In Brief
Flight - 1 night. Lima - 1 night. Cuzco - 2 nights. Guayaquil - 1 night. Cruise - 4 nights. Guayaquil - 1 night. Flight - 1 night.
Itinerary (Mar/Apr 2012)
Day 1 Fly overnight from London Heathrow to Lima via Madrid.
Day 2 Early morning arrival and transfer to the 4-star Hotel José Antonio for overnight. Afternoon tour of colonial Lima includes the impressive buildings of the Plaza de Armas, the UNESCO World Heritage 17th-century church of San Francisco and the Gold Museum.
Day 3 Fly to Cuzco (3,400 metres) and transfer to the 4-star Hotel José Antonio for a two-night stay. An afternoon tour of the historic centre of Cuzco and the Inca sites of Sacsayhuaman, Tambo Machay, Kenko and Puca Pucara.
Day 4 Travel by train to Aguas Calientes (3 hrs) before the final ascent to Machu Picchu (2,500 metres) by road. Explore the site and later return to Cuzco.
Day 5 Fly via Lima to Guayaquil in Ecuador for an overnight stay at the 4-star Hotel Unipark.
Day 6 Fly to the Galapagos Islands to join the MV Galapagos Explorer II for a four-night cruise. Afternoon visit to Wizard Hill on San Cristóbal Island.
Day 7 Sail to Española, search out the mockingbird, the giant lava lizard, the marine iguana and the waved albatross, all unique to the island. Also numerous are masked and blue-footed boobies, Galapagos doves, finches, swallow-tailed gulls and tropicbirds.
Day 8 Morning visit to Whale Bay on Santa Cruz Island and later visit Rabida Island.
Day 9 Morning visit to the Charles Darwin Interpretation Centre and Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Afternoon visit to Plazas Island.
Day 10 Visit Baltra Island before the return flight to Guayaquil. Overnight at the 4-star Hotel Unipark.
Day 11 Fly overnight from Guayaquil to London, via Madrid.
Day 12 Arrive Heathrow.
Extension – Ecuadorian Amazon
Two nights in Quito (one night in place of overnight in Guayaquil on Day 10) and three nights, full board, in the heart of the Amazon basin at the Sacha Lodge, positioned beside a tranquil oxbow lake, Pilchicocha, and within a 5,000-acre private ecological reserve. Accommodation is in cabins constructed from traditional materials with a high thatched roof, terrace, private facilities and fan.
Day 10 Visit Baltra Island. Fly to Quito (2,850 metres) for two nights at the 4-star Grand Mercure Alameda.
Day 11 Enjoy a city tour of Quito.
Day 12 Take a 45-minute flight over the Andes to the port town of Coca. On arrival enjoy a cruise on the Napo River with a packed lunch en route before heading to the Sacha Lodge for a three-night stay. Access to the lodge is via a raised boardwalk and canoe ride.
Days 13 & 14 Take part in a range of excursions, exploring the surrounding rainforest (poncho and boots are included).
Day 15 Travel back to Coca for the flight to Quito. Return flight to London Heathrow, via Guayaquil and Madrid.
Day 16 Arrive Heathrow in the early morning.
South America Extensions
Join a pre-tour extension to the Nazca Lines or Peruvian Amazon. Please click here for further information.
