Machu Picchu & Galapagos
14 days | 13 nights | 6 tours | No hikes | No tents
Why this package?
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Visit two of the most popular sites in South America
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Full day at Machu Picchu
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Four days in the Galapagos Islands
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Tours of several famous sites in Peru
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Multiple historic culture tours
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Visit the middle of the world in Ecuador
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Option for hotels or yacht in the Galapagos (will impact cost)
What is included?
Four domestic flights
Eleven nights in hotels
Eight day tours
Four full days in the Galapagos Islands
Guided tour of Machu Picchu
All transportation for tours
All meals during tours and hike
All professional guides and staff
All permits, tickets, taxes, and fees
Get a 12-day international adventure to explore world wonders on the same trip
You get to Lima and we will handle the rest!
Schedule Overview
Day 3
Tour of Cusco
Tour of Cusco in the morning
Lunch on your own after tour
Free afternoon in Cusco
Day 6
Tour of Maras and Moray
Pick up from hotel in the morning
Tour of the Moray Inca agricultural site
Tour of the Maras salt pools
Day 9
Flight to the Galapagos
Pick up from Quito hotel in the morning
Flight to Baltra Island
Tour of the Charles Darwin Station
Day 12
Flight to Quito
Tour of Kicker Rock in the morning
Flight from Baltra Island to Quito
Hotel in Quito
Day 14
Flight home
Pick up from Quito hotel in the morning
Drop off at UIO Airport
End of services
Popular Questions
Short answer: "shoulder seasons", the Spring and Fall of North America. These months provide the best combo of good weather and lower crowds.
High elevation effects everyone differently. Two general pieces of advice: take it easy on your first day in Cusco and hydrate
We've compiled the ultimate packing list depending on which trip you're planning to take. Check it out at the link below
Schedule Details
Let's get specific...
Day 1
Welcome To Peru!
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Meals Included: None
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Accommodations: Casa Andina Hotel (or similar) in the Miraflores district of Lima
MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING
Your international flight arrives to the Lima Airport (LIM).
A Kusa Treks representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel, located in the in Miraflores district..
Free afternoon/evening in Lima.
NOTE: Please provide your customer service representative with your flight details prior to your arrival.
Day 2
Flight to Cusco
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Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel.
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Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku (or similar) in Cusco
MORNING
In the morning, we will transfer you to the Lima airport for your flight to Cusco. A Kusa Treks van will be waiting for you at the airport in Cusco and will drive you to your hotel. You will have a free afternoon to explore Cusco.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
Enjoy some free time to explore Cusco on your own. Check the many shops and incredible restaurants that this historic city has to offer. Or relax at your hotel, by booking a massage at the spa.
Day 3
Tour of Cusco
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Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
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Entrance Tickets: Included. Boleto Touristo and entrance fees for Catedral
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Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku (or similar) in Cusco
MORNING
You have some free time this morning to sleep in, relax or explore a little bit of Cusco on your own.
AFTERNOON
At 1PM we will meet you in your hotel lobby to begin the Tour of Cusco. You will start today with a tour Q’oricancha, the Temple of the Sun. At Q’oricancha you will see the differences between the Inca and Spanish building methods. This was the spiritual center of the entire Inca Empire and as such the construction here is amazing. Dozens of roads lead from Q’oricancha to the four quarters of the entire Inca Empire.
After visiting Q’oricancha the group will walk down the Avenida El Sol, where you will board a bus that will take you just outside of the city. The 25 minute drive will take you to the majestic Inca site of Sacsayhuaman, which has enigmatic monoliths weighing as much as 200 tons! Your guide will offer an explanation of this phenomenal site and you will have extra time to do a bit of exploring on your own.
From Sacsayhuaman it is a 5 minute bus ride to the Q’enqo Inca site. These ruins include fascinating Inca altars. Following this site is another 5 minute drive to Puca Pucara, which is a small, circular Inca site. The final stop on our tour is Tambomachay, the Inca water temple thought to be used by the ancient civilization for bathing, with its impressive water fountains.
After touring all of these sites you will drive back down to Cusco where the tour ends at your hotel.
EVENING
Free evening in Cusco to enjoy dinner at one of the many incredible restaurants in Cusco.
Day 4
Tour of the Sacred Valley
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Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
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Entrance Tickets: Included. Boleto Touristo
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Accommodations: Samanapaq Hotel (or similar) in Ollantaytambo
MORNING
A Kusa Treks van will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco at 8AM to begin today’s tour of the Sacred Valley. The drive will take a road that winds around the mountains north of Cusco. Roughly 20 minutes into the drive you will stop at a famous point known as El Mirador (lookout point). From here you will be able to see the Sacred Valley stretching out below you, while your guide explains a bit of Inca history.
