Depart from London Heathrow this evening flying with Avianca via Bogota.

Please Note – Airline and flight timings may change depending on desired travel dates

Overnight: On board flight

Land into Lima. Make your way through immigration, baggage collection and customs before reaching the arrivals hall.

Here you will meet your driver who will be holding a sign with your name on it, to direct you to your hotel.

Overnight: AC Hotel Lima Miraflores |  Meals: –

Today you will enjoy a half day tour in Lima. You will be driven to the Historical Centre of Lima and the Plaza Mayor, where the Government Palace, City Hall, the Cathedral, and the Archbishop’s Palace are located. Continue to visit the San Francisco Monastery and step inside Casa Aliaga, a house as old as Lima itself.

Located across from the Presidential Palace, Casa Aliaga was built in 1535 by Don Jeronimo de Aliaga, who was a member of Pizarro’s conquering forces. Today and seventeen generations later, the house is still owned by the Aliaga family. Absolutely amazing is the inside: the inner patio is extraordinary and an imposing wooden staircase leads up to the elegant salons that are richly decorated with Colonial furniture.

Lunch will be included at Cade del Museo, located within Larco Museum. Once finished you will explore this museum, housed in an 18th century colonial mansion. The museum holds the most extensive collection of pre-Columbian art in Peru, featuring many fine examples of textile work, one of which has a world record 398 threads per inch. The museum collection also contains materials and tools used by ancient Peruvians, to produce their work in ceramics, metal, huaco pottery, gold and silver pieces with semi-precious stones and erotic art pieces.

Overnight: AC Hotel Lima Miraflores |  Meals: B

This morning you’ll be picked up at a pre-arranged time with your driver to head back to Lima airport for the next part of your epic trip.

Fly to Cusco on a domestic flight, this journey will take between 1 and 1.5 hours.

On arrival, meet your driver and transfer to your accommodation in the Sacred Valley. Before reaching your hotel you will make a stop at the Sacsayhuaman Fortress and Textile Museum.

Along the way, visit the archaeological site of Sacsayhuaman. This impressive Inca architectural masterpiece is located on the top of a hill and was the largest structure built by the Incas. The Incas were master stonemasons. Huge blocks were quarried and shaped using nothing more than harder stones and bronze tools.

Afterwards, you will stop to learn the ancient weaving techniques used to create Andean clothing at a Textile Museum, an Interpretation Centre of pre-Columbian textiles, where you learn about ancestral techniques and designs of the ancient Peruvians, to maintain the material and cultural legacy. They work together with artisans from Andean communities in the Ayacucho and Cusco region, allowing artisans to keep their cultural identity, history and tradition alive, procuring them a better quality of life.

As you enjoy the surroundings, lunch will be brought to your table, before being taken to your hotel.

Overnight: Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado |  Meals: B, L

Today you’ll head out on an excursion to learn more about the local culture in this area.

Straight from the hands of local craftspeople, you learn about textiles and the weaving process. The vivid colours of the local villagers’ clothing are derived from natural dyes made from plants and other organic elements with which they decorate wool.

The Pachamanca is a traditional Andean ceremony to celebrate Mother Earth. Declared a Cultural Patrimony in 2003, this culinary ritual follows ancestral roots that are still very much alive today in everyday Andean life. Its name comes from the words “pacha” (earth) and “manka” (pot), which refer to its unusual cooking method, prepared in an underground oven made with hot stones.

Today, you will be part of this feast, by watching and learning all about this ancestral cooking process. Afterwards you will enjoy the traditional dish, where you can taste different types of meats, such as chicken, beef, pork, and “cuy” (guinea pig), which were marinated in local herbs and spices, wrapped in banana leaves, and cooked by the heat of the stones. The dish is served with delicious Andean potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and lima beans that were also cooked in the underground oven.

