Thursday, August 20, 2015

13 Day Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and Galapagos Tour



This tour is fit for a king, queen or the pampered adventurer.  The Inca trail to Machu Picchu is one of the most famous and incredible trekking routes in the world. You'll also get to go to Quito,the Antisana Natural Reserve, the Avenue of the Volcanoes, Riobambo, the Devil's Nose railway, Cuenca,Guayaquil and the Galapagos Islands!  

 13 DAY INCA TRAIL, MACHU PICCHU AND GALAPAGOS TOUR LINK

ITINERARY

DAY 1 - ARRIVE TO THE IMPERIAL CITY OF THE INCAS: CUSCO

Upon arrival to Cusco, a Valencia Travel Cusco representative will be waiting to pick you up and transport you to your hotel. You will have the day to relax and enjoy what Cusco has to offer! 

You will have the option of taking a free walking tour. Places visited will be the following:  
  • Regocijo Plaza
  • Main Square or Plaza De Armas
  • Plaza Nazarenas
  • San Blas town
  • The stone of 12 angles
  • San Pedro market
This tour will last about 2 hours. 

Another option is the CUSCO CITY TOUR. Places visited will be the following
  • The Main Cathedral - Religious art
  • Qoricancha -Temple of the Sun
  • Sacsayhuaman - Stones that weight up to 120 tons
  • Q'enqo - Dedicated to the Earth
  • Puca Pucara - Ancient military control center
  • Tambomachay -Temple of the Water
This tour will end about 6 pm. If you would like to pick this option, you must book in advance to secure your spot. 



DAY 2 - OPEN DAY AT LEISURE
Today, you will have an open day to explore Cusco at your leisure. There is also the option to take the full day SACRED VALLEY TOUR

Places we will visit are:   
  • Pisac - Famous for its indigenous market held every Sunday
  • Urubamba - We will have lunch here
  • Ollantaytambo - The oldest occupied town in South America
  • Chinchero - Also famous for its markets 
Towards the end of our tour, we will return to the Plaza de Armas. The rest of the night is free at your leisure. 

DAY 3 - THE INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU ADVENTURE BEGINS

We'll start our day  by picking you up and traveling by bus towards Piskacucho, also known as kilometer 82. This is where our adventure will begin. We will make a breakfast stop in Ollantaytambo - this meal is not included. Upon arriving at kilometer 82,we will have some free time. It will be necessary to show your entrance tickets, passports, and student card at the trail's first control point. We cross the Vilcanota River at the start of the trail and follow it to the right. The first day is relatively easy and we'll have views of the Incan fortress Huillca Raccay, the Incan site of Llactapata, also called Patallacta. We will get to see how the Urubamba mountain range divided the jungle, the Andes and the beautiful snow capped peak of W'akay Willca, known in books as Veronica. We will keep going until reaching our first campsite of Ayapata, which is located an hour and a half up the small village of Wayllabamba.  

DAY 4 - THE INCA TRAIL TRIAL, WE GO OVER 2 PASSES
We start our day with a steep ascent towards the highest pass (Abra de Warrmihuañusca or Dead Woman's Pass). On this day, a real sense of achievement if felt upon reaching the top. We will continue on descending towards our lunch stop, which is located at Pacaymayu.  Along the way, we will get to see a variety of birds including hummingbirds. We will also get to admire the variety of native plants and trees including the polylepis or Q'ueuña trees. 
After lunch, begins our second two hour steep climb towards Runkuraqay pass. We will arrive at our campsite by 5 pm.

DAY 5 - BEAUTIFUL SCENERY

We begin our day with a gentle climb towards the archaeological site of Phuyupatamarca (meaning town in the clouds). This is the third highest point along the trail! The view of the mountains, canyons and surrounding areas are spectacular!  We will continue walking through the cloud forest until we reach the Incan site of Intipata. We will arrive at our third campsite of Wiñay Wayna (meaning forever young).  A short distance from our campsite are Incan ruins of the same name.  





