Locally Hosted Independent Tour Suggested Departure Day: Monday Post-extension to the eco award-winning Kapawi Ecological Reserve available on request

ITINERARY (Subject to change without notice):

Tuesday - USA-Lima: Afternoon flight from the USA to Lima, arriving in the evening.  Upon arrival, meeting and transfer to the Orient-Express Peru Hotel Miraflores Park Plaza for overnight stay. (B)

Wednesday - Lima - Cuzco: Morning transfer to the airport for your one hour flight over the Andes to Cuzco, ancient capital of the Inca empire.  Upon arrival, meeting and transfer to your hotel, the Monasterio, one of  Orient-Express Peru properties, for overnight stay.  In the afternoon, you'll explore this historic city of Cuzco, including Santo Domingo Church with the Korikancha which once had a garden filled with life-size gold and silver replicas of animals, maize and other plants. You'll also visit nearby Sacsayhuaman, once a ceremonial center and bastion with massive rocks and  spectacular vistas of Cuzco, Kenkko temple and amphitheater and Tambo Machay spring shrine. (B)

Thursday - Cuzco - Sacred Valley of the Incas:  Spend the day exploring the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Urubamba Valley. Drive over the Andes to the small town of Pisac where you will have a chance to explore this bustling Indian market and time to explore the seldom visited but spectacularly set ruins of Pisac. Then enjoy lunch before transferring further down the valley to visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo, climbing up the mountainside and offering spectacular views of the valley. After your visit, transfer to your hotel for overnight, the charming  Sol y Luna. (B/L)

Friday - Sacred Valley of the Incas - Machu Picchu:  Morning transfer to the rail station at Ollantaytambo where you will catch the new VistaDome rail service through the most spectacular part of the valley to Aguas Calientes where you catch the shuttle up to the summit of Machu Picchu.  Check-in at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, an Orient-Express Peru hotel property, and then set out with your guide to explore the spectacular Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu, never found by the Spanish Conquistadores and only rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Enjoy lunch at the hotel and plenty of time to walk up ancient Inca steps and learn the history and legends behind this famed city. The ruins remain open until dusk. (B/L/D)

Saturday - Machu Picchu - Cuzco: Most of the day to continue exploring the ruins. You may want to hike up to the Gate of the Sun, Machu Picchu's original entry point from the Inca Royal Highway, or climb sister peak Huayna Picchu for royal vistas of the complete city. Afternoon descent by shuttle to Aguas Calientes for return VistaDome rail service back to Cuzco, arriving early evening.  Meeting and transfer form the rail station to your hotel, the Hotel Monasterio for two night stay. (B/L)

Sunday - Cuzco: Moring visit to the colorful Indian market at nearby Chinchero. Time to shop for handicrafts and textiles, and visit the small hurch. Afternoon at leisure to explore this ancient city at your own pace.  Walk the cobbled streets, shop at a variety of shops off the Plaza de Armas and take a taxi up to the San Blas Church and then walk back down the shop lined street to the Plaza de Armas. (B)

Monday - Cuzco - Lima: Morning transfer back to the airport for short flight over the Andes to Lima. Meeting and transfer to the Miraflores Park for overnight stay. This afternoon you'll enjoy a city tour of Lima, visiting the main points of interest including the Plaza de Armas with Cathedral and Presidential Palace and the San Francisco Convent. And you'll have a choice to visit either theGold Museum, the private collection of the Mujica Gallo family, with pre-Columbian gold, silver and bronze, ceramics, weavings and mummies, and the excellent Archaeology Museum. (B)

Tuesday - Lima - Quito: Morning transfer to the airport for your flight north to Quito, nestled at 9,000 feet high in the Andes. Upon arrival, meeting and transfer to your hotel, the centrally located Colon Hilton, for two night stay.(B)

Wednesday - Quito: Today you will spend the day exploring this charming Andean capital, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Visit the m ost important points of interest in the city, including the   St. Augustine Convent, Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace and the Church of San Francisco, one the of great religious buildings of the New World. Have lunch and then drive out to the Equatorial Monument complex, with small but excellent ethnographic museum and other cultural exhibitions. (B/L)

Thursday - Quito - Otavalo area: Morning scenic 2 hour drive north  to the famed Otavalo Indian market. The Otavalo Indians are the most ambitious and prosperous craftsmen/merchants of Ecuador. Here you will have plenty of time to explore the market and bargain for textiles, weavings, handicrafts and the Panama hat, actually made in Ecuador. This is considered South America's best shopping market. In the afternoon you will explore Cotacachi, known for its leather, San Antonio de Ibarra, a woodworking center, Peguche, a weaving center, and other places of interest. Overnight at the lovely Hosteria La Mirage, with dinner and breakfast included. (B/D)

