Machu Picchu & the Galápagos
Overview
Highlights
- Visit Lima's National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology
- See how entrepreneurial Peruvian women are turning their traditional craft into a business venture.
- Visit the massive Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo
- Enjoy a moving musical performance by the Sinamune Disabled Children's Orchestra
- See work by local artists, and hear musicians.
- See unique wildlife and striking geological formations.
- Visit the colorful Inaquito produce market and then head to the Middle of the World Monument and the Inti Nan Museum
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Activities
Trip includes
- International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges unless you choose to make your own air arrangements
- All land transportation and 5 internal flights
- Accommodations for 15 nights, including 4 or 3 nights aboard a privately chartered small ship in the Galápagos*
- 15 small group activities, plus Galápagos shore excursions
- Services of a resident, English-speaking OAT Trip Leader on the mainland, plus a second Trip Leader who is a certified Galápagos naturalist while cruising the islands
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers, ship-crew, and luggage porters
- 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next adventure—an average of $327
Itinerary
After breakfast, you'll get acquainted with our Trip Leader and fellow travelers, including those who took the optional pre-trip extensions to The Amazon Rain Forest of Peru or Bolivia: La ...
The Knitters See how entrepreneurial Peruvian women are turning their traditional craft into a business venture. This morning, w...
After breakfast this morning, we visit a pottery workshop. Then we continue to Ollantaytambo, where we’ll board the train to travel to Machu Picchu....
We rise early to travel to Machu Picchu again after breakfast, arriving before the crowds. You can remain at the hotel if you wish, but most travelers appr...
After breakfast, join our optional tour to Tipon, a location south of Cuzco with well-preserved ancient agricultural terraces and an...
We begin this morning’s explorations at the massive Sacsayhuaman fortress set on a hilltop overlooking Cuzco. Its double-zigzag wall is said...
After an early breakfast at our Cuzco hotel, we bid farewell to our Peruvian Trip Leader and depart for our flight to Lima. From Lima we fly to Quito, Ecuador, arriving in...
After breakfast this morning, we enjoy a moving musical performance by the Sinamune Disabled Children's Orchestra, whose members are physicall...
After breakfast, we fly from Quito via Guayaquil to the Galápagos—an enchanted Pacific archipelago that straddles the equator some 600 miles west of Ecuador's ...
Today we continue our exploration of the Galápagos. Our Trip Leader will give us an orientation briefing, including conservation techniques suggested by the Galápagos National Park...
Here is a preview of the islands you may call on during your Galápagos cruise.
Santiago (James) Tidal pools reveal a profusion of octopi, starfishes, and other undersea life...
We continue our exploration of the Galápagos. As we take in their striking seascapes, we can consider how they have impressed great American writers in two different centuries. Her...
This morning, we disembark our ship and fly from the Galápagos via Guayaquil back to Quito, where we'll arrive at our hotel in the late afternoon. We have a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant this evening.
Trip Extension: The Amazon Rain Forest of Peru Learn about the rituals and daily life of the Yagua tribe from their chief in this trip extension to Peru's Amazon Rain Forest. Today, we'll visit the ...
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours).
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
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Tour Operator
Overseas Adventure Travel offers unique small group adventures worldwide to Americans over 50. By land and sea, we explore on—and off—the beaten path with a resident OAT Trip Leader, immersing ourselves in local cultures, sampling unique modes of transportation, and staying in authentic lodgings that reflect the essence of your destination. Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises serves both our GCT and OAT brands with an award-winning fleet known for exceptional value and high-quality experiences in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Custom-designed according to our travelers’ specifications, our fleet includes 50+ small river and ocean-going ships that we own or privately charter.
Grand Circle Corporation is a global enterprise—comprised of a family of travel companies—committed to changing people’s lives by offering high-impact experiences to our travelers and building local communities through philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and volunteerism.
Simply by traveling with OAT, you support the work of the nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation, which was created with the mission of changing people’s lives through travel—both those of our travelers, and of the people who welcome us so warmly into their homelands.
