Peru & Ecuador: Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley & the Galápagos with the Nazca Lines

Welcome to Lima!

Upon arrival, you will meet your Globus representative.

Please Note: You will meet your Tour Director on day 4 in Lima.

Enigmas from the Air

Transfer south via bus along the Pan-American Highway towards the Bay of Paracas and Nazca. Have your camera handy today as you board your aircraft for flightseeing over the Nazca Plains, which can only be appreciated by air. Dating back to 500 BC, these geoglyphs etched into the ground consist of over 10,000 lines depicting plants and animals. Continue to your bayfront hotel for a 2-night stay.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - LEGENDS & LORE: Take a flight above the plains for a bird's-eye-view of the Nazca Lines. Your pilot will point out these mysterious markings, 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.

Free day to Explore

Today is yours to design as you wish. You may want to enjoy the resort amenities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, or join an optional excursion to explore the area.

ENHANCED FREE TIME - EXPLORE MORE: Spend free time in the Paracas area with a Paracas National Reserve or a full day excursion to experience a thrilling Dune Adventure with lunch and pisco tasting.

Peru's Galapagos

Embark on a cruise around the Ballestas Islands, part of the National Reserve of the Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes. Sail around the islands to spot a wide variety of sea mammals and exotic birds, including blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and even Humboldt penguins. The huge Candelabro, a candelabra-shaped etching on the Paracas cliffside, can also be seen as you cruise back to shore. Later, return to Lima to meet with your Tour Director and fellow travel companions.

Living Large in Lima

Begin your journey with a guided exploration of Lima's vibrant capital. Join your Local Guide on the city's colonial heritage during a walking tour. Start at a local market to experience the local's life, then continue to the Plaza de Armas to see the Government Palace and the cathedral. From here, stroll to the venerable San Francisco Monastery with its splendid 17th-century cloister murals.

The day concludes in the bohemian district of Barranco, where you'll enjoy a guided walk across the iconic Bridge of Sighs (Puente de los Suspiros) and admire the historic Barranco mansions. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with your fellow traveling companions at one of Lima's finest historic homes.

LOCAL FAVORITE - SMALL GROUP EXCLUSIVE: This evening, gather with your fellow travelers for a memorable welcome dinner at Casa García Alvarado, one of Lima's most distinguished historic homes. Nestled in the upscale Miraflores district, this beautifully preserved mansion offers an intimate introduction to Peru's refined hospitality. As you step inside, you'll be welcomed into gracious salons and elegant gardens that reflect Lima's aristocratic past. Enjoy a thoughtfully prepared dinner showcasing Peruvian flavors, served in a setting that blends history, sophistication, and warmth. This special evening provides the perfect opportunity to connect with your traveling companions and celebrate the beginning of your journey through Peru and beyond.

Empire of the Andes

Fly to Cusco, the impressive Andean city that was once the capital of the Inca Empire. Head into the Sacred Valley of the Incas where you will visit Manos de la Comunidad to learn about the cultural importance of Llamas and Alpacas followed by a special lunch prepared exclusively for Globus guests at a private location. Here, experience an El Pago a la Tierra, or Mother Earth Ceremony, performed by a local shaman. Continue to the Casa Eva, your boutique hotel in Sacred Valley for a 2-night stay.

LOCAL FAVORITE - CULTURE & TRADITION: Feel the earth and smell the coca leaves, as you make payment to Mother Earth. Participate in an El Pago a la Tierra, an ancient ceremony led by a shaman thanking Mother Earth and asking for good health, wealth, and safe travels. These mystical ceremonies have been practiced in Peru since before the arrival of the Incas.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - SMALL GROUP EXCLUSIVE ACCOMMODATION: Casa Eva is an intimate retreat of just 21 rooms, where contemporary design meets Andean tradition. Thoughtfully curated with natural materials, handcrafted textiles, and modern art, each room offers 400-thread-count linens, Italian bath amenities, central heating, and sweeping views of the Sacred Valley. Guests enjoy inspired Peruvian cuisine at Eva Restaurant, featuring local ingredients such as native corn, colorful potatoes, and Andean herbs, alongside signature cocktails at Eva Bar. Rooted in sustainability and community, Casa Eva invites travelers to connect deeply with the culture, flavors, and spirit of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Living Cultures of the Andes

Visit a local community for an immersive cultural experience on a Small Group Exclusive. Community members welcome you and share their agricultural practices and textile traditions, including demonstrations such as creating quipus—an ancient Inca recording device made of knotted, colored strings, often using llama or alpaca hair. Then enjoy a traditional Pachamanca feast—a rustic yet exclusive experience centered on genuine human connection. Later, visit the remarkable Moray agricultural terraces and the Maras Salt Mines.

