We arrive in Quito, Ecuador. Escorted transfer between airport and hotel. Overnight in Quito.
 

We visit downtown Quito to relish in this urban jewel and its treasures of art and architecture. Quito’s colonial quarter, the largest and best preserved of South America, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stroll starts at the Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace. 

Visit the temple of La Compania de Jesus and its awesome gilded interior. Continue on to the Monastery of San Francisco, one the of great religious buildings of the New World; its impressive façade and atrium that lead to its Baroque interior influenced by Moorish style, with the winged Virgin of Quito at its main altar.

We continue to the Equatorial Monument, 25 Kms. (16 miles) North of Quito, which marks the exact Middle of the World, latitude 0º, where you can stand with a foot on each hemisphere. We visit the Ethnographic Museum inside the monument, which shows the different Native American groups living in Ecuador.

Beside the monument there is a colonial-style town, complete with main square, church, post office, bullring, cafeterias, restaurants and many gift shops with postcards and souvenirs. We will get a certificate for having crossed the Equator.

The first half of this four-day voyage is along the Avenue of the Volcanoes from Quito to beautiful Cuenca in the south; among spectacular scenery from the roof of the CHIVA EXPRESS with many stops along the way for a close contact with the indigenous cultures, haciendas, plantations and a taste of the products of the land. The second half is dedicated to the cultural and natural experience of exploring the charms of Cuenca and the Valley of Gualaceo.

We will have a bus ride to the station of Tambillo, where the "Chiva Express", a colourful one coach train, like a bus on tracks, is ready to depart. A highlight of the trip is to 'ride the roof' with a panoramic view of the stunning Andean region of Ecuador.

We will leisurely enjoy the ever-changing scenery as the "Chiva Express" advances along the ancient tracks. Stop for a snack at a dairy hacienda with cows, horses and llamas. Then the Chiva advances up and down the slopes of Cotopaxi volcano and the fertile Valley of Latacunga for a visit to a rose plantation and a taste of the products of the land.

Continue by bus to Riobamba, and at the foot of imposing Chimborazo volcano, visit a Tagua workshop and warm up with a canelazo by the fireplace.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the train station to board the "Chiva Express" for an astonishing ride, twisting and turning over the Andes, along bridging ravines and river gorges. 

Stop at Guamote, an Indian town, for a short visit to an Educational Center for Adults’ Development and Sustainability. Continue aboard the Chiva to Alausí, where a snack is served, and prepare to go down the Devil’s Nose switch backs, one of the most impressive feats of rail engineering in the world, and back to Alausí.

Continue south along the Andes by motorcar to Cuenca, visiting the Inca Ruins of Ingapirca to arrive at dusk.

Today we will enjoy a full day to discover, at a leisurely pace, the beauty and charm for which Cuenca has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site. 

Its red tiled roofs, cobblestone streets, flowery plazas and museums make it very special.

The day starts with a ride along the Santa Ana valley and then high in the mountains, through very scenic landscapes, which change at every curb. 

Stops are made at the small towns that produce a variety of handcrafts, such as artistic handmade guitars at San Bartolo and alongside orchards and sugar cane plantations, on to Chordeleg, famous for gold and silver jewelry. Then past the village of Gualaceo, follow the road along the banks of the Santa Barbara River, lined with weeping willows, to Bulcay where shawl and scarves are woven with the ancient technique of Ikat (tie dyed warp to form specific designs, on ancient shuttle looms.

We visit lovely orchid gardens with over 2500 species and then lunch at an attractive hostel, surrounded by flowery gardens, close to the Paute River.

After lunch, return to Cuenca in time to catch the flight to Guayaquil.

Private transfer from the hotel to the airport.

Breakfast at the hotel. Escorted transfer to the airport to board your flight to the astonished Galapagos Islands (1 hour.)

The Galapagos Islands on board the exclusive brand new Yacht La Pinta. La Pinta itinerary will include the Galapagos' main highlights on its Friday to Friday expeditions.

During the 8 days / 7 nights you will have comfort and safety aboard the 48-guest yacht in which a full board program is included. You will thoroughly enjoy the variety of colourful tropical fruit juices every morning, and the generous buffet for lunch, with many fresh salads, cold cuts, cheeses, seafood and of course, plenty of vegetarian options. All meals are free seating with no dress code.