The Sacred Valley was a key area of settlement for the Incas. It has an amazing combination of agreeable climate and fertile plains that allowed for an abundance of crops for the usually unforgiving climate of the high Andes. Here the Incas sculpted vast mountain valleys with their world famous contour terracing and irrigation channels. Your guide will point out the best vantage points to get the best pictures.
AFTERNOON
After re-boarding the van, you will drive to the ruins of Písac. At these ruins you will see and learn about different aspects of Inca culture. You will see amazing works of art carved into stone as well as impressive agricultural terraces.
After exploring the upper plains, you will drive back to the lower part of Písac, where there is a bustling handicraft market where the locals buy, sell and trade goods.
At the market you will have free time to walk around and do some bargaining of your own for souvenirs and clothing made of alpaca or llama wool. Afterwards we will meet for lunch in a nice local restaurant where you will enjoy delicious Andean food.
EVENING
After lunch you will continue the tour, with a drive along the Urubamba River towards the town of Ollantaytambo. In Ollantaytambo, you will tour a set of important ruins that were constructed during the Inca’s heydays called Ollantaytambo Fortress. This extraordinary Inca site also contains an amazing rock formation representing the Inca god Wiracocha.
After touring this site your guide will take you to your hotel in Ollantaytambo (Samanapaq Hotel, or similar). Ollantaytambo is a charming and welcoming town built by the Incas. Dinner will be on your own this evening, but we are happy to make recommendations of a wonderful place to eat in the town.
Day 5
Tour of Machu Picchu
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Meals Included: Breakfast and a Snack
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Entrance Tickets: Included. Entrance fee to enter Machu Picchu Park
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Accommodations: Rumi Punku Hotel (or similar) in Cusco
MORNING
It is entirely up to you when you would like to start this exciting day! Today you will discover Machu Picchu, the world famous Sacred City of the Incas. The majority of travelers choose to wake up around 4:30AM, so that you can eat a quick breakfast and head over the bus station where you will attempt to catch the first bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.
The drive to reach Machu Picchu Park is 25 minutes back the way you came the night before, uphill on a road full of switchbacks. The gates to Machu Picchu open at 6AM as the sun is rising over the lost city. It is truly magical to experience a sunrise over these ruins, as the mists part and the city rises from the clouds stone by stone.
Your official guided tour of Machu Picchu will begin at 8AM and end at 10:30AM if you have permits to climb Huyana Picchu or it will begin between 6 and 7AM and end between 9 and 10AM if you choose not to climb Huyana Picchu. All of our guides have been to Machu Picchu hundreds of times and know this site incredibly well! The walking, guided tour will start with the impressive Temple of the Sun. You will see several iconic areas of Machu Picchu including: The Citadel, The Royal Tomb, the Main Plaza, the Condor Temple and much more.
NOTE: Due to new regulations (effective Jan 1. 2019), the paths that lead through Machu Picchu are all “one-way”, meaning you are not able to backtrack during your visit to Machu Picchu. Each visitor without a permit to climb Huyna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain will have ~4 hours to spend inside the park and those with permits to climb either Huyana Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain will have 6 total hours to spend inside the park (including the 2 hour climb).
AFTERNOON/EVENING
After touring Machu Picchu your guide will take you to the bus stop just outside the gates of Machu Picchu Park. You will take this bus for a third time to get back to to Aguas Calientes. Depending on your train departure time (see below), you will either need to head straight to the train station, or you can go to one of the many fantastic restaurants in Aguas Calientes for lunch (not included).
There are several train class options for the ride back to Cusco. The main two trains are the “Expedition Train” (included in the price) and the “Vista Dome Train” (additional $70 USD per ticket). Our team usually tries to get tickets for a train leaving in the 15:00 (3PM) hour, which will have you back to your hotel in Cusco around 19:00 (7PM).
TRAIN SCHEDULE
If you have a preference for departure/arrival time, and provide us with 4+ months notice, we are able to book tickets for the following departures:
Expedition train departure times (train ticket included in price):
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14:55, 15:20, 16:20, 18:10
Vista Dome train departure times (additional $70 USD per ticket):
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15:20, 16:20, 17:10, 18:20
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13:37, $25 USD...only available for those who do not do the Huyana Picchu hike
All trains that depart from Aguas Calientes will arrive at one of two stations:
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Ollantaytambo station, 2 hour drive back to Cusco
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Poray station, 30 minute drive back to Cusco
Your arrival station will depend on the time of year of your trip, departure time and class of train. Once you arrive to either station a Kusa Treks van and driver will be waiting for you at the station to take you back to your hotel.
