A representative will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the airport where you will take your flight to Cusco! After your arrival in Cusco, your guide will be waiting for you and take you to the sacred valley, the lunch in a local restaurant. Then on to the village of Chincheros to the northwest of Cusco. This picturesque village was an important Inca centre and is known for the traditional Andean weaving techniques still used by its people. Wearing traditional clothes, the people of Chincheros meet in the Main Square to sell local handicrafts to visitors - a colourful and beautiful spectacle. Then spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

We descend 1500 feet to the valley floor, where we find ourselves by the sacred Urubamba River and the village of Pisac. In Pisac, we stop to visit a traditional market, where you can browse and buy some local souvenirs if desired. Then, we drive up to the ruins of Pisac. Here, we explore the extensive ruins whilst enjoying stunning views over the valley. You will be given a guided tour of the Citadel of Pisac, in which we will see temples, homes, altars, carvings, tunnels, caves, and the famous Intihuatana, “The hitching post of the sun”. We have about 90 minutes to explore the ruins. We continue on towards Urubamba, where we make a stop (45 minutes) for lunch. A 30-minute drive takes us to Ollantaytambo, which is surrounded by sacred mountains. Here, we will spend about an hour. In Ollantaytambo, we get further exposure to Incan constructions, mainly the amazing temple of the sun, enormous blocks of rock perfectly carved and polished, stone water fountains, stairs, and terraces. In the afternoon, transfer to Train Station Ollantaytambo (45 minutes). The train leaves at 03:00 pm (time may change depending on availability and changes to timetable). After a 2 hours journey of majestic views, you arrive at Aguas Calientes (Hot Springs Town) where you will spend the night. There will be plenty of time to relax if you want to have a hot bath in the natural springs!

Wake up early for breakfast before our guide will pick you up from your hotel at 05h40 to begin the short bus journey to the gates of Machu Picchu where you will watch the sunrise. After entering the Citadel begin a guided walking tour (approximately two hours) of the citadel complex. After this experience, enjoy some free time to explore the mysterious city at leisure.

There is time for those with enough energy to climb Wayna (Huayna) Picchu (at your own expense). For many people climbing Huayna Picchu is one of the highlights when visiting Machu Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the mountain behind Machu Picchu. The climb is interesting as you will see how the Inca cut out some steps out of the rocks and as you wind around the side of a mountain you will see Machu Picchu from different angles.

This afternoon, you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes for lunch, and later we will board the train back to Poroy. Upon your arrival at the train station, we will pick you up and take you back to your hotel in Cusco.

After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Cusco at your own pace. The capital city of the Inca Empire is now the undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, as well as the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city.

City Tour with visit to Cathedral – Cost per person AUD 71 (Not Incl. Entrance Fee).

We will pick you up at 14:00 am from your hotel to start the tour and visiting the following places:

The Koricancha: Temple of the Sun.
Sacsayhuaman: Majestic place with impressive works in stone, some up to 120 tons.
Q´enqo: (Labyrinth) a religious centre dedicated to the adoration of the Earth.
Puca Pucara: (reddish place) that was used as a military control centre.
Tambomachay: (Temple of the Water) a centre of adoration and worship of water.

Classic Cooking Class – Cost per person AUD 95.

With an approximate duration of 3 hours, this service starts at 11 am, picking up the user from their hotel on the way to the house of the chosen cook. Once in the place, you will receive a brief explanation of the activities, and you will receive the appropriate clothing for the class. What we will do next is practical cooking classes where tourists learn the preparation of traditional plates of the city, presented by experienced chefs, who teach various conventional recipes. In this service, all the ingredients are already at home. Lunch/Dinner at the cook’s house: We want all the tourists

to feel immersed in the local culture, for this, each chef has prepared various stories and experiences that are transmitted on the table and surrounded by local people (the cook and his family) while tasting the food made in the cooking class.

Folklore Show and Dinner – Cost per person AUD 60.

Head to the Tunupa restaurant, located just the central Plaza de Armas of Cusco (3 minutes walking from the Hotel), and get ready for a fabulous buffet dinner. There is a large selection of typical dishes, meat, fish, vegetables, and desserts. The night is more enjoyable when the traditional dance show begins, and you can get involved with folk, traditional, and classical music, and sweeten your ears with the Andean instruments: Quena, charango, flute, zampoña. If you wish, you can also share the dance floor with the dancers and get a great experience.

This morning you will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Quito city in Ecuador. Upon your arrival, you will be picked up by an AJ assistant and transferred to your hotel.

Meet your AJ trip leader and group at 18:00 pm. At this time, we will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure.

Today you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight to Baltra airport in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival you will be picked up and transferred to Santa Cruz, a nearby island, crossing the narrow Itabaca channel by ferry. From here we will continue by car to our first stop in the highlands of Santa Cruz. The highlands are home to the iconic giant Galapagos tortoises. Here you will visit a private ranch where you will enjoy lunch before heading out for a walk-in search of the giant tortoises. During this visit, you will also visit some lava tubes, which are formed when the surface of a lava stream solidifies. After this tour, you will continue by private vehicle to your hotel. Here you will have a meet and greet with your local guide who will explain the following day’s itinerary to you. Enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure to relax and introduce yourself to this beautiful Island.

Today after breakfast you will enjoy a half-day tour of Academy Bay. Be sure to pack everything you need for this trip. Optional snorkel equipment will be provided free of charge to anyone who wishes to use it. During the tour, you will take a boat to Academy Bay where you can swim and snorkel with all kinds of exotic fish and marine life, as well as the famous sea lions; they are very curious animals and like to swim next to you underwater. Here you can also see the sought after blue-footed boobies. Afterwards, climb to a nearby viewpoint, and if you are lucky, you can see white-tipped reef sharks swimming in the ocean below.

In the afternoon we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild, as well as the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Galapagos Islands.

Today we will take a quick boat to the largest island in the archipelago and where most of the volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island was formed by six shield volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf; five of them are still active which makes the island one of the most volcanically active places on earth.

Upon arrival we will visit the giant tortoise breeding center located and the flamingo lagoon to admire this incredible species in their natural habitat.

In the afternoon we will visit Tintoreras Islet located at a short distance from Puerto Villamil and home to a great variety of wildlife. Its turquoise, crystalline waters are inhabited by white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos Penguins, marine turtles and sea lions. One of its beaches, surrounded by mangroves, is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

After driving up from Puerto Villamil to the trail head, we will prepare our backpacks for the hike into a young forest ecosystem, a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the rim of Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano which last erupted in June 2018. Upon arrival, we take in breathtaking views and explore the circumference of the massive, lava-filled crater, a caldera that is over six miles across at its widest point. If we feel energetic enough, we can continue our hike to Volcan Chico, a secondary crater that has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations; great examples of the dramatic geological events that have formed the Galapagos Islands over millennia.
In the afternoon you will have time to enjoy the crystalline water of Concha Perla and practice some snorkelling to observe marine wildlife.

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of sea lions, we have a transfer to Baltra’s airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland.

Today our trip will end and you will have your International departures. Take with you your memories and photos and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a “Buen viaje”!