DAY 6 - MACHU PICCHU IN ITS GLORY

Today, we will get an early start in order to get to Inti Punku or the Sun Gate before sunrise.  This will be where you will get your first dramatic view of Machu Picchu with the sun above it. We will continue along the trail to a spot where you can take the classic picture postcard shot. Finally, we visit Machu Picchu itself!  Your guide will give you a 2 hour tour of the site and after this, you can explore the citadel by yourselves.  You will meet your guide in Aguas Calientes for lunch and be given your train tickets back to Cusco. The train will take you to Ollantaytambo and from there, you'll take a bus back to Cusco.

DAY 7 - CUSCO TO QUITO, ECUADOR

Today, we'll take you to the airport so you can catch your flight to Quito, Ecuador. Once in Quito, you will be picked up and welcomed. Quito is considered the biggest, best preserved colonial city in South America. It is considered the Cultural capital of South America and the second most important city of the Incan Empire. Depending on your arrival time, you can spend the day exploring Quito and its surrounding areas.   

ECUADOR PURE LIFE can help organize your day with exciting tours:
  • Quito city tour including a visit to the equator line
  • Mindo cloud forest - Cotopaxi National Park
  • Quilotoa Crater Lake - Otavalo Native Market
  • Papallacta hot springs and more! 
Towards the evening, a trip leader will organize a welcome meeting to talk about the Galapagos trip.  The night is yours to explore!

DAY 8 - FLIGHT TO GALAPAGOS AND ISABELA EXPLORATION

Today, we explore the most amazing archipelago in the Pacific coast and the place where Charles Darwin based his theory of evolution of species. We start off by boarding a flight from Quito to the Island of Baltra. Once there, we head towards the town of Puerto Ayora, the biggest town in the Galapagos. We will take a fast boat to Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos and where the most volcanic activity is reported. The island is formed by 6 shield volcanoes: Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf. Five of them are still active making this island one of the most volcanically active places on earth.  

DAY 9 - SIERRA NEGRA AND TINTORESTAS

After driving up from Puerto Villamil towards the trail head. We prepare to hike into a young dry forest ecosystem. Our destination is the rim of the Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano which erupted last in October 2005. Upon arrival, we will explore the circumference of the massive, lava filled crater.  If we can, we will also hike to Vulcan Chico, a secondary crater that has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations. In the afternoon, we will visit the Tintoreras Islet on a shared tour that is located a short distance from Puerto Villamil. This is home to a variety of wildlife including: white tipped reef sharks, Galapagos penguins, sea turtles and sea lions. One of its beaches is home to marine iguanas.



DAY 10 - LAVA TUNNELS AND SNORKELING

  Today, we will explore the amazing formations of lava created by previous eruptions. It is a labyrinth of lava arches inside breakers full of sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, fish, white tipped reef sharks and more. The turtles navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through Los Tuneles. We will have the opportunity to snorkel with all these beautiful animals including the Galapagos penguins.

DAY 11 - SANTA CRUZ : CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION VISIT

In the morning, we embark a fast boat from Isabela to Santa Cruz Islands. While crossing the islands, we will be on the lookout for dolphins and whales (July through October). Once on the island, we will check into our hotel. We will have time to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about the many endemic species we met during our adventure. We will also learn about the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Islands.

Afterwards, we will go on a walk through dry forest towards Tortuga Bay (named due to the black turtles that nest there). There is vegetation along the bottom of the transition zone from the dry to coastal zones. Along the sand dunes, grow nolana galapagensis or Nolana, an endemic plant that helps stabilize the sandy area. 

DAY 12 - TRANSFER TO BALTRA AIRPORT AND FLY BACK TO QUITO

Today, will be our last day in the Galapagos. You will be transferred to Baltra's airport to catch your flight back to Quito. 

DAY 13 - QUITO TO USA

Today, you will take your connection flight from Quito to the USA.


2 comments:

  1. Good information.
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    inca trail to machu picchu

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Salkantay Trek is a famous trekking in Cusco and is a great alternative to the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Going this hike, you’ll be able to see some of the most beautiful places in Cusco - Peru and see the snow covered Mountain

    ReplyDelete