Baltra Island
Morning arrival to Baltra Island by TAME flight and immediate transfer to the dock to board Yacht LA PINTA. Welcome introductory briefing, and lunch.

North Seymour Island
Afternoon disembarkation (dry landing) for a walk along the coast and the interior of the island, observing bird colonies of blue footed boobies, frigate birds, swallow tailed gulls and also sea lions and marine iguanas.
Next day’s expedition plan and dinner.

This morning brings us to the youngest island, Fernandina. Disembark (dry landing) for a one-mile walk. Punta Espinoza has an amazing combination of barrenness with lots of wildlife. Having no introduced mammals, Fernandina has a very unique environment with the highest density of marine iguanas, sharing their space with sea lions, sally-light foot crabs, hawks, penguins and the flightless cormorant. Lunch on board.

Punta Moreno has a low-lying rocky shoreline surrounded by black and red mangrove lagoons, and abundant shore birds. It offers close views of volcanoes Alcedo, Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul. It has a desolate and pristine landscape of impressively immense black lava flows and an extraordinary and unusual arid-zone vegetation. Darwin's finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, penguins, cormorants, brown pelicans and blue-footed boobies can be seen.
Next day’s expedition plan and dinner.

Possibility to snorkel from the pangas around Champion Islet or a ride on the glass-bottom boat. Return on board and navigate to Post Office Bay. Wet landing at the historic barrel that served as a post office, to learn about the human side of the islands, its early inhabitants and the adventures of pirates and whalers. Lunch on board.

Disembark at Punta Cormorant (wet landing) for an easy walk to see the flamingos that inhabit a brackish-water lagoon, and other birds like ducks, stilts, sandpipers, etc. Return to the beach and possibility to swim; there is great snorkeling at this site or kayak from the beach.
Next day’s expedition plan and dinner.

Morning disembarkation at Rabida Island (wet landing) on a red-colored beach, due to the unusually high content of iron in the volcanic material. A gratifying stroll along the beach of this small island (1.9 sq. mi.) allows the observation of a large colony of sea lions, marine iguanas, mockingbirds, yellow warblers and several species of Darwin’s Finches. Very close to the beach, hidden behind a strip of green saltbush, is a salt pond where at times Greater Flamingos migrate to. This is a great place to snorkel from the beach, both for beginners as well as for experienced snorkelers, due to the unique combination of underwater species and submarine landscapes. During navigation to our next island, we will keep our eyes open for dolphins. Lunch on board.

The sand at Las Bachas is made of powdered coral, which makes it white and soft, and a favorite site for nesting sea turtles. The Sally Lightfoot crabs are abundant on the lava rocks along the water's edge. Flamingoes, Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black necked stilts, and whimbrels can be observed.
Next day’s expedition plan and welcome cocktail.

Island, an Scalesia forest and the twin pit craters geology formation, Los Gemelos. From December to mid-April a visit to see the giant tortoises in the wild may be included, if weather conditions are good. Lunch at one of the farms in the highlands.

Afternoon visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoise pens, an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest and many land birds. Then a stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora before embarking on Yacht La Pinta.
Next day’s expedition plan and dinner.

Sullivan Bay is on the east coast of Santiago just across Bartolome Island. We land on a white coral sand beach and begin our walk over lava that flowed less than 100 years ago. This is the perfect place to see and feel the volcanic origin of Galapagos. This site is most interesting for the geography of the lava flows, the intricate squiggles, cracks, and designs of the liquid lava as it solidified. After 110 years, life is starting to return to the flows, with occasional tufts of grass and cactus growing in the cracks. Optional panga ride, Glass-bottom boat or snorkeling is possible. Lunch on board.

Wet landing for a mid-length walk. Most of the landscape is tuff-stone layers and lava flows. This is a great opportunity to see land and marine birds. At low tide, marine iguanas graze upon the algae beds and there is a colony of Galápagos fur seals. Opportunity for snorkeling and swimming from the beach.
Next day’s expedition plan and dinner.

