Land of the Incas with Galápagos Legend North and Central Cruise

The Capital of the New World extends a warm welcome on your epic voyage through the iconic and unexpected highlights of Peru. Meet your local host on arrival and transfer to your hotel in the upscale shopping district of Miraflores. This evening, you’ll join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for dinner at 6 p.m.

Start your city tour taking in of the highlights of Lima. Visit Casona San Marcos, where you’ll enjoy a snack from a local vendor learn more about the fascinating history of this ancient building from Local Specialists. During a short workshop, learn to play the “cajón” percussion instrument and get an introduction to the basic steps of “musica negra”, a dance that originated in Chincha (near Paracas). Continue to the Main Square of Lima for more views and history. Choose to join a walking tour of Miraflores with a local expert highlighting the popular Larcomar shopping center and on towards the Kennedy Parkor for dinner at one of the restaurants in “Pasaje de Ramón.”

We'll fly to Cusco this morning, the gateway to Peru's treasured Sacred Valley, where you will enjoy a local Peruvian lunch with sweeping views of the Sacred Valley. Then we'll Dive Into Culture, meeting a Shaman who will perform a special ceremony to welcome us to Peru.

Enjoy a Be My Guest experience as you meet farmers who grow Peru’s iconic Giant White Corn. You’ll learn how their cultivation methods blend ancestral knowledge with modern innovation. Then watch a performance of the Marinera, a graceful couple’s dance that celebrates Peru’s Spanish, Indigenous and African heritage. With swirling handkerchiefs and elegant footwork, this is coastal culture in motion. Round out the day by rolling up your sleeves in a hands-on cooking class. You’ll prepare classic ceviche, then shake up the perfect Pisco sour to sip and savor.

Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo, en route to Machu Picchu, a village in the Sacred Valley, set on the Urubamba River amid majestic mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside. Then, ascend to the Lost City in the Clouds aboard the Vistadome train (light snack included) traveling along the Inca Trail, where you can view hikers and porters along the way. Here you will delve into the mysteries of this once-great civilization, joining your Local Specialist for an exploration of the temples, palaces and terraces whose construction defy imagination. Visit the iconic great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and the intricately carved Intihuatana, most likely used as a sundial centuries ago.

The ruins of Machu Picchu beckon yet again and we enjoy one final opportunity to reconnect with its story, spending some time on our own to explore the hill-top fortress. Next, we’ll journey back to the Sacred Valley by train, stopping en route to Cusco to learn about the natural dyeing techniques used by native weavers. Visit the Pisac handicraft market followed by sampling the sweet flavors of chicha, savoring the favorite drink of the Andes.

Begin your day at the ruins of the UNESCO-listed Incan Sacsayhuaman fortress overlooking Cusco. Admire the massive, sacred stonework before your Local Specialist guides you through Cusco’s colonial center. During your city tour, MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® by visiting the shop of the social project Mantay, a housing and education project for underage mothers to live here and learn a craft or trade. Later, you’ll join another Local Specialist who will reveal insights into the nearby 13th-century Incan settlement of Qoriwayrachina. The afternoon is free to join an optional experience including a visit to the Chocolate Museum, Cusco off the beaten track or the greenhouse and salt wells of Maras & Moray.

Leave Cusco behind as you journey towards Puno, crossing the La Raya Pass where the Andes divide the Cusco and Puno regions. Along the way, explore the archaeological site of Raqchi, once a key settlement along the Inca road network. Enjoy a warm welcome into a local family home, where you’ll share lunch and stories. Then Dive into Culture with a traditional art form as you paint your own torito de Pucará: a colorful ceramic bull said to bring good fortune and protection. These iconic bulls are a symbol of strength in this part of Peru, often seen perched on rooftops in pairs, watching over homes and families.

Take to the water for a scenic cruise across Lake Titicaca to the Uros Floating Islands, where you’ll meet a local family and hear how their extraordinary homes are carefully crafted from totora reeds.  Cruise to Taquile Island where you’ll enjoy a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet the island’s Indigenous community and learn about their UNESCO-listed knitting and weaving traditions, kept alive by generations of local artisans over a home-cooked lunch.

Return to Lima this morning, then continue your journey to the coastal playground of Paracas. Discover what life is like in Peru’s rural countryside before arriving to Paracas for an evening at leisure. Perhaps there’s even time for a stroll along the Malecon.

Fly high above the desert to view the Nazca Lines, a network of ancient geoglyphs best seen from the air. Spot the hummingbird, spider, monkey and condor, and marvel at the precision of these vast, centuries-old designs. Back on the ground, explore the Regional Museum of Ica, home to a collection of artifacts from the Paracas, Nazca and Inca cultures. At a nearby winery, learn how Peru’s iconic Pisco is made during a tour of the production site. Sample a variety of styles, then settle in for a relaxed lunch of regional dishes. Later, take some time for yourself to explore or unwind at your own pace.

This morning, connect with nature with a Local Specialist, cruising around the uninhabited Ballestas Islands, a 'mini-Galapagos' teeming with wildlife. See the mysterious Candelabra in Pisco Bay, then return to Lima where this evening, we’ll visit the Larco Museum with a Local Specialist. Our journey almost at its end, we’ll indulge in a festive farewell dinner in the museum’s garden restaurant.

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Ecuador (flight not included in holiday price). Enjoy a warm welcome in Quito where you will be greeted at the airport and taken to your hotel.

Visit the historical center of Quito, which was the first place in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and travel to the 'Middle of the World' to stand on the Equator. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Cruise north to south through the islands and islets of the remote Galápagos. On arrival at Baltra Island Airport, transfer to the M/V Galápagos Legend, which will ferry you to the Highlands Tortoise Reserve on Santa Cruz Island, where you’ll walk amongst the world’s largest tortoises in the wild.

Visit to Genovesa Island today, climbing up the rocky Prince Phillip's Steps in search of Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and Darwin’s famed finches. Walk to expansive lava field over which Wedge-rumped storm petrels swarm, then continue to Darwin Bay.

The marine iguanas of South Plaza Island view our arrival with indifference as we embark on our walk from the small lava dock. We’ll see the shallow lake where flamingos come to feed, then continue inland in search of land iguanas. Arriving Santa Fé island later, we’ll enjoy a snorkel amongst sea lions, turtles, reef sharks and spotted eagle rays, then walk past a forest of giant Opuntia cacti.

The serene landscape of Bachas Beach is our final stop on our Galápagos expedition. Bachas is a great place to swim, walk along the shore or visit the lagoon. Our journey at its end, we transfer to Baltra Airport for our return flight to Quito. Airport arrival time in Quito will be at 5 p.m.; please be aware when booking your flights.