Fly to the remote Galapagos island of Baltra, where you join your naturalist guide for the ferry ride to Santa Cruz Island. Disembark and drive up into the island’s mist-shrouded highlands in search of giant tortoises. Continue on to Puerto Ayora and board La Pinta, your expedition ship for your four-night cruise through the Galapagos’ northern islands. La Pinta is built for adventure, offering spacious cabins, floor-to-ceiling windows and a comfortable atmosphere. The vessel is ecologically sound and comes equipped with pangas (rubber rafts), a glass-bottom boat and sea kayaks that allow for independent exploration. Tonight, dine on board.
After breakfast, get fitted for your wetsuit and snorkelling gear. Then, Ride Like a Local, boarding a panga (small boat) for a shore excursion to Eden Islet, a secluded, biodiverse enclave off Santa Cruz. Here, observe the island’s iconic bluefooted boobies. Take this opportunity to snorkel the reef or view marine life aboard a glass-bottom boat. Back aboard ‘La Pinta,’ cruise onward to Sombrero Chino, yet another secluded islet of the Galapagos archipelago. Disembark your panga to hike wilderness trails, swim in a sandy cove, and snorkel among white-tipped reef sharks and Galapagos penguins.
Disembark on Bartolome Island to hike up to the volcano’s summit and take in the views. After a panga ride to visit the penguins of Pinnacle Rock, snorkel the reef, relax on the beach or take in the local marine life aboard a glass-bottom boat. Later, swim or snorkel along the white coral sand beach of Sullivan Bay.
This morning, hike and snorkel Genovesa Island, a birdwatcher’s paradise. Explore Darwin Bay, snorkelling along the cliffs or paddling out in sea kayaks. View the island’s cliffs before disembarking to climb the steep, rocky pass of Prince Philip’s Steps. Your ascent leads to a clifftop frequented by Nazca boobies, frigate birds, storm petrels and the elusive short-eared owl.
Disembark La Pinta at Baltra Island, where you transfer to the airport to fly to mainland Ecuador, and then, take a connecting flight to Lima, Peru. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.
Fly to Cusco, located more than 3,352 metres above sea level, where you are met and transferred to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. En route, visit Manos de la Comunidad to interact with the South American camelids living there — such as llamas and alpacas — and learn about the valuable fibres created from their coats. Then, visit the beautiful Hacienda Sarapampa for a Chef’s Table experience. Enjoy lunch with the owner, who cordially shares his family’s history in farming and shows you around the farm.
Today, visit Moray, a fascinating archaeological site comprising a series of concentric agricultural terraces, some almost 152 metres deep. Then, journey to a remote mountain village, where you experience ancient agricultural methods used for centuries, on an A&K-exclusive experience. Continue to the Children of the Rainbow school, a project supported by A&K Philanthropy, where you enjoy lunch and take in an equestrian performance featuring Paso Fino horses. Return to your hotel to enjoy a relaxing Scenic Sundowner before dinner.
Today, depending on your choice of departure, visit the imposing fortress of Ollantaytambo, with its massive stone terraces, and then Ride Like a Local by train, journeying deep into the Andes toward Machu Picchu. Alternatively, start toward Machu Picchu by train, stopping at KM 104 to disembark and hike to the Sun Gate above the Incan citadel. Either way, explore the magnificent ruins of Machu Picchu, guided by a local expert.
Overlooking the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at the height of the Inca Empire. Although this ‘Lost City’ was revealed to the rest of the world by American Hiram Bingham in 1911, its location was long known to locals. Its original purpose, however, remains a matter of some conjecture, as the Incas left no written records. As you wander amid the age-old stone walls, picture life here as it might have been. Tonight, stay in the only hotel on site, just steps from the entrance.
On select dates, engage in a more active adventure, departing the train early for an expert-guided hike along the last portion of the Inca Trail, starting at KM 104 and ascending to the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) overlooking Machu Picchu.
Rise with the sun and join your expert guide to walk through Machu Picchu in the early morning mist before the crowds arrive. After your explorations, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Ollantaytambo by train, savouring incomparable views of the mountain scenery that surrounds you. On arrival, transfer to your hotel in Cusco, a 400-year-old architectural treasure that was once a monastery. Tonight, relax or stroll this ancient Incan capital on your own.
This morning, discover Cusco on a city excursion that includes the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and the Santo Domingo Temple, a Dominican church built on the foundations of the Koricancha, the Incas’ principal religious building. Later, visit the well-preserved ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testament to Incan architectural skill. Compiled from colossal stones, its walls were cut and placed together with incredible precision and without a single drop of mortar to hold them in place. Back in Cusco, stop for lunch at a local restaurant near the plaza. This afternoon, enjoy one of your Design Your Day activities, choosing to visit the San Blas Neighbourhood, a unique, bohemian enclave where you find the workshops of artisans, stroll San Pedro Market and Visit the Inca Museum, for a taste of local fruits and cheese, and a glimpse into history, or join a photographer in Cusco who helps you capture authentic images of the city’s architecture and people.
Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner at an elegant Cusco restaurant.
This morning, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities:
- Visit the San Blas neighbourhood, a unique, bohemian enclave where you find the workshops of artisans.
- Stroll San Pedro Market and visit the Inca Museum, for a taste of local fruits and cheese, and a glimpse into history.
- Join a photographer in Cusco who helps you capture authentic images of the city’s architecture and people.
Later today, fly to Lima and connect with your homebound flight.