Incas and Islands

Flights from the U.S. usually arrive in Lima late in the evening. After clearing customs, just walk across the road to the airport hotel for a transit night before continuing on to Cusco in the morning, where your real adventure begins.

Return to the airport terminal in the morning, allowing plenty of time for check-in for the flight to Cusco. Your guide will meet you upon arrival at the Cusco Airport, and then you’ll head straight out of the city to the famous market town of Pisac. The village is famous for its market and superb artisan stalls. You can wander and shop or, for the more energetic, climb to the extensive hilltop Inca ruins just outside town. You can follow a circular path along a well defined Inca trail past royal buildings, guard posts, terraces, tunnels, and irrigation channels. Depending on time, you may also visit a traditional bakery to try freshly baked bread and learn about the culinary guinea pig practice of Peru.

Have lunch at a local restaurant before heading to Urubamba where you’ll visit a local pottery workshop and the interesting town center before checking into your hotel for the night.

Today will begin with a visit to the Chinchero church and ruins. Chinchero is a village famous for its colorful Sunday market and its incredible weavings, and you will also visit a local cooperative and learn how the locals weave their intricate designs. Then drive across the fertile plain of Chinchero, rich with grain, potatoes, and beans. See the labor-intensive local farming techniques along the way.

From Chinchero head further into the Sacred Valley to visit the sites of Maras and Moray. Since Incan times, local people have collected salt from the terraces of Maras. This site is not on the main tourist trail, but the natural formation is spectacular. Wind your way through the salt pans and take an easy walk down to the floor of the Urubamba River Valley. Also see evidence of Incan crop experimentation at the circular agricultural terrace at Moray.

You then have an optional hike (or take the bus) following mule trails that take you to the ancient town of Maras, with its out-standing Spanish door arches and a vast church. Maras is famous for its spies due to its strategic location above the Sacred Valley. Then drop down into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. En-route are some of the most astounding salt-pans covering the entire hillside. These salt-pans were mentioned in conquering Spanish’s chronicles.

Afterwards take a short journey along the River Urubamba, where, in the afternoon, you’ll visit the Inca fortress town of Ollantaytambo. This was the site of the last big battle between the Incas and Spanish before the remaining Incas rebels fled into the jungles of Vilcabamba. In this lovely, well-preserved village and ruins you can still feel the true magic of the Incas. The hilltop Inca sun temple displays some of the finest stonework in the area. The site was unfinished and some magnificent stones still lie un-erected, providing important clues to the building methods.

In the late afternoon, you take the 1 ½-hour Vistadome train ride from Ollanta to Machu Picchu, the “lost citadel” of the Incas (baggage limit on PeruRail is 11 lbs.)

Stumbled upon accidentally by archaeologists in 1911, Machu Picchu (7,900 ft) remains a mysterious site. There are no Spanish records, Incan legends, or oral histories that explain its exact purpose. Elegant ornamental stonework hints at the possibility of Machu Picchu’s importance as a ceremonial center. This morning you’ll take a short, winding bus ride up to the Machu Picchu ruins, and your guide will lead you through the vast ancient site.  Late in the day, return to Ollantaytambo by train and then continue overland to Cusco for your overnight.

Today is the last chance on your adventure to explore Inca ruins, so make the most of it. Your guide will lead you around four extraordinary sites near Cusco: Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puca Pucara, and Tambo Machay. Cusco was the head of the Incan Empire and was built in the shape of a puma. The city itself is the puma’s body, and the enormous Sacsayhuaman ruins represent the head and teeth. The largest and most impressive of Sacsayhuaman’s original rocks are still in place, though only about 20% of the entire site remains today. Qenko, meaning zig-zag, consists of a large limestone rock covered with carvings with mysterious caves and alters below, and its zig-zag walls and channels are thought to have been used for ritual sacrifices. Puca Pucara, or Red Fort, is a small defensive outpost that appears red at twilight. Tambo Machay, another smaller site, is known locally as “El Baño del Inca,” or the Incan bath, as it has beautiful ceremonial stone fountains and bathing pools.

After descending past San Cristobal church, built on top of Inca Manco Capac’s Palace and boasting a fantastic viewpoint of Cusco, make your final steps down the streets of San Blas which bring you to the Plaza de Armas where you’ll visit the main cathedral and the impressive Quoricancha, the very center of the Inca empire along with other Cusco city sites.

