Day 1 Sun, UK clients depart, arriving Lima early evening.
Day 2 Fly to Cusco, acclimatise and begin to explore the remarkable Inca capital.
Day 3 Guided tour of Cusco, including the illustrious colonial churches and museums, leafy squares and lively market. Visit the temple fortress of Sacsayhuamán, which glowers over the city.
Day 4 Full day tour of the Sacred Valley, breadbasket of the Incas – sunlit fields of maize; tiny indigenous villages clinging to the banks of a vivacious river; ruined cities and temples straddling the vertiginous valley sides. Overnight in the heart of the valley.
Day 5 By train along a dramatic gorge to Machu Picchu, fabled Inca city rising out of sub-tropical jungle. Guided tour of the ruins. We overnight in an award winning hotel in the village of Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu, allowing plenty of time for further exploration of the ruins or to enjoy walks in the sub tropical surroundings.
Day 6 Revisit the ruins (optional). Return to Cusco.
Day 7 One of the world’s most scenic journeys by luxury train to the sapphire waters of Lake Titicaca. Overnight in Puno.
Day 8 Boat trip to visit the floating reed islands of the Uros Indians. In the afternoon, visit the eerie funeral towers of the Collas at Sillustani.
Day 9 Fly to Lima, optional tour of this tumultuous capital, studded with colonial architecture on a massive scale.
Day 10 Fly to Quito, Ecuador, with one of the continent’s most dramatic settings, high in an Andean basin, ringed by mountains and volcanoes. City tour of the colonial heart.
Days 11-14 Fly to the Galápagos Islands. Five day, four night cruise through the archipelago, on the Coral I/II .
Day 15 Fly to Quito.
Day 16 UK clients depart, arriving day 17, Tues.
** In 2011 on day 7 we travel by private bus from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, making stops at important Inca sites en route. And we return to Guayaquil for one night after the cruise, reducing flight times from the Galápagos and return to the UK. |  Machu Picchu, an ancient mystery in a spectacular setting.
 Traditionally dressed men of Lake Titicaca making their reed boats from the local totora reeds.
 A sea-lion smiles for the camera in the Galapágos Islands.
View more images      |