Day 6
Tour of Maras and Moray
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Meals Included: Breakfast
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Accommodations: Hotel Rumi Punku in Cusco
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Entrance Tickets: Included
MORNING
You will be picked up from your hotel between 8-8:30AM. From Cusco you will take a 1.5 hour drive through part of the incredible Sacred Valley to Moray. During the drive, you will see incredible mountain peaks, farms and other natural wonders. Our first stop will be Moray, which is is one of the best preserved examples of the terraced farming technique the Incas used to thrive in the Andes.
In Moray you will observe the concentric circles that made up an Inca agricultural laboratory. Your tour guide will lead you on a 5-10 minute hike down into the archaeological site. Once you reach the bottom, you will receive a guided tour of the ruins that served as one of the main amphitheaters for the Incas where they performed rituals and ceremonies.
After touring Moray, you will re-board the van and drive a few miles down the road to Maras. This area is a collection of over 3,000 salt pools carved into a mountainside. These pools have been here for over 1,000 years and are fed daily by a stream of water from the mountain. It is truly a breathtaking site.
After the tour of Maras, you will have a private van ride back to your hotel in Cusco, arriving around 1PM.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
Enjoy a free afternoon/evening in Cusco.
Day 7
Flight to Quito, Ecuador
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Meals Included: Breakfast
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Accommodations: Hotel Vieja Cuba in Quito
MORNING
You will be picked you up from your hotel in Cusco and taken to the Cusco airport. You will fly to Lima to get a connecting flight to Quito, Ecuador.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
Enjoy a free afternoon in the charming city of Quito.
Day 8
Tour of Quito
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Meals Included: Breakfast and lunch
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Entrance Tickets: Included
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Accommodations: Hotel Vieja Cuba in Quito
MORNING
Today you will visit Quito, one of the most beautiful colonial cities in South America. Quito is the capital of Ecuador and was declared by UNESCO to be part of the Cultural Heritage of mankind. Your tour will explore the colonial section of the city, starting at Independence Square. Followed by tours of the presidential palace, city hall, the Sagrario church and the Cathedral.
You will then, visit the Compañía church (1605) and its breathtaking gilded altars, which are an incredible example of baroque art in America. After this, you will visit San Francisco church (1535). The tour continues with a visit to the art & crafts gallery of Tianguez and finally, a drive up to the Panecillo hill to enjoy an amazing view of Quito from above.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
After visiting the colonial center of Quito you will travel to the Middle of the World! This is a quick 45 minute drive from Quito, located 25 km north of Ecuador’s capital. Upon arrival you will visit the Intiñan museum, where the latitude is 000 and you will experience all the interesting phenomenon that occur in this unique place.
You will then visit the Middle of the World Monument, where you will have the opportunity to stand in both hemispheres at the same time and take wonderful
pictures.
The tour will continue with a drive back to Quito, with one more stop at the K’antu Chocolate showroom, where you will be shown the entire process of artisanal chocolate production, from beans to tablet.
Following this tour you will be taken to your hotel in Quito, arrival between 7-8PM.
Day 9
Flight to Baltra Island
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Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
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Galapagos National Park Tax: Not Included, $100 USD, must be paid in person
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Accommodations: Hotel Déjà Vu on Santa Cruz Island OR yacht
MORNING
After an early breakfast you will be taken to the Quito Airport for your flight to Baltra Island. Upon your arrival to the airport, you will be welcomed by your guide who will take you to nearby Santa Cruz Island to visit the highlands. You will be amazed by the island’s variety of wildlife and geology.
Beginning at the coast and traveling north towards Puerto Ayora, the road climbs through the agricultural zone and into the mist-covered forests of the highlands. Santa Cruz possesses all of the various life zones present in the archipelago. From the bright red feathers of a Vermilion Flycatcher or one of Darwin’s finches almost every land bird present on the Galapagos Islands can be found here.
own.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
The day will continue with a stop at one of the Santa Cruz ranches, where you will enjoy lunch. After lunch you will be able to explore the grounds of the range in search of giant tortoises.
Following lunch you will descend through the agricultural zone into the transition zone where the Tortoise Reserve is located, and the vegetation of the farmlands will rapidly give way to the islands’ native vegetation. You will continue to Puerto Ayora for the rest of the afternoon for some leisure time at your hotel.
Days 10 & 11
Tour of the Galapagos
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Meals Included: Breakfast and lunch
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Entrance Fees: Included
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Accommodations: Hotel Déjà Vu on Santa Cruz Island OR yacht
NOTE: Depending on the time of year and the interests you will have several options of which islands you would like to visit during your trip.