At the appropriate time make your way to the airport for your flight to Lima and connection to Quito, Ecuador. Quito is located in a huge valley of the Andes mountains at an altitude of 9,455 feet. It’s a great place to extend your stay to explore the city, the surrounding volcanic mountain range, or possibly an excursion to the fabled Otavalo market or Cloud Forest.

A city tour of Quito takes you on a stroll down cobblestone streets and through flowering plazas. Visit the old colonial center of Independence Square, the elegant cathedrals of San Francisco, La Compañía, and San Agustín, Quito’s oldest monastery. Drive through the residential section and past the Legislative Palace (Congress). Panecillo Hill overlooks the city and snow-capped mountains. The rest of the afternoon will be at your leisure to explore or relax.

You may also head out of Quito, to the small town of Otavalo, famous for its indigenous market for an optional day tour (additional cost). For more than 4,000 years, Otavalo’s market has served as the social and economic heart of the region. Today, it is Ecuador’s most popular destination after the Galapagos Islands.  On Saturdays, the usually-sleepy town awakens to a cacophony of chickens, cows, and sheep, and trading of hemp, saddles, vegetables, grains, and textiles among the brightly-dressed Otavalenos Indian population. Although there are plenty of tourist trinkets to be found, visitors come primarily for the authentic local atmosphere.

Early this morning, you will be transferred to the airport where you will collect your tickets for your flight to the Galapagos.

Upon arrival at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal Island, the crew will be waiting at the airport to escort you to your anchored yacht.  After a welcome briefing, buffet lunch, and safety drill, you’ll travel by bus to the interior of San Cristobal to visit La Galapaguera Cerro Colorado, where the National Park has established a breeding program for the tortoises and set up an information center for visitors. Along the trail, you may find the San Cristobal (Chatham) mockingbird and Calandrinia plant, both endemic to the island. Here, you will see the terrestrial tortoises living in their natural habitat, and learn about their origin, evolution and threats by introduced animals.

Spend the entire day on Genovesa (Tower) Island, considered to be one of the most spectacular islands in all of the Galapagos for its variety and sheer number of birds. You’ll begin with a wet landing at Darwin Bay, a coral sand beach where swallow-tailed and lava gulls gather near the tide pools. Enter a forest of Opuntia cactus and mangroves where colonies of great frigate birds nest. The males inflate their red-throated pouches to attract females as they fly overhead. The trail leads through a rich inter-tidal zone where we find a great diversity of wildlife. In the afternoon, you’ll have a dry landing at Prince Philip’s Steps. Red-footed boobies nest here in Palo Santo trees and Nazca boobies nest near the trail. In an open lava field, you’ll find storm petrels in large numbers and, f you are lucky, you will see the elusive short-eared owl. Look for the beautiful Red-billed tropicbird found in the crevices along the cliff by kayak or zodiac. You can choose to swim or snorkel from the beach with sea lions in these northern warmer waters or for those with experience, we offer snorkeling in deeper water.

In the morning, you will visit Las Bachas, Spanish for “the barges.”  There is a long stretch of a soft white sand beach and interior lagoons where you will find the greater flamingo. The snorkeling from the beach here is wonderful. At Black Turtle Cove (Caleta Tortuga Negra) you’ll have a zodiac ride through a series of coves and inlets surrounded by mangroves. Here you can view pairs of mating sea turtles (Sept to Feb), white-tipped reef sharks, and golden cow-nosed rays. Located on the northern tip of Santa Cruz is Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill) where you’ll find Darwin finches, Galapagos flycatchers, yellow warblers, Audubon shearwater, and the endemic land iguanas – orange-yellow in color with large spines along their backs that were once part of the Darwin Station’s breeding program. You’ll find pink flamingos feeding in the salt-water lagoon as well as other lagoon birds – stilts, pintail ducks, sandpipers, and more. From the top of the hill, you’ll enjoy a majestic view of the bay island covered in Opuntia cactus, Palo Santo, and Cordia Lutea (muyuyu). After the briefing and dinner, the boat will sail toward the western islands and cross the equator line for the second time.

This morning, you’ll have a wet landing at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina, the youngest and most pristine Island in the Galapagos. Recent lava flows formed by an active volcano stretch their way around the coast. Hundreds of marine iguanas, the largest colony in Galapagos, bask in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Observe sea lion harems with resident bulls carefully guarding their territories. Flightless cormorants build their nests on the point, and Galapagos Hawks fly overhead. There is also a chance to snorkel here with sea turtles.

After lunch, the boat will cross the Bolivar Channel, where whales are often spotted and dolphins ride the ship’s bow wave. You’ll disembark at Urbina Bay, Isabela, where you’ll find four miles of its coastal seabed, with marine life exposed due to a dramatic uplift in 1954 when the volcano erupted. The marine remnants of coral skeletons, some of them waist-high, are visited after a wet landing on the beach. Urbina is home to the very large and colorful Galapagos Island Iguanas and giant marine iguanas can be seen along the coast. Occasionally giant tortoises and Darwin Finches can also be seen while brown pelicans and flightless cormorants nest here. You may even encounter penguins while snorkeling. At Punta Vicente Roca, a zodiac ride offers an incredible view of the tuff walls, and you can enter the wave-sculpted cave to find sea turtles that frequent this area. It’s very possible to spot the dorsal fin of a Mola Mola, an odd-looking giant sunfish. Return to the yacht for a briefing and dinner.

Your morning excursion will be a zodiac ride to Elizabeth Bay, Isabela that begins at a secluded cove lined with large red mangrove trees where you will see turtles, rays, and shorebirds. You’ll then motor to the rocky islets known as “Las Marielas,” to view colonies of nesting penguins, flightless cormorants, and giant marine iguanas. Isabela was created when six volcanoes flowed together and formed the largest Island in the Galapagos.

You’ll have a dry landing at Tagus Cove, located on the western Island of Isabela and a favorite anchorage for pirates and whalers over the centuries. Old graffiti dating back to the 1800′s is written on the rocky cliffs. Explore the coves by zodiac or kayak to find Galapagos Penguins, boobies, pelicans and other seabirds. An uphill hike brings you to a salt-water lagoon, a scenic overlook with a spectacular view of the ocean, lava fields, and volcanic formations. An excellent snorkeling site is offered from the zodiac or take out a kayak and explore the shoreline. After dinner, a sky full of stars beckons to go on deck and observe the galaxy while crossing the equator for the last time.

After breakfast, you’ll have a wet landing at Puerto Egas, Santiago where you can stroll along the shoreline looking for octopus, starfish, and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae. Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, American Oystercatchers, and yellow-crowned night herons. Your walk ends at the grottos – deep pools of clear water where you’ll encounter shy fur sea lions, once on the verge of extinction. Before returning to the yacht, enjoy some snorkeling and kayaking if you wish.

This afternoon, you’ll disembark on Rabida Island, located near Santiago. Rabida sports the most diversified volcanic rocks of all the islands and is considered the geographic center of the Galapagos. The dark red sand beach resulted from erosion of volcanic stones. Follow a trail that leads to a saltwater lagoon, and observe greater flamingos as they feed. Brown pelicans nest in the mangroves at the far side of the lagoon. After the walk, there will be some time for snorkeling before returning to the yacht.

Today after breakfast, disembark for an excursion to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. Visit all three tortoise corals and the breeding center with new hatchlings and miniature tortoises not yet ready to be repatriated to the islands where they were born. Scientists from all over the globe come to the station to conduct biological research from anatomy to zoology. At Van Straelen Hall where you’ll find some exhibits and a short video presentation. Visitors can also see the tortoise and land iguana corrals. Puerto Ayora is the social heart of the islands with the largest population of 24,000 inhabitants and this evening you’ll have the option to return to the yacht for a buffet dinner or remain in town on your own account. Those who return to the yacht will be provided zodiacs to return to town to shop for souvenirs or stop at an internet café. Zodiacs will also be provided for your return to the yachts.

This morning, drop anchor in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal where you’ll visit the Interpretation Center, which was opened in 1999. Here, you will gain a more complete understanding of the natural and human history of the Galapagos Islands. Afterwards, spend some time in port before heading to the airport for your noontime Aerogal flight back to the mainland, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Enjoy a final breakfast before you are transferred to the airport in time for your homebound flight.