Overnight: Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado |  Meals: B

Visit Ollantaytambo this morning, a still-thriving Inca village set below an ancient Inca fortress and temple with stunning views over the valley that makes you feel as if you have stepped back into the 15th century. Admire the magnificence of this important Inca site and stroll through the quaint streets of the present town.

You will be transferred to the train station to board the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes. Enjoy a unique train ride towards the marvellous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. Don’t miss the most outstanding views of the Urubamba River, which cuts its way through green fields beneath the towering Andean glaciers.

Upon arrival to the town of Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu, board a shuttle bus to Machu Picchu citadel.

Check in at your hotel located few steps away from the very Sanctuary of the Inca site. You will also enjoy a buffet lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge.

Overnight: El Mapi Hotel |  Meals: B, L

Spend your morning at leisure to enjoy your surroundings.

In the afternoon you’ll meet in the town of Aguas Calientes where you will take the train back to the Sacred Valley before being transferred to Cusco, where you will then check into your hotel.

Overnight: Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotell |  Meals: B

Our guide will meet you at your hotel´s lobby to start your visit of Cusco. Walk to a vibrant local market, which is situated in a very busy area in town that can keep you entertained for hours. Here you will get a first-hand look at how locals live day-to-day, outside of Cusco’s tourist zones. As you stand at the market, you will observe the locals speaking their native tongue and their gestures or habits that are all typical to the Andean culture.

Smell the scents of local produce and flora, absorb the styles and textures of the local fashion or discover the traditional fruits, vegetables and ingredients that make up the main staples of traditional meals.

After the market, visit the legendary Koricancha, which is the most important temple with walls once plated with sheets of gold and devoted to worshiping the Sun deity. Continue to the Plaza de Armas or main square to visit the Cathedral, and end your tour in the bohemian quarter of San Blas. The area is home to the workshops and stores of the most renowned artisans in Cusco, including Mendivil and Merida.

Overnight: Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotell |  Meals: B

You’ll be picked up by your driver and transferred to Cusco Airport ready for your flight to Quito. Most flights will transit briefly via Lima.

On arrival into Quito you’ll be met in the arrivals hall and transferred to your hotel for check in.

Overnight: Hilton Colon Quito |  Meals: B

Today you’ve got a free day in Quito to spend as you please.

We suggest getting out and wandering around this great city, exploring the historic centre, climbing to the top of the Mitad del Mundo Monument, riding the Teleferiqo, watching the changing of the guard or reaching the Middle of the World city, the monument and plaza marking the equator.

Overnight: Hilton Colon Quito |  Meals: B

Hop aboard a domestic flight over to Baltra Airport ready to start your amazing Galapagos cruise. All meals are included aboard the boat so sit back and relax and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.

Your itinerary will look as follows:

Day 1: Arrive into Baltra Airport and Transfer to the Boat.
Head for Santa Cruz Island and visit the Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre.

Day 2: Visit Genovesa Island today and go to both El Barranco and Darwin Bay.

Day 3: Today’s island visits are Rabida and the Chinese Hat Islet too.

Day 4: Probably the most well known of them all, go to San Cristobal Island and visit Witch Hill and Lobos Island.

Day 5: Your final day will have a morning visit to the Gianni Arismendy Interpretation Centre before transferring to San Cristobal Airport.

Overnight: Aboard your Galapagos Boat |  Meals: B, L, D

You’ll be flying back to Quito from San Cristobal via domestic flight. Once you’ve landed you’ll be transferred to your hotel for one last night before you start your journey home.

Overnight: Hilton Colon Quito |  Meals: B

Unfortunately you’ll be heading home today after the most amazing trip across 2 countries.

Meet your driver and take your transfer back to Quito airport to fly back to London Heathrow with Avianca via Bogota.

Please Note – Airline and flight timings may change depending on desired travel dates

Overnight: On board the flight

Reach London this afternoon and reflect on the memorable trip you’ve just finished – and maybe get thinking about planning your next!