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Worldwide Escorted Bus Tours & River Cruises
Cruising The Galapagos W/ Peru, Arasha & Nazca Lines
Buffet breakfast daily (B), 10 lunches (L), 9 dinners (D); Local Host service in each city; a welcome wallet and city map; sightseeing and transportation as outlined in the day-by-day itinerary.
Highlights:
Itinerary:
| Day #1 |
Arrive Quito, Ecuador. Arrive in Quito, where you will be met by your Local Host. |
| Day #2 |
Quito–Arasha Resort. Travel to the Pacific Rainforest for three nights at the all-inclusive Arasha Rainforest Resort & Spa. Surrounded by lush vegetation, tropical fruits, flora, birds, and local fauna, the award-winning Arasha offers beautiful thatch-roofed bungalows. Facilities include a large swimming pool with bar and cascading water, a Jacuzzi inside a grotto, two restaurants, theater, mini golf, and a luxurious spa. (B,L,D) |
| Day #3 |
Arasha Resort. During your stay, enjoy guided tours of the primary and secondary forests, birding and orchid tours, a chocolate-making demonstration, fishing, native jewelry-making classes, and much more. You may even visit one of the most colorful indigenous groups in Ecuador, the “Colorados,” to learn about their ancient traditions and religion. (B,L,D) |
| Day #4 |
Arasha Resort. During your stay, enjoy guided tours of the primary and secondary forests, birding and orchid tours, a chocolate-making demonstration, fishing, native jewelry-making classes, and much more. You may even visit one of the most colorful indigenous groups in Ecuador, the “Colorados,” to learn about their ancient traditions and religion. (B,L,D) |
| Day #5 |
Arasha–Quito. Return to Quito today. The remainder of your afternoon is at leisure. (B) |
| Day #6 |
Quito. Your included city tour showcases the rich legacy left by the Incas and, later, the Spaniards. See Independence Square dominated by its formidable Cathedral, San Francisco Plaza Church, and the Basilica with its marvelous stained-glass windows. (B) |
| Day #7 |
Quito–Baltra–Santa Cruz (Embarkation)–Cruising. Fly to Baltra and transfer to Santa Cruz Island to board the Galápagos Explorer II for your 4-night Galápagos Islands cruise. Cruise to Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragon) to visit a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon frequented by many species of birds. Also watch for the numerous iguanas that nest here. (B,L,D) |
| Day #8 |
Bartolomé & Santiago Islands. Wake up at Bartolomé Island, a volcanic island with black lava fields, a gray-brown cinder cone, and white sand beaches. Walk to the island’s summit to enjoy an impressive view, including Pinnacle Rock. You may also see the Galápagos penguin, the only existing species of penguin in the equator area. Cruise to Santiago Island and Puerto Egas, once a buccaneer supply base. Watch for Galápagos hawks, Darwin’s finches, land and marine iguanas, fur seals, and Sally Lightfoot crabs. Swim and snorkel in search of sea life. (B,L,D) |
| Day #9 |
Fernandina & Isabela Islands. On Fernandina, the youngest of the islands, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, penguins, pelicans, and sea lions are abundant. Continue to Isabela, the biggest island, with unique animals including the world’s only surviving population of mangrove finch and giant tortoises that have been isolated long enough to evolve into distinct subspecies. During a boat ride, observe nesting blue-footed boobies as well as pelicans, sea turtles, basalts, sea lions, and land iguanas. Snorkeling offers a great view of marine life. (B,L,D) |
| Day #10 |
North Seymour & Santa Cruz Islands. Today begins on North Seymour, where sea lions and marine iguanas hang out next to the rocks. The interior has a Palo Santo and small Opuntia forest with blue-footed boobies and frigatebird colonies. Next up: Santa Cruz, where vegetation ranges from cactus to rainforest. Visit a reserve with giant tortoises in their natural surroundings, and walk through a naturally formed lava tunnel. (B,L,D) |
| Day #11 |
San Cristobal (Disembarkation)–Guayaquil–Lima, Peru. This morning, disembark in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, where you will have free time before flying to Lima to begin the Peru portion of your vacation. (B) |
| Day #12 |
Lima. Your included city tour focuses on Lima’s rich colonial history as well as the modern city. Lima was the bastion of Spanish South America from its founding in 1535 until the independence of the South American republics in the early 19th century. See the Cathedral, where the remains of Francisco Pizarro are sealed in a wooden coffin and with its eerie burial crypts. (B) |