Friday - Otavalo area - Quito: Morning return drive back to Quito, with a stop at Calderon to visit the bread dough figurine shops. Check-in at the Colon Hilton for overnight stay. In the afternoon take the teleferico up to the summit of Mount Pichincha for spectacular panoramas of the city and surrounding mountains. There is a complex of shops and eateries and several trails that lead to every higher heights and more vistas. (B)

Saturday - Quito - Galapagos:   Morning transfer for flight via Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands and transfer to the M/V Galapagos Explorer II for 7-night cruise of these Enchanted Isles. Accommodation on board is in a Deluxe Suite on Erickson Deck. Once aboard, briefing on the islands, the upcoming itinerary and hints for behavior while ashore. This afternoon you'll make your first visit ashore at Cerro Dragon, with boobies, frigates, pelicans, marine turtles, rays and sharks and a nesting site of a fairly large number of land iguanas B/L/D)

SPECIAL NOTE: If you don't like animals and you don't like being an active ingredient in the wildlife experience, don't visit the Galapagos. The sole reason to go to the islands is the flora and fauna, and you have to go ashore and exert energy to experience it. The guides teach you a motto the first day you arrive: "Take nothing from the islands but memories and leave nothing behind but footprints."

Sunday - Galapagos: Morning at Bartolome, off the west coast of Santiago, for hike to the summit of the island for spectacular vistas of the islands, and time at the beach for swimming and snorkeling among multi-colored fish and an occasional penguin. Afternoon ashore at Puerto Egas, James Island, for walk to the fur seal grottos and ample opportunity to see the Galapagos Hawks, Galapagos Doves and finches in addition to sea lions. (B/L/D)

Monday - Galapagos: Morning ashore at Punta Espinosa, a narrow spit of sand and lava rock renowned for its large colonies of marine iguanas and home to numerous other species including the flightless cormorant, penguin, sea lion and marine turtle. Afternoon ashore at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island. Afternoon at Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela Island, which offers the highest probabilities to observe whales all year round, as well as blue footed and nazca boobies and pelicans. (B/L/D)

Tuesday - Galapagos: Morning visit North Seymour, a low, flat island with the largest colony of magnificent frigate birds, blue footed boobies, sea lions and endemic palo santo trees. Afternoon through the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, with an opportunity to see tortoises in their natural habitat in the highlands, pit craters and the largest lava tunnels found in Galapagos. (B/L/D)

Wednesday  Galapagos: Morning at the port of San Cristobal with a chance to visit the Interpretation Center or explore the village. This afternoon go ashore at Cerro Brujo where you'll walk along the beach with Sally Lightfoot crabs, pelicans and blue-footed boobies and have time for snorkeling. (B/L/D)

Thursday - Galapagos: Morning ashore at Punta Suarez, Hood Island, one of the most prolific of all visitor sites. Along its shores high cliffs rise form the sea affording grand vistas of soaring birds and the famous blowhole. Here you will see the waved albatross (Apr-Dec), blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, marine iguanas, lava lizards, mockingbirds, red-billed tropic birds, swallow-tailed gulls, Galapagos doves, Sally lightfoot crabs, and sea lions. Afternoon ashore at Gardner Bay, Hood Island, with a kilometer long beach that is one of the most spectacular in the islands, home to many sea lion colonies and also an excellent swimming beach. There are also mocking kirds, lava lizards, the Galapagos Dove, Large Cactus finch, marine iguanas and sally light-foot crabs. (B/L/D)

Friday - Galapagos: Moring ashore at Puerto Ayora for a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and a chance to see the giant tortoises after which the islands are named and time to explore the village. Afternoon at Rabida, a small island cpvered by dry coastal vegetation with a central volcano, Rabida contains the largest variety of lava types, salt-water lagoon with flamingos, beach with sea lions and fur seals, and opuntia cacti and palo santo trees. (B/L/D)

Saturday - Galapagos - Guayaquil: Early morning visit to Bachas Beach, flight schedules permitting, and then debarkation and transfer to the airport for your return flight to Guayaquil. Meeting upon arrival and transfer to the Colon Hilton Guayaquil for overnight stay. (B)

Sunday - Guayaquil - USA: Morning transfer to the airport for return flight to the USA. (B)

RATES and DETAILS: