Machu Picchu & Galápagos Island Hopping

Arrive at any time.

Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting with G Representative: The adventure begins today. Feel free to explore, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Your G Representative will review the details of your tour.

Fly to Cusco. Free time to shop and explore. Choose to pre-book the Cusco Cooking Class, or try out a city tour, and visit museums and archaeological sites.
Travel to the airport for the early morning flight to Cusco. Spend the day relaxing and exploring this fascinating city. Our best advice for exploring Cusco is to wear a comfortable pair of shoes, arm yourself with a city map, and set out to explore.

: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Free Time: Use the day to head out and explore. Free time is yours to use any way you want.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Enjoy a full-day guided tour of the Sacred Valley. Stop at the G Adventures-supported women's weaving co-op before visiting a local pottery making community. Break for lunch at the G Adventures-supported Parwa Community Restaurant in Huchuy Qosco. After lunch, opt to head out on a hike to the Ollantaytambo storehouses and look out over the ruins. Or, wander around the cobblestone streets and visit a local Chicheria (corn beer bar).
Travel through the stunning Sacred Valley of the Incas, visiting a G Adventures-supported women's weaving co-op. Meet the women and learn about traditional weaving and dyeing. Perhaps choose to pick up some handmade souvenirs and textiles directly from the women who made them. Have lunch at the G Adventures-supported Parwa Community Restaurant. Learn about the G Adventures for Good project and eat a delicious buffet-style lunch. Proceeds of this meal go directly back to the remote community.

Ccaccaccollo Community and Women's Weaving Co-op visit: Visit the Ccaccaccollo community centre which G Adventures travellers' donations helped create in 2005, thereby enabling local women to sell traditional textiles to travellers. See local weaving and dyeing techniques used to create garments and souvenirs, and learn how the Planeterra weaving co-operative has impacted the community and those who visit it. This includes the purchase of alpacas to provide a steady supply of wool, looms, and sewing machines as well as several training courses on production, sales and small business management.

: Make stops along the way as you pass through this gorgeous valley, descending in elevation the whole way.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST, LUNCH

Journey to the beautiful town of Aguas Calientes and perhaps enjoy a visit to the local hot springs or explore the market.
Board a morning train that winds through the spectacular Urubamba Valley to the end of the line: the village of Aguas Calientes, a frontier town nestled in the hills beneath Machu Picchu. Enjoy the rest of the day taking advantage of the hikes and hot springs in the area.

: Climb aboard, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Free Time: Choose to visit the local market, the botanical garden, and the Mandor waterfalls, or soak in the hot springs.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Start early to visit the 'Lost City' of Machu Picchu. Tour the ruins with an expert guide before returning back to Cusco.
Start early to catch the sunrise at the top. Take the bus up to the historic spiritual centre of the Incas, the 'Lost City' of Machu Picchu. Tour the ruins with an expert guide then explore on your own. Later, return by train to Ollantaytambo and meet a private vehicle to head back to Cusco.

Machu Picchu Guided Tour: Set off with the local guide to explore Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Learn about the history and gain insights into this massive mountaintop citadel while wandering through ancient dwellings, stone temples and along sculpted terraces. Feel the energy of this 15th-century site, now both a UNESCO World Heritage site and voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide internet poll.

: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Enjoy a free day in Cusco. Opt to visit the local market, a nearby archaeological site, or get a massage.
With plenty of free time you can choose to visit and hike the famed Rainbow Mountain. Pre-book on the checkout page to include this optional activity on your tour, or ask your GCO or travel agent for assistance.

Free Time: Head out and explore. Free time is yours to use how you want!

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Head to the airport and fly back to Lima where you will enjoy free time to explore the city at your leisure.

: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Free Time: Make the most of a few more hours in Lima. Free time is yours to explore any way you want.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Fly to Quito. Flight is unescorted and included in the price of the tour.
Your transfer to the airport and your flight to Quito are included in this trip. Please note that this flight is unescorted and your transfer will be waiting for you at the Quito airport and will bring you to your hotel.

Optional Welcome Meeting for Travellers on Combos: You may be a seasoned pro at group travel by now, but there will likely be some new travellers joining the group. Sit in on the welcome meeting to meet the newest members of your group and learn about the next leg of your tour.

: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Transfer to the Quito airport and catch a flight to the Galápagos. Arrive at Baltra and travel to the hotel in Santa Cruz. Later, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station for an introduction to some of the unique wildlife and history of the area before an evening welcome meeting to meet up with any travellers joining the group.

Welcome Meeting: Meet fellow travellers and learn more details about the upcoming itinerary from the CEO.

: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

In the morning, walk to "Las Grietas" located across Academy Bay, walk through a rugged cactus forest on the way to this stunning lagoon. In the afternoon, hop on a speedboat to nearby Floreana Island. Stay in the G Adventures-supported community guesthouses and eat meals in the community restaurants and help to support community tourism on the island.

Swimming at Las Grietas: Cross a cactus forest looking for Darwin finches and lava lizards on the way to Las Grietas, a local swimming hole. The cool, bright turquoise water separates two volcanic cliffs. Fed by the ocean from one end and a river from the other this unique brackish pool is perfect for swimming.

: Keep an eye out for dolphins and birds along the way.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST, DINNER

Walk along the black-sand beach until Loberia, and enjoy beach time or swimming. Head up to the seldom-visited highlands of Floreana. Enjoy guided walks to observe birds and other wildlife and learn about the area's natural history.

Floreana Highlands Excursion: Head up to the seldom-visited highlands of Floreana. Hear the tales about the pirates, whalers, seal hunters and buccaneers who once lived in this isolated and unique landscape.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER

Travel to Isabela Island. Hike up the active Sierra Negra Volcano and walk around the rim of the largest volcanic crater in the archipelago.
Hike to the summit to experience a bird's-eye view of this magical landscape of the surrounding volcanoes and islands.

Sierra Negra Volcano Crater Viewpoint Excursion: Lace up your hiking boots to explore the landscape around the Sierra Negra Volcano, which has the largest basaltic caldera in the Galápagos. The volcano last erupted in June 2018, making it the most recent eruption in the Galápagos.

: Cut swiftly through the water en route to the next stop (and hang on to your hat).

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Enjoy free time in the morning, opt to take a wildlife boat excursion to 'Islote Tintoreras' to view breeding white-tip reef sharks, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, rays, and penguins. Later, visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre.
Explore the surroundings with a short walk to observe pink flamingos in the wetlands and catch a stunning Isabela sunset on the beach. Along the way, stop at a lookout point, and visit natural pools, beaches, and mangrove swamps. In the evening, relax at the bar or on the beach and opt to enjoy a drink at sunset.

Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre Visit: Walk through the town’s wetlands to visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre. With the giant tortoise on its way to extinction in the late 1950s, this program was established to protect these noble creatures.

Free Time: Enjoy free time to enjoy the largest Island in the archipelago.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Travel by speedboat back to Santa Cruz Island. Later, enjoy a walk to Tortuga Bay, opt for a kayak, surf lessons or swim in the turquoise water.
In the evening, enjoy free time to explore this bustling little town and sample some of the local restaurants and bars, or do a little last minute shopping.

Tortuga Bay Hike: Enjoy a walk along a lava stone pathway to the beautiful white beach of Tortuga Bay. Relax on the beach, walk along the mangroves looking for marine iguanas and birdlife, or rent a kayak and explore this marine wonderland. Look for Tintoreras sharks, sea turtles, and manta rays in the water's shallow areas.

: Cut swiftly through the water en route to the next stop (and hang on to your hat).

Free Time: Enjoy free time to explore this little town. Head to the lively fish market where sea lions, pelicans and other birds drop by to see the daily catch.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Travel back to Baltra to catch the flight to Quito. Transfer to the hotel and enjoy the evening in the capital city.
Retrace your footsteps to return to Baltra Island for the flight to Quito. Upon arrival in Quito, transfer to the hotel for one last night in town. The G Adventures representative in Quito will be able to arrange many of the available day tours in and around Quito if you have time to spare. We highly recommend booking post-accommodation in this lively city.

: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST

Depart at any time.

Meal plan: BREAKFAST