Disembark at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. This small attractive port is the provincial capital of the Galápagos Islands (population 4,000), along a crescent-shaped bay. Visit the San Cristóbal Interpretation Center, located in a natural setting, where visitors can obtain information that will help them understand more the natural history of the Galápagos, with a great emphasis on human history and conservation. Later this morning visit the breeding center for tortoises (La Galapaguera) at Cerro Colorado, including a 45-minute bus ride. Seeing the semi-saddle back shape of the tortoises can be a great way to understand adaptation to dry-tropical environments. The rewarding fauna of this island may not only be the giant tortoises, since many island-specific endemics are found here. It includes mockingbirds, lava lizards, and the vermilion flycatchers. Return to Yacht La Pinta for lunch.

In the afternoon, A dinghy ride along the shores of tuff-stone layers will bring us to Cerro Brujo for a wet landing at a white coraline beach . The beach is a great open walking area, with rewarding birdwatching. There are seabirds like blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, herons, frigate birds, and some shore birds. Also, look for Galapagos sea lions. Highlights ashore include the Chatham (San Cristobal) Mockingbird, Chatham Lava Lizard; both species are endemic to this island, and seen nowhere else in Galapagos. We may also spot Yellow Warblers, Galapagos flycatchers.These are the same shores that Charles Darwin walked upon, back in September 1835, as San Cristobal was the first island where he set foot in the Galapagos.
Farewell cocktail and departure briefing.

After breakfast, departure to the port and airport to board your Galapagos Islands-Guayaquil flight. 

Assistance at Guayaquil airport to take the flight to Lima (2.5 hours aprox.)

Upon your arrival to Lima you will be met by an airport supervisor and transfer staff who will assist you with your luggage and escort you to the Ramada Costa del Sol Hotel located within walking distance of the Lima Airport.

Private assistance at the hotel with the check-in procedures and provided information for the rest of the itinerary.

Early this morning transfer to the Lima airport to board your flight to the city of Arequipa (1 hour.)

Upon your arrival to Arequipa's airport you will be met by a private driver who will assist you with your luggage and drive your hotel.

Morning at leisure in order to adapt to the sudden change in altitude. Dubbed the "white city" for its beautiful buildings made of sillar, a pearly volcanic rock, Arequipa nestles against the foot of El Misti volcano and is guarded on either side by spectacular peaks.

During the afternoon a visit to the city and to the Santa Catalina Convent; the most fascinating colonial religious complex in the country, with the architecture, religious art and furnishings of a world that seems to have stood still since 1579.

Afterwards, a visit to “Mummy Juanita”; the first female frozen mummy to be found anywhere in the Andes discovered in 1995 by archaeologist Dr.Johan Reinhard who found a cloth bundle in which this teenage girl over five hundred years was covered. The body was found frozen rather than freeze-dried or desiccated, therefore, biological tests have been ran on lung, liver, and muscle tissue revealing new insights on Inca health and nutrition.

Early in the morning you will have a private transfer between the hotel and the Arequipa airport to board your flight to the city of Juliaca (1 hour.) Upon your arrival to Juliaca's airport you will be assisted and driven by a private transfer who will assist you with your luggage and drive you to the hotel. 

Puno sits on the banks of Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world. This region is the birthplace of Inca Mythology, according to the legend, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo emerged from the sacred Lake Titicaca to found the Inca Empire and gave birth to Inca civilization.

En route to the hotel, a stop to visit one of Puno's most important archaeological site: The Chullpas de Sillustani; massive tombs built for religious leaders almost 2000 years ago and to a typical Aymara home; The Aymara are a modern cultural group of the Andes in Peru, and the descendants of the Tiwanaku Empire in the Lake Titicaca region (400-1500 AD). Your will be able to see how the descendents of this millenary culture still maintain the same traditions and ways of life.

A private guide will escort you from the hotel for a 2 hours motorboat ride to the Uros Island. Fishermen and hunters inhabit the floating islands of the Uros. 

The residents of the Uros use the cattail, a type of rush, which grows in the lake, to create the conditions that ensure the islands stay afloat. The dense roots that the plants develop support the island. At present they speak Quechua and Aymara.

Afterwards you will visit the Taquile Island, where you will enjoy an Andean lunch prepared by the locals’ cooperative restaurant. Taquile Island is famous for its craft production, particularly for its beautiful textiles. The island is narrow at about 1 Km. wide and 6 to 7 Km. long.

