Located on the museum's terrace, the café is the perfect place to enjoy the Peruvian and international gastronomy in a magical and welcoming atmosphere.
You return to the hotel and have free time to explore the nearby galleries and shops. Dinner is on your own this evening.
Hotel: Hotel B or similar, BL
Day 3: (Saturday) | Pisac, Sacred Valley of the Incas
A quick flight over the snow-covered Andes brings you to Cusco, your gateway to the Sacred Valley. Your first stop on the way to Urubamba Valley is at the fountains of Tambo Machay outside of Cusco. After a scenic ride through rich fields of quinoa and amaranth, you descend into the scenic Urubamba Valley, cross the river and drive high above the valley floor to explore the ruins of the Inca Fortress of Pisac.
After the visit to the Fortress, there is a short stop to explore the typical, indigenous village of Pisac. If you are inclined, you may hike down from the Fortress through the terraces to the village where we will meet you.
Hotel: Hacienda Urubamba or similar, BLD
Day 4 (Sunday) | Chinchero Market - Maras - Moray
This morning, you’ll climb out of the valley to a very scenic 12,000-ft. plain en route to the indigenous market at Chinchero. There will be time to visit the market before you view a weaving demonstration orchestrated by Nilda Challañaupa, the founder, and director of The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco. This organization is dedicated to preserving ancient textile designs and weaving techniques from all over the Andes. Some designs are more than 2000 years old and were thought to have been lost. Textiles created at the Center may be available for purchase.
You’ll enjoy lunch at a private Restaurant with magnificent views and visit the ancient archeological sites of Maras and Moray
Hotel: Hacienda Urubamba or similiar, BLD
Day 5 (Monday) | Ollantaytambo - Train to Machu Picchu
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
Day 6 (Tuesday) | Full day at Machu Picchu, optional mountain hikes
As the site opens at sunrise, you'll have an early breakfast and catch the bus up to the ruins. Mist often shrouds the major peaks and floats onto the valley. The rising sun casts a golden glow into this fantasy land; it is not to be missed at this hour.
There is an optional (weather-dependent) challenging hike up Machu Picchu Mountain—a 5-6 hour round trip scenic workout! It's a steady climb, gentle stairs all the way up. The view of the site is awe inspiring. Your camera will give you astounding images. It's one of the most spectacular picnic sites you may ever enjoy.
There's another optional hike up a steep trail, hidden in crevasses and bushes that leads to the top of Huayna Picchu+, the slender granite peak that appears in every photo of Machu Picchu. On top, the view of Machu Picchu, the archeological site, the surrounding valleys and snow capped peaks is truly breath taking. The climb is impressive and requires no more than 1.5 - 2 hours, even if you are a very slow hiker. It is a challenging hike, not for everyone, but the reward of reaching the summit is one of the greatest views in the world! The descent is relatively quick and easy, but steep, and leads straight to lunch!
After lunch you'll have the option for further guided exploration of the ruins or you may also hike up to the Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu, explore the Inca Bridge.
Hotel: Machu Picchu Pueblo; Sanctuary Lodge by request, BLD
Day 7 (Wednesday) | Machu Picchu, train to Cusco
This morning, you'll board the morning train to Ollantaytambo where you transfer by van to Cusco—the Center of the Inca Universe (alt. 11,200 feet). Inca means "ruler," or "king" - an equivalent to the Roman Caesars.
After check-in, you begin your walking exploration of Cusco, walking along streets where the Incas and later the Spaniards walked.
In the course of the day you will visit Coricancha, the partially restored Temple of the Sun at the center of the Inca Universe, where the gold-covered walls were stripped by the Conquistadors. Along narrow cobblestone streets, you pass walls of stone so precisely fitted that they remain in superb condition centuries later, even after many earthquakes. You may look into the University, churches and shops that face onto the Plaza de Armas.
Hotel: El Monasterio del Cusco or La Casona, BLD
Day 8 (Thursday) | Cusco, Sacsayhuaman
You visit the bustling Cusco "Mercado Central", a traditional market were you will get a sense of the daily rhythm of Cusqueño 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 and sometimes in the traditional manner of barter.
In the late morning, 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 each year. Cusco fills with colorfully-dressed people from villages all over the Andes who come for this week-long festival of folk-dance competitions, pageantry, and spectacle.
Returning to Cusco for lunch, you will view an archbishop's private collection of colonial and Indian art and visit the Inca Historical Museum for a fine overview of the history of the Inca Empire from its beginning to its demise.
Hotel: El Monasterio del Cusco or La Casona, BL
Day 9 (Friday) | Cusco - Lima - Guayaquil
It’s time to depart Peru and move on to the second part of your adventure. You’ll fly from Cusco via Lima to Guayaquil. This evening, you have free time to relax or explore a bit of Guayaquil on your own.
Day 10 (Saturday) | To Baltra, Santa Cruz, and embarkation
You’ll be transferred back to the airport for your 2 hour flight to Baltra, 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 transfer from the airport across the Itabaca channel to the Island of Santa Cruz for lunch in the highlands and the opportunity to search among the lush grasses for grazing giant tortoises. Time permitting, explore a lava tunnel. Continuing to the town of Puerto Ayora, you’ll visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, stop to check the fit of your wetsuit, then board INTEGRITY to begin your cruise.