Journey with the Leader in Adventure Travel and Watch Your Dreams Take Flight: It is the stuff of dreams: gazelles bowing to lap at a glassy pool in the Serengeti as the vast sky turns purple with night, the tiered splendor of the Himalayas, rising behind a Tibetan monastery. Dreams like these are everyday realities for OAT travelers, thanks to the principles which ground every OAT adventure: value, choice, discovery, and carefully paced itineraries.
Our Value puts your travel dreams within reach: OAT can help you realize your travel dreams for a lot less than you thought possible. Together with our regional offices located throughout the world, we’ve been able to establish long-term relationships with many local vendors and hotels. Buying direct brings down our costs—and allows us to pass the savings on to you. And negotiating directly for hotel space also allows us to secure as many single room allotments as possible for our solo travelers. That way, we can also extend our great value to solo travelers. In fact, we offer the best value for solo travelers, guaranteed.
The Choice is yours: You’ll always have plenty of choices with OAT. We offer you a breadth of awe-inspiring travel destinations—from the peaks of the Andes to the sweeping desert sands of the Sahara to the rugged natural beauty of Iceland. You'll also enjoy more trip extension choices than ever before—like hiking to ancient monasteries in Bhutan or discovering the Moai monolithic rock statues on Easter Island. You have plenty of choices within each adventure, too, including several interesting optional tours. And the free time we’ve woven into our itineraries allows you plenty of opportunities for independent exploration. You can shop, unwind, perhaps linger at a sidewalk café, visit an interesting gallery or museum, or explore a cobbled street that caught your eye earlier in the day. You can do as much or as little as you want on an OAT adventure—the choice is yours.
OAT Difference
Adventure Travel: Adventure travel with OAT is a journey beyond the familiar, one that takes you into the very heart of a destination—to meet people where they work and live.
OAT Advantages: Journey with the leader in adventure travel and watch your dreams take flight, thanks to the principles which ground every OAT adventure: value, choice, discovery, and carefully paced itineraries.
Small Groups, Big Discoveries: When you discover the world in an OAT small group, you’ll journey off the beaten path to the places the big tour groups miss—and enjoy an intimate, discovery-filled adventure filled with personal connections, shared experiences, and treasured memories.
Trip Leaders: No matter where in the world you venture with OAT, you'll have one of our resident, expert Trip Leaders by your side. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure.
Airport Transfers: We’ve listened to your feedback, and will now offer international airport transfers to and from your hotel to our travelers who choose to purchase their own airfare on OAT adventures as part of our Personalize Your Trip program, which allows you create the OAT adventure that's right for you.
Personalize your trip: OAT travelers have long expressed the desire to decide exactly where they’re going, how they get there, and when they wish to leave. That’s why we developed a variety of choices that enhance the value of every trip we offer, allowing you to create the adventure that works best for you.
Traveling solo? Enjoy your own room or cabin—at no extra cost: You’re in control of your travel dreams—and we’re making them more affordable than ever: Maybe you prefer the freedom of solo travel—or maybe you and your usual traveling companion can’t agree on a destination. Whatever the reason, you don’t have to put your travel dreams on hold. When it’s time to go it alone, you’ll never pay a Single Supplement to have your own room or cabin with OAT.
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Accommodation
Antigua Miraflores Lima, Peru
Located in Lima's Miraflores district, the Antigua Miraflores is a charming colonial inn located within walking distance of the Parque Miraflores, the Larcomar shopping district, and the seaside. Each of its 35 comfortable rooms features air-conditioning, private bath, direct-dial telephone, minibar, and cable TV.
San Agustin Urubamba Hotel Urubamba, Peru
In the Sacred Valley, we stay at the 72-room San Agustin Urubamba Hotel, located on the landscaped grounds of a former colonial estate and just a short drive from the Inca sites of Ollantaytambo and Pisac. Hotel facilities include an on-site restaurant and bar. Each room features cable/satellite TV, telephone, wireless Internet access, and private bath with hair dryer.
El Mapi Hotel Aguas Calientes, Peru
To explore Machu Picchu over two days, we stay overnight at El Mapi Hotel in Aguas Calientes, a very small town near the site. Each room is simply appointed with modern amenities. During your stay, enjoy the hotel bar, café, and access to wireless Internet.
