PAT LAW 220 : MACHU PICCHU & GALAPAGOS

Upon arrival in Lima, you will be transported to your hotel. The rest of the day at leisure. Night in Lima.

Breakfast. You will be picked up to enjoy your half-day panoramic city Tour. You will see the Colonial center, the Main Square, the Palacio de Gobierno, the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace and Lima town hall. Also, you will visit San Francisco, a convent with cloisters and catacombs of the Colonial era. The tour will continue through the traditional areas of residential and commercial Lima to end with spectacular panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and beaches in the district of Miraflores. Return to the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.

Optional bike tour, gastronomic tours available upon request.

Night in Lima.

Breakfast at the hotel. At the appropriate time you will be taken to the airport for your flight to Cusco, and upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, you will have a City Tour, visiting the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, known as Q’oricancha or Temple of the Sun. You will also visit the nearby archeological sites of Sacsayhuaman, Q’enco, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. Return to the hotel. Night in Cuzco.

Note: please keep in mind that CUSCO is located at 11200 ft. (3400 mts) so take your time to acclimatize and rest as much as your body needs it.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today you will take a tour to visit the beautiful town of Pisac, its traditional market, the popular show and its narrow streets. (Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday). You will continue the tour through the Sacred Valley of Urubamba, where you can enjoy a nice buffet lunch. Then you will visit Ollantaytambo, a still inhabited Inca City where a complex system of irrigation channels and foundations still remain from the Inca civilization and where much of the town was built. The archeological site of Ollantaytambo has large groups of terraces, fortresses, squares, channels and the Real Casa del Sol, a megalithic temple of great mysticism. Night in Cuzco or Sacred Valley.

Breakfast at the hotel. You will be transported to the train station to board the train that will begin our tour to the Sacred City of Machu Picchu, declared by UNESCO as Cultural Heritage for Humanity and chosen as one of the modern Seven Wonders. The train will take you to Aguas Calientes, where you will ascend to the sacred City of the Incas, “Machu Picchu”, located 112 km/69m away from the city of Cuzco and 2,360 miles above sea level. Once there, you will have a guided tour where you will see palaces, temples, houses, stores, and buildings. Enjoy a great lunch at the unique Sanctuary Lodge. After the visit, you will descend to Aguas Calientes, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo where you will have lunch.

At the appropriate time, we take the train back to Cuzco, and are you will be taken to your hotel. Night in Cuzco.

Breakfast at the hotel. At the appropriate time you will be transported to the airport for your flight to Quito (most likely via Lima).

Upon arrival, you will be transported to your selected hotel.

Night in Quito. Note: Quito Elevation is 9350 ft. (2800 m)

Early departure to the airport to take the flight from Quito to the Baltra airport.

In the afternoon: after a welcome on board the boat, you will check-in, have lunch and receive information about the security protocol. Next, you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station as an introduction to the Galapagos Islands, and have some free time to wander around the cozy town of Puerto Ayora.

Night Sailing – Before dinner, your naturalist guide will provide the first daily briefing, and the captain and his crew will introduce themselves and share a welcome toast. Anchor will be lifted early to start the longest sailing route to Punta Moreno in Isabela, approximately 12 hours southwest.

AM: After breakfast, we will first take an inflatable boat ride along the coast, followed by a disembarkation on “terra firme” (with footwear on) and a guided hike that crosses the haunting fields of black tar lava. from Punta Moreno (moderate level; about 2 km / 1.25 miles). After an aperitif, a snorkeling session is planned.

PM: at noon we will sail for 2 hours to Elizabeth Bay. In the meantime, you can enjoy lunch and a nap. Upon arrival, you are scheduled for a long boat ride to both the rocks off the coast and the protected mangroves.

Navigation: before dinner, we will continue to Punta Espinoza (Fernandina, about 4 hours), while we actively search for whales. You can enjoy a restful night of relative calm on board.

AM: After breakfast and a landing ashore, the morning guided walk (easy / moderate level; about 2 km / 1.25 miles) takes place over the lava tongue of Punta Espinoza. After an aperitif, we will drive you to the snorkeling location for the day.

PM: While enjoying lunch, we will cross the Bolívar Channel for the last time back to the west coast of Isabela. In the interesting geological site of Urbina Bay there will be a second guided walk, and you can also go snorkelling.

Night sailing: before dinner, we will start our 10-hour sailing itinerary through the North Cape from Isabela to Santiago (crossing the equator twice).

AM: after breakfast, there will be a guided walk along the coast of Puerto Egas (easy level) to the sea lion caves. Back on board, you will be provided with a snack before snorkeling.

PM: at lunch time, we will sail 12 km / 7 miles / 45 minutes north to Espumilla Beach. After a wet (barefoot) landing on the beach, a guided hike will take you uphill and inland (easy level; about 2 km / 1.25 miles). You can then take a boat ride (or, if you prefer, a touring kayak) along the coast.

Night sailing: before dinner, SC Nemo I will continue along the north coast of Santiago to Daphne Major, where we will arrive after approximately 4 hours to enjoy a restful night of relative calm on board.

On your last morning in the Galapagos, you can feel the ocean breeze in your hair as you sail through the characteristic volcanic islet of Daphne Major. A wide variety of seabirds will greet you to say goodbye. In the early morning, Sailing Catamaran Nemo I will sail through the characteristic volcanic islet of Daphne Major. Next, you will disembark and fly back from Baltra airport to Quito or Guayaquil according to your itinerary.