Peru & Ecuador

Country Combination

17 days

 

Itinerary

Lima │ Cusco │ Sacred Valley │ Machu Picchu │ Puno │ Lima │ Quito │ Santa Cruz │ Isabela

 

2018-06-12
Day 1: Arrival Lima

After your arrival in Lima you’re picked up at the airport and brought to your hotel. You then explore the city starting with the Miraflores city district, then to San Isidro, and finally to the historical part containing the city center and the San Francisco convent.

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Day 2: Lima – Flight to Cusco

Flight from Lima to Cusco and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at your disposal.

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Day 3: Cusco

After breakfast you embark on a half-day city tour which leads you to the Santo Domingo church and to the magnificent Coricancha Cathedral at the “Plaza de Armas”. Afterwards you visit the impressive ruins of Saqsaywamán and Q´enko. After visiting the small hilltop fortress Pukapukara, you also visit Tambomachay. The afternoon is free and you can stroll through the historic backstreets and enjoy the atmosphere of this unique city.

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Day 4: Cusco – Sacred Valley

Today you go on a tour to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. You visit the Chinchero, the salt terraces of Maras, and the Moray archeology complex. In the afternoon you reach your hotel in the Sacred Valley.

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Day 5: Sacred Valley – Aguas Calientes

Early in the morning you go on a train ride towards Machu Picchu, the „Lost City of the Incas“. You arrive in Aguas Calientes, where you are picked up from the train station and brought to your comfortable hotel. You will have the rest of the day free to do as you please. You can either explore the small touristy village Aguas Calientes, or visit the nearby hot springs.

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Day 6: Aguas Calientes – Machu Picchu – Cusco

You start the day with a bus ride to the world-famous ruins of Machu Picchu. During the guided tour through the citadel, you visit many interesting places of interest such as the commanding main square, the round tower, the holy solar clock, the royal chambers, or the Temple of the Three Windows. After the tour, you will have some free time to stroll through these ruins on your own. You then head back to Aguas Calientes in the afternoon. You will take a train back to Poroy, where you are picked up and be brought to your Hotel.

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Day 7: Cusco – Puno

Early in the morning you are brought to the bus station where you depart on a comfortable tourist bus that leads you to Puno. On the long, but comfortable ride to Lake Titicaca you take several stops in order to visit the Temple of Raqchi, the Andahuayllas church, and the “Museo de la Cultura Pukara”. In the early evening you arrive in Puno.

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Tag 8: Puno – Juliaca – Lima

After a relaxing breakfast you will have some free time in the morning before being brought to the airport where you will fly to Lima to continue your journey to Quito, Ecuador.

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Day 9: Lima – Quito

Today you fly from Lima to Ecuador. Quito is situated in an altitude of 2,850m/9,350ft and is therefore the highest capital city of the world. After your arrival in Ecuador´s capital you have time to relax in your hotel and to explore the surroundings.

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Day 10: Quito

Walking through the historic part of Quito in the morning, you will learn about the Plaza Grande, Santo Domingo and La Merced as well as the churches La Compañia and San Francisco. Afterwards you visit the Panecillo hill where you have a great view over the city. The afternoon you spend as you please. You can take the cable car up to the Pichincha volcano or visit the equator monument “Mitad del Mundo”.

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Day 11: Quito

Today you can choose between three different excursions:

Cotopaxi National Park: Today you explore the Cotopaxi National Park with an area of 34,000ha/131mi², the Limpiopungo Lagoon and the Cotopaxi Volcano which can be climbed up to a refuge with a height of 4,800m/15,748ft.

Market in Otavalo & Cuicocha Crater Lake: Today you are on a day trip to the northern part of Ecuador, driving to the city of Otavalo which is famous for its colorful and lively market. After buying your fill of souvenirs in the morning, you will explore the crater lake of Cuicocha in the afternoon which offers great views from different perspectives.

Bellavista Cloud Forest: Very early in the morning you start your day trip to the cloud forest. After your arrival you go on a guided walk with a local guide who will explain a lot about the native local and fauna. The reserve is famous for its diversity of birds and plants.

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Day 12: Quito – Flight to Galapagos – Santa Cruz

Arriving at the Baltra airport, your tour leader will welcome you to the Galapagos Islands. On the neighboring island of Santa Cruz you will pass through the highlands and visit a ranch to see the famous Galapagos giant tortoises in their natural environment. After lunch you will learn a lot of interesting things about the national park’s breeding program for tortoises at the Charles Darwin Station.

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Day 13: Santa Cruz: Boat Trip

Today you are visiting a nearby Galapagos Island. Depending on availability, the destination of your excursion yacht will be one of the following islands: Plazas, Seymour, Bartolomé or Santa Fé. You are exploring both the island on a walk and its underwater world while snorkeling. Enjoy your lunch on the boat before returning to Santa Cruz in the late afternoon.

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Day 14: Santa Cruz – Isabela

After breakfast the morning in Santa Cruz is at your disposal. We recommend a visit to “Tortuga Bay” which is located in about 5 km from Puerto Ayora. In the afternoon you take the public ferry to Isabela, the archipelago’s largest island (about 2.5 hours). Here you can complete the day with a walk on the beach.

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Day 15: Isabela

Take a pick-up ride with a small, English-speaking group to the highlands of Isabela and go hiking along the foothills of the “Sierra Negra” volcano up to the edge of the crater where you can enjoy the spectacular views of the bottom of the crater and the surroundings. Before returning to your hotel, you also visit its fuming side crater: The “Chico” volcano.

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Day 16: Isabela

Today you take a boat with your English-speaking excursion group to „Cabo Rosa“, Isabela’s most southern point. Here you find formations of volcanic rocks that make for an impressive scenery above and below water. With the coral growths and schools of fish, these rocks are a true paradise for diving and snorkeling. You can also look for sea tortoises or a sting-ray before returning to Puerto Villamil in the early afternoon.

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Day 17: Isabela – Santa Cruz – Flight to Guayaquil – Departure

Early in the morning a ferry brings you back to Puerto Ayora and you continue your way through the highlands of Santa Cruz with your driver, towards the Baltra airport.

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