José Antonio Cuzco Hotel Cuzco, Peru
The 126-room José Antonio Cuzco Hotel is situated in the historic center of Cuzco, just a short walk from the Plaza de Armas. Services available on-site include a restaurant serving Peruvian cuisine, a currency exchange, a souvenir shop, and a hairdresser. Each air-conditioned room features a minibar, cable TV with DVD player, direct-dial phone, safe and Internet access.
Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda Quito, Ecuador
In Quito we stay at the Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda, located in the city center one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the Casa de la Cultura concert hall and El Ejido Park. Each of the 148 air-conditioned rooms features cable TV, minibar, telephone, safe, and private bath. The hotel has a restaurant and a bar on-site. Extensions
Antigua Miraflores Lima, Peru
Located in Lima's Miraflores district, the Antigua Miraflores is a charming colonial inn located within walking distance of the Parque Miraflores, the Larcomar shopping district, and the seaside. Each of its 35 comfortable rooms features air-conditioning, private bath, direct-dial telephone, minibar, and cable TV.
Explorama Lodge The Amazon, Peru
Shrouded by lush rain forest vegetation, the Explorama Lodge complements its remote natural setting with 50 rooms in palm-thatched bungalows connected by torch-lit paths. Covered walkways connect the bar, dining room, sun porch, and hammock houses. All rooms have private baths, but there is no hot water or electricity; kerosene lamps provide lighting.
Please note: s in the Amazon are rustic. At Explorama Lodge, rooms have private baths, but no hot water or electricity (room lighting is provided by kerosene lamps). There is electricity in the dining area that can be used to charge batteries.
Ceiba Tops The Amazon, Peru
Located on the banks of the Amazon River, Ceiba Tops offers air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms and free wireless Internet in the heart of the rain forest. Lodge amenities include an outdoor pool with water slide, elaborate gardens, hammock house, and lounge.
Plaza Hotel La Paz La Paz, Bolivia
The Plaza Hotel is centrally located in La Paz near the Plaza Murillo, museums, shops, and restaurants. Each of the 200 rooms features cable TV, telephone, Internet access, minibar, refrigerator, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and private bath. Hotel facilities include a health club with a heated indoor swimming pool, a bar, and two on-site restaurants.
Hotel Rosario del Lago Copacabana, Bolivia
The cozy, red-roofed Hotel Rosario del Lago sits perched overlooking Lake Titicaca, offering not only splendid views but easy walking access to the lake itself. The 25 rooms each offer a private bathroom, hair dryer, cable TV, and telephone, and the hotel’s comforts also include a restaurant, terrace grill, and common-area fireplace.
Hacienda Abraspungo Riobamba, Ecuador
Please note: Select departures feature similar accommodations.
Hotel Carvallo Cuenca, Ecuador
The Hotel Carvallo is located in the historic center of Cuenca. This contemporary hotel, built in a restored colonial house, provides updated amenities and personalized service. Each of its 30 rooms includes a telephone, cable TV, minibar, and private bath with hair dryer.
Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda Quito, Ecuador
In Quito we stay at the Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda, located in the city center one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the Casa de la Cultura concert hall and El Ejido Park. Each of the 148 air-conditioned rooms features cable TV, minibar, telephone, safe, and private bath. The hotel has a restaurant and a bar on-site.
Transportation & Flights
Transportation & flights
Our 16-passenger Galápagos small ship is chartered exclusively for our OAT group. The ships we use are 85-95 feet long and can maneuver easily among the islands. All ships feature lounge areas, a bar, sun deck, and a dining room serving local and international cuisine. The simply appointed cabins have twin beds, a porthole or window, and a private bath with shower. As we travel at night, there will be engine noise.
Avg. Length :95 ft. Avg. Beam :26 ft. Avg. Draft :7 ft. Avg. Cabin size :170 sq. ft., with fixed beds OAT group : 16 travelers with 1 trip leader (exclusive OAT private charter) Stairs, no elevator Built : 2000 onwards
- 38 meals—daily breakfast, 10 lunches, and 13 dinners
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