| Day #13 |
Lima–Cusco. Fly to Cusco high in the Andes. Your guided tour visits the Santo Domingo Monastery, previously the Koricancha Temple, one of the most important temples devoted to worship of the sun. It is said it was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature. In the Plaza de Armas, see the Cathedral before taking a short drive outside the city to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman with its intricate stone walls, amphitheatre of Kenko, and the Red Fortress of Puca Pucara. (B) |
| Day #14 |
Cusco. Today, a short drive into the Urubamba Valley leads to the market town of Pisac. Handmade rugs, alpaca sweaters, and jewelry can be bought here at bargain prices. At the other end of the valley is Ollantaytambo. Here, some of the finest examples of Inca masonry can be seen. Try out area cuisine at one of the many Cusco restaurants recommended by your Local Host. (B,L) |
| Day #15 |
Cusco–Machu Picchu. Board a train bound for Machu Picchu and cut a path through the Sacred Valley to this “Lost City of the Incas,” discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911. On a guided tour, explore this intact fortress with its temple remains, holy houses, and mile-long aqueduct. For hikers, a brisk one-hour walk leads to the Sun Gate, the ancient entrance used by the Incas, or hike to the peak of Huayna Picchu. (B,L,D) |
| Day #16 |
Machu Picchu–Cusco. A morning at leisure in Machu Picchu allows you to wake up early to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu. Return to Cusco, where your Local Host will recommend options for your free time. Perhaps visit the Inca Museum or wander through the artisan district of San Blas. (B) |
| Day #17 |
Cusco–Lima. Fly to Lima, where the remainder of the day is at your leisure. (B) |
| Day #18 |
Lima–Pisco–Nazca Lines–Paracas. Enjoy a scenic drive south along the Pan-American Highway to Pisco, the wine capital of Peru. Have your camera handy today as you board your aircraft for a flight over the Nazca plains, which can only be appreciated by air. Your pilot will point out the mysterious markings known as the Nazca Lines, a series of drawings of animals and geometric figures etched into the parched soil—some up to 1,000 feet long! Theories vary, but the most accepted belongs to German mathematician Maria Reiche, who dubbed the land the “astronomical calendar” of the ancient Peruvians. (B,L,D) |
| Day #19 |
Paracas–Ballestas Islands–Lima. Head north to the Bay of Paracas. Cruise out to the Ballestas Islands, which are inhabited by a wide variety of sea mammals and exotic birds, including boobies, sea lions, and Humboldt penguins. The huge Candelabro, an unexplained candelabra-shaped etching on the Paracas cliffside, can also be seen as you cruise back to shore. Later, return to Lima. (B) |
| Day #20 |
Lima. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B) |
Pricing Options:
| Depart US | Land-Only |
|---|
| 01/02/2011 | $5,559.00 | | 01/16/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 01/30/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 02/13/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 02/27/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 03/06/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 03/27/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 04/03/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 05/08/2011 | $5,559.00 | | 05/29/2011 | $5,559.00 | | 07/03/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 07/31/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 08/07/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 10/02/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 10/16/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 10/23/2011 | $5,579.00 | | 12/04/2011 | $5,559.00 | | 01/01/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 01/15/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 01/29/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 02/05/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 02/12/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 02/26/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 03/11/2012 | $6,009.00 | | 03/25/2012 | $6,009.00 |
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©2005 Flamingo Travel Group
All Rights Reserved
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