The visit could be exhausting because of the 533 steps on the stone stairway to climb to get to the village and because of the altitude (13,000 ft above sea level), but it is worth the effort as there are numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins as well as fine examples of Inca terracing.

A 2-hour motorboat ride to return to the hotel.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Early in the morning your will be escort to the Juliaca airport to board your flight to the city of Cusco (1 hour).

Arrival to Cusco airport and private transfer ans assistance to the Sol y Luna Hotel located in Sacred Valley of the Incas in the town of Urubamba.

Morning at leisure to adapt to sudden change in altitude. Enjoy a fabulous typical Andean luncheon at one of the best restaurants in the area.

After lunch, an early afternoon visit to the town of Pisac and Awanacnacha; an excursion to the famous Pisac Ruins and the town’s colorful market fair or “mercado” where the idea of “trueque” (goods exchange) was used for centuries.

Afterwards, a stop at Awanacancha, to observe traditional Andean weaving and to see the four types of camel-related Andean animals – llamas, guanacos, alpacas and vicunas. Discover the methods of ancient weaving techniques Finally, a walking around through the magnificent ruins of the Ollantaytambo Fortress.

At the appropriate time, you will be driven to the Sol y Luna Hotel for overnight.

Buffet breakfast at your hotel. Your private guide will meet you at your hotel very early this morning. You will be driven to the Ollantaytambo train station to board the alpine train, for a dramatic train ride to Machu Picchu, the great mountain-top city abandoned by the Inca Empire, reclaimed by the jungle and lost to humanity until its rediscovery in 1911. 

The legendary 'Lost City of Machu Picchu' is without a doubt one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites. Built by the Incas on the summit of "Machu Picchu" (Old Peak), overlooking the deep canyon of the Urubamba river in a semitropical area 120 Km. (75 miles) from the city of Cuzco at 3,400 m.a.s.l (11,155 f.a.s.l) It sits on a mountain site of extraordinary beauty, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest.

Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, with its giant walls, terraces and ramps, which appear as though they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. Machu Picchu is also one of the Inca's best kept secrets, since they did not left written records and Spanish chronicles make no mention of the citadel, it remains a mystery.

Upon arrival to the ruins, a guided tour of the lost citadel, followed by lunch at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge. Afternoon return to the Sacred Valley by train.

Morning at leisure in the valley. During the afternoon a private transfer will take you to the city of Cusco, the “Navel of the World” for the Incas. Cusco remains today a city that blends colonial Spanish charm with older, more austere remains of pre-Columbian glory. 

A sightseeing tour of the city of Cusco which includes a visit of the city's most important historical monuments, the Plaza de Armas,
the Cathedral, the Koricancha Temple, and a visit to the surrounding ruin of the Sacsayhuaman Fortress. After the tour you will be driven back to your hotel.

Tonight enjoy a culinary show in Cusco; “Hidden Treasures” offers more than a gastronomic experience to travelers, as it features delightful Peruvian cuisine accompanied by the richness of Peruvian dances. This spectacle was designed for those who want to learn and feel the different cultural expressions of Peru.

Private transfer and drive to the airport to board your flight to Lima. 

Upon arrival to Lima you will be met by your private guide and driver who will take you on a guided visit of the city of Lima.

Also known as the City of Kings, Lima is long considered the colonial capital of South America, Lima is a thriving city of some 8 million inhabitants. The historic downtown area has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. Its fine architecture should not be missed. This morning, a visit of the city and its principal attractions; the Plaza de Armas, Government Palace, Cathedral, Santo Domingo or San Francisco convents and the garden suburbs of Miraflores and San Isidro.

After the visit of the city you will enjoy a delicious sea food lunch in a Victorian mansion 50 yards into the Pacific Ocean; La Rosa Nautica Restaurant offers spectacular views, and excellent service. Today’s excursions conclude with a visit to the famed Larco Herrera Museum, containing a priceless collection of pre-Columbian artefacts, an ancient pre-Inca erotic pottery, one of South America’s finest.

Evening transfer and assistance to the airport in order to board your international flight back home.