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DISCOVER THE GALAPAGOS & PERU W/THE AMAZON EXTENSION

Day 1 - Fly to Lima, Peru. Board your flight to Lima, the capital of Peru and known as the "City of Kings." Your flight to South America arrives late this evening where you will be met by your Local Host.

Day 2 - Lima. Your Local Guide focuses on the city's colonial heritage during today's walking tour. Start at the Plaza de Armas to see the Government Palace and visit the CATHEDRAL, where the remains of Francisco Pizarro, the founder of Lima, are housed. From here, stroll to the SAN FRANCISCO MONASTERY with its splendid 17th-century cloister murals. This evening, meet your Tour Director and enjoy a WELCOME DINNER with your fellow traveling companions. (B,D)

Day 3 - Lima - Cuzco'Sacred Valley. Fly to Cuzco, the impressive Andean city that was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Continue into the Sacred Valley and visit the nearby Inca baths of TAMBOMACHAY and the semi-circular Kenko Amphitheater with its stone altars and labyrinth of passages. See the ancient site of Puca Pucara before reaching the TEMPLE OF SACSAYHUAMAN. It remains unfathomable how and when this fortress of gigantic stones - with some blocks weighing more than 350 tons - was built. Next, visit Pisac, an old mountain village where you will have the chance to visit a local home and experience their way of life. Enjoy free time in the town center to browse colorful stalls where vendors sell their handicrafts, ranging from fine alpaca sweaters and blankets to hand-painted ornamental dishes and vases. (B,L,D)

Day 4 - Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu. Begin the morning with a visit to the Inca fortress of OLLANTAYTAMBO. Next, board a TRAIN through the lush Urubamba Valley. Ascend to legendary MACHU PICCHU, "The Lost City of the Incas," high above the valley and overlaid with dense tropical jungle. Your Local Guide will bring you closer to the lives and mysteries still hidden in these amazing structures, built by the pre-Columbian masters of this sacred land. (B,L,D)

Day 5 - Machu Picchu - Cuzco. Enjoy the tranquility of the morning with free time to wander the ruins at your own pace and absorb the magic that is Machu Picchu. After lunch, return to Ollantaytambo by train and continue to Cuzco. (B,L)

Day 6 - Cuzco. Learn more about the Incas and their struggle against the invading Spaniards, visiting the imposing CATHEDRAL and the SANTO DOMINGO MONASTERY on your guided tour. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant accompanied by ANDEAN FOLKLORIC MUSIC. (B,D)

Day 7 - Cuzco - Quito, Ecuador. Today, fly to Quito, the capital of Ecuador and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, and begin the Ecuadorian portion of your vacation. Tonight enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)

Day 8 - Quito. Excursion to Cotopaxi National Park and Ride the Chiva Express. Today's adventure begins with a ride on the "CHIVA EXPRESS," a colorful one-coach train, like a bus on tracks. A highlight of the trip is to "ride the roof" and take in the panoramic views of the stunning Andean region of Ecuador. Up top in the open air you will enjoy the ever-changing scenery as you roll along the rails, passing local villages and country homes. Stopping in the moorlands surrounding COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK enjoy lunch at a local family's hacienda where your meal comes from the surrounding area - with fresh cheese from the farm, vegetables just picked from the garden, homemade desserts, and natural seasonings. There will be time to horseback ride, bird watch or explore the surroundings on foot before the return to Quito in the afternoon. (B,L)

Day 9 - Quito. An included sightseeing tour showcases Quito's treasures: the historic stone murals of the LEGISLATIVE PALACE; Independence Plaza and the 16th-century SAN FRANCISCO MONASTERY; the Jesuit's LA COMPANIA CHURCH with its stunning golden altars; and the impressive paintings at the WORKSHOP AND MUSEUM of Oswaldo Guayasamin. Be sure to have your photo taken in front of the EQUATORIAL MONUMENT, "the center of the world." (B)