Overnight: INTEGRITY
Days 11 - 16 (Sunday to Friday) | Aboard the yacht
Using INTEGRITY as your home, you'll cruise the islands spending as much time ashore as the Park rules permit. With our licensed, INCA-selected naturalist guides, you'll learn about the birds and animals, geology, marine life and oceanic systems of the Galapagos Islands.
Saturday AM: Santa Cruz — Highlands
Visit the highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a special opportunity to view the islands' most famous reptile: the giant tortoises in their wild habitat. What a privilege to see an endangered species roving in this lush environment! The vegetation of the area includes the Scalesia Forest (an endemic giant daisy tree) and birds such as the vermilion flycatcher will delight everyone with its scarlet feathers against an emerald green forest. Look for Darwin's finches (most of them from the tree-finch group), particularly the famous Woodpecker Finch.
Saturday PM: Santa Cruz — Charles Darwin Research Station, Embark Puerto Ayora
We will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galápagos National Park headquarters to learn first hand of the conservation and research efforts in the islands. There, you'll see several subspecies of adult tortoises, lots of hatchlings, and learn of the repatriation programs that are saving several subspecies of tortoises and iguanas from extinction. Later In the afternoon, we will board our yacht, Integrity, for dinner and set sail on our Island cruise. We will live aboard the yacht and spend as much time exploring the islands as park rules permit. Each night, we'll travel on to the next destination.
Sunday AM: Española — Gardener Bay, Islets Gardner and Osborn
We'll stroll along a magnificent white sand beach where sea lions lounge, marine turtles nest, and the curious Española mockingbirds follow our every footstep. We can take a brief swim on the beach or wait for an amazing snorkel in the company of schools of colorful fish, turtles, sea lions, and possibly small sharks along the underwater cliffs of Gardener-by-Española, a small satellite islet.
Sunday PM: Española — Punta Suarez
This is one of the Galapagos' most famed visitor sites. You'll be dazzled by spectacular cliff views of pounding surf and seemingly unlimited populations of an amazing variety of seabirds. Brightly colored marine iguanas and the largest lava lizards of Galapagos frequent the coastline and rest on the trail. From the cliff top you'll watch a blowhole spray water 30 meters in the air. Española is the only island where you'll see waved albatrosses and possibly observe their fascinating mating dance.
Monday AM: San Cristóbal — Punta Pitt
A steep gully leads up the cliff to a breeding ground for Boobies of all three varieties: Red-footed, Blue-footed and Nazca. It's the only place in the Galapagos where you can see all three species nesting together. Two species of frigatebirds are also present, as are Swallow-tailed Gulls and Storm Petrels. The view of sea lions from the top of the cliff over the beach is magnificent, as are the contours of the barren, wind-eroded peaks of the island. The trail across the Punta Pitt site offers a closer look at the hardy vegetation that manages to thrive in this volcanic wasteland. From Saltbush and spiny shrubs next to the beach the trail leads up to an area of Palo Santo trees, big yellow-green shrubs, tiny cacti and, in the dry season, carpets of red vesuvius.
Monday PM: San Cristóbal — Cerro Brujo
A short panga ride along the cliffs of Cerro Brujo will be followed by a visit to the lovely coral sand beach, frequented by waders and migrant birds. Guests will enjoy a leisurely evening sunset cruise as INTEGRITY navigates to the following day’s activities.
Tuesday AM: Santa Fé
After landing on a white beach usually covered with sea lions, we'll walk into a giant Opuntia cactus grove where we'll have the opportunity to see the 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.
Tuesday PM: South Plazas
We will see another species of Galapagos land iguana as well as cactus finches. Both North and South Plazas were formed by geological uplift and tilt to the north, with cliffs on their southern coasts. On small islands like this, terrestrial and marine species interact more than on the larger islands, and the occasional hybrid iguana (land and marine) with its "zebra-like" stripes can often be observed. 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.
Wednesday AM: Genovesa — Darwin Beach
At the north side of Darwin Bay, this beach was 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.
Wednesday PM: Genovesa — El Barranco/Prince Phillip's Steps
While riding in a panga along the base of the eastern cliffs of Darwin Bay, we'll scour the cliff crevices for all kinds of animal life. We'll come to 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.
Thursday AM: Santiago — Sullivan Bay
We'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. It is the lava itself and the contrasting black pahoehoe flow and the reddish-yellow tuff cones that are the stars of this visit. The colors and shapes of the lava are fantastic for photos.
Thursday PM: 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.
Friday AM: Rábida
We'll land at Red Beach where 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.
Friday PM: Sombrero Chino
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.
Saturday AM: Baltra — Disembark
We'll have breakfast on board Integrity, then disembark at Baltra Island.
One of the highlights and an integral part of any visit to the Galápagos is the opportunity to swim and snorkel with the marine life—tropical fish, sea lions, turtles and sometimes with penguins! On most days, you'll snorkel at least once, some days twice. While back on board, you’ll enjoy delicious meals, complimentary WiFi, and weekly laundry service.
Day 17 (Saturday) | Disembark, return to Guayaquil or Quito
From your anchorage in the Baltra harbor, Say "adios" to INTEGRITY and its dedicated crew, and adjourn to the Baltra airport to await your morning flight to the Ecuador mainland. On arrival, you'll transfer to the Wyndham Guayaquil or Holiday Inn Quito Airport hotel and enjoy a day room with extended late check-out for a chance to freshen up and relax before returning to the airport terminal for your late departing flight.