Option 1: Bartolome Island
The option to Bartolome Island departs from Puerto Ayora early in the morning at 6AM. You will be transferred to the Itabaca channel, where a boat crew will be waiting. The journey to Bartolomé takes approximately 2 hours. During the trip, you may be accompanied by a school of dolphins jumping alongside the yacht.
Upon arriving to the island, you will have a dry disembarking (hopefully!). You will have a short climb on steps leading to the famous Roca del Pináculo viewpoint (Pinnacle Rock), which provides one of the most iconic views of the Galapagos. As you climb the steps, you will gradually become immersed in the fantastic volcanic landscape where dozens of red stone craters are spread over the island giving the appearance of a moonscape.
In the afternoon you will enjoy lunch aboard the boat as you cruise to a new location. During the ride you may be able to observe the small colonies of Galapagos Penguins (Spheniscus mendiculus) that nest in this area.
Upon reaching our next location you will then have the opportunity to snorkel with the Penguins as well as Sea Turtles and Starfish. This island has two beaches which are connected by dunes that are populated with nesting Sea Turtles. These beaches also provide the perfect location for observing Tiger Sharks. You will return to the hotel at between 4 – 5PM.
Option 2: South Plaza Island
This option leaves your hotel at 7:30AM. You will be taken on a boat from Santa Cruz island to the channel on South Plaza Island who’s turquoise waters contrast beautifully with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline. Beyond the shore lies a carpet of red scarlet sesuvium succulent plants, which are home to a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus.
Once you arrive to the island you will have a short hike to find the yellow-grey land iguanas hiding beneath the cactus. As you walk along the coastline you will observe plenty of wildlife, including: sea lion colonies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls and shearwaters birds. After exploring the island, you will go snorkeling in the crystal clear water.
Following this incredible experience you will have a late lunch on the island, after which you will re-board the boat to cruise back to your hotel.
Option 3: North Seymour Island
For this option, you will be picked up from the hotel at 7:30AM and taken to the channel of Itabaca, where the staff of your boat will be waiting for you. The trip will take around one hour. As you approach the island you will be able to spot the Bursera Graveolens trees, that almost never carry any leaves.
Seymour Island was created many million years ago due to the elevation of tectonic plates. This geologic wonder left the island with a flat shape with many small cliffs that serve as homes for the local seabirds. Swallow-tailed gulls and frigate birds inhabit the island, frigate males will show off their big red throat pouches to find their mate.
As you disembark the ship you will take a path that is surrounded by blue footed boobies. Depending on the season you will be able to witness their intricate mating mating ritual during which they dance and whistle in a very unique way. It is also common to see these birds flying near the coasts looking for food. Once they spot a fish swimming near the surface they will dive into the water at a high speed, a stunt that they are only able to perform due to a special waterproof protection on their wings.
Seymour Island is known for being home to the best Galapagos species. During your visit you will be able to see: sea lions, sea and land iguanas, pelicans, royal frigate birds and much more. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity for world class snorkeling.
Following an amazing day enjoying this island you will be taken back to your hotel, arriving between 4 – 5PM.
Day 12
Flight to Quito
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Meals Included: Breakfast
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Accommodations: Hotel Ilatoa Lodge in Quito
MORNING
On the last morning of your Galapagos adventure you will be brought to the Baltra Airport for your return flight to Quito. Upon arrival to Quito, you will be met by a representative and transferred to your hotel close to the airport.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
Free afternoon in Quito.
Day 13
Otavalo Indian Market and Peguche Waterfall Visit
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Meals Included: Breakfast
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Entrance Tickets: Included
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Accommodations: Hotel Ilatoa Lodge in Quito
MORNING
Today you will visit one of the largest and most colorful indigenous markets in Latin America. The Otavalo Market is famous around the world for its colorful tapestries, hand-knitted wool sweaters, native paintings, woodcarvings, silver jewelry, and much more. Test your bargaining skills with the locals! The people of the area of Otavalo are known as skilled craftspeople and great musicians.
AFTERNOON/EVENING
After a visit to the market, you will go to the Peguche Waterfall, which are near Otavalo. After a short, refreshing walk you will reach the waterfall, which is holy for the people of Otavalo and used for rituals. After your tour, you will be brought back to Quito through the beautiful landscape of rural Ecuador.
Day 14
Flight Home
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Meals Included: Breakfast
MORNING/AFTERNOON
In the morning, we will transfer you to the Quito (UIO) airport for your flight back home.