Day 10 - Quito - Baltra - Galápagos Islands (Embarkation)"Cruising. A morning flight to Baltra, one of the remote Galápagos Islands. Upon arrival, board the sleek MV Santa Cruz and enjoy four days of CRUISING among various Galápagos Islands. Each day, travel ashore to the remote islands with your expert naturalist who introduces you to the unique fauna living free and fearless of man. Today, visit San Cristobal Island, where Charles Darwin first set foot in the Galápagos back in 1835. This island is home to seabirds like blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, herons, and frigate birds. Also look for the Chatham (San Cristobal) Mockingbird and Chatham Lava Lizard - both species are endemic to this island and seen nowhere else in Galápagos. (B,L,D)

Please note: The ship's itinerary may vary according to the Galápagos National Park policies and regulations, weather conditions, and seasonal changes to create the perfect crosssection of sites visited.

Day 11 - Galápagos Islands Cruising. Your exploration continues on Española (Hood Island). Here, you will see unique sea bird colonies, including the waved albatrosses (April-December), Nazca and blue-footed boobies, Darwin's finches, and the famous blowhole. Also, look for red-green-black marine iguanas and a rookery of sea lions right at the landing site. This afternoon, visit a brackish-water lagoon on Floreana where Greater Flamingos, pintail ducks, common stilts, herons, and sandpipers may be observed. For marine enthusiasts this is a great place for snorkeling! (B,L,D)

Day 12 - Galápagos Islands Cruising. This morning brings you to the youngest island, Fernandina. Having no introduced mammals, Fernandina has a very unique environment and the highest density of marine iguanas. Sharing their habitat are sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and hawks. In the afternoon, enjoy coastal exploration along the cliffs of sunken Ecuador Volcano by panga, where our naturalist guides explain the dramatic geology of the area with remains of lava flows and tuff stone layers. This is the nesting place for flightless cormorants, the only birds in the world that have changed from flying birds to diving birds. Wildlife here includes sea lions, Galápagos penguins, blue-footed and Nazca boobies, and noddy terns. (B,L,D)

Day 13 - Galápagos (Disembarkation)"Quito. Early this morning, visit the CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION, established to help conserve the Islands" natural habitat and protect the famous giant tortoises. Depart the Galápagos today for Quito. This evening, gather with your fellow traveling companions as your Tour Director hosts a special FAREWELL DINNER to celebrate an unforgettable experience. (B,D)

Day 14 - Quito - Coca. Fly from Quito to Coca and travel by canoe to your Amazon lodge. The Ecuadorian Amazon is the world's largest remaining tropical rainforest, where more life hums, buzzes, chatters, and bubbles than anywhere else on the planet. One Amazonian tree can host more ant species than all of the British Isles put together, one hectare of forest boasts about as many frog species as all of North America, and the great expanse of jungle contains more than 20 percent of the earth's vascular plant species. Here you can find a monkey small enough to sit on your fingertip, an 8-pound toad, a spider that eats birds, and the world's largest snake, the 30-foot anaconda. (B,L,D)

Day 15 - Amazon. Begin on the lodge's suspended canopy walk with views of the rainforest canopy, where your naturalist will point out many different species of vibrantly colored birds. Continue through the jungle below and learn of the medicinal plants and immense biodiversity found here that have been used by the native cultures for hundreds of years. After a picnic lunch in the primary forest, return to the lodge by canoe. This evening, accompany your Local Guide on a night walk or canoe ride to discover creatures that can rarely be seen during the day; you many even spot a caiman or two! (B,L,D)

Day 16 - Amazon. This morning you may opt to visit a parrot clay lick, where parrots and parakeets by the thousands can usually be seen. Later, depart on a cruise of the Napo River through the flooded forest in search of the varied wildlife found in the Amazon Basin. You will have a good chance of seeing troops of squirrel, capuchin, and howler monkeys - and maybe even the incredibly well camouflaged 3-toed sloth. After time spent fishing for piranhas, arrive at the Kapok Tree Tower, perched 135-feet high. Get close-up views of birds as the sun sets on volcano Mount Sumaco and the Andes. (B,L,D)

Day 17 - Coca - Quito. Homebound Flight. Depart your Amazon Lodge today for Coca where you will board your return flight to Quito and join up with your homebound flight departing this evening. (B)

Day 18 - An early morning arrival is ideal for making homebound connections.