LOCAL FAVORITE - SMALL GROUP EXCLUSIVE: Step into the daily rhythms of Andean life during an intimate visit to a local community. You'll be warmly welcomed by community members who open their homes and traditions, offering rare insight into time‑honored agricultural practices and textile artistry. Watch as ancient knowledge comes to life through hands‑on demonstrations, including the creation of quipus—the intricate knotted string system once used by the Incas to record history, numbers, and stories. The experience culminates in a memorable Pachamanca feast, prepared underground using ancestral techniques passed down through generations. As ingredients slowly cook beneath heated stones, you'll share moments of conversation, connection, and authenticity. Rustic yet refined, private yet deeply human, this is an immersive encounter that celebrates culture, heritage, and the power of genuine connection.

Mysteries in the Mountains

This morning, visit the Inca Fortress of Ollantaytambo, followed by a visit to a local home to meet a local and experience their way of life in the Sacred Valley. Then, board the Vistadome train for a scenic journey through the lush Urubamba Valley. Upon arrival, ascend the mountainside to legendary Machu Picchu, the “Lost City of the Incas.” Your Local Guide will introduce this intact fortress with its temple remains, holy houses, and mile-long aqueduct, and will bring you closer to the mysteries still hidden in these amazing structures. Dinner tonight at the hotel.

LOCAL FAVORITE - TIMELESS TRADITIONS: Today, you are invited into a local family's home in the Sacred Valley. Learn about their traditions like weaving that has been passed down for centuries from ancestors. See how they cook, live, sleep, work, and maybe ask about the cuy (guinea pigs), they keep in their house.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - ACCOMMODATION SPOTLIGHT: The Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel, named one of South America's best hotels, is located at the foot of the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu near the beautiful Vilcanota River, and offers impressive views of the mountains and landscapes. A hotel with a contemporary Andean style inspired by the ancient Peruvian cultures, offering personalized luxury service and innovative Peruvian cuisine. Offering regional gastronomy experiences, the Sumaq uses local ingredients in partnership with communities located high in the Andes, such as Quishuarcancha, Parcaraqui, and Huatata in Chinchero, as well as the small community of Ccorca that is home to fewer than 200 people.

Here Comes the Sun

This morning, return to Machu Picchu with your second included entrance to the ruins. After lunch at a local restaurant, return to the Sacred Valley by train and continue to Cusco.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - HISTORY & MYSTERY: Staying overnight in Machu Picchu allows you to get up early and experience the ruins at their most pristine before the crowds arrive. Watch as the mist slowly burns off and the sun rays illuminate the ruins.

Sun Worship & Spanish Conquests

Explore Cusco's highlights, including the impressive Sacsayhuamán fortress, the artistic streets of San Blas, and the vibrant San Pedro Market. Then on a Small Group Discovery exclusive, enjoy a guided city walk featuring a Chilcano cocktail demonstration and tasting before a memorable farewell dinner.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - LEGENDARY LIVES: Built in the 15th century by the Incas, the Temple of Sacsayhuamán complex is considered to be one of the Inca's greatest architectural creations. It is believed the site was originally constructed as a ceremonial site and later a fortress when the Spanish invaded. It remains unfathomable how and when this fortress of gigantic stones—with some blocks weighing more than 350 tons—was built. During your guided tour, learn some of the theories on how the massive stones used were carved, carried, and placed.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - SMALL GROUP EXCLUSIVE: Enjoy a guided city walk that brings Cusco's flavors and traditions to life, highlighted by a lively Chilcano cocktail demonstration and tasting. Learn the story behind this classic Peruvian cocktail—crafted with pisco, citrus, and local flair—as an expert mixologist walks you through the process and invites you to sample the finished creation. Afterward, gather for a memorable farewell dinner, a relaxed and celebratory evening to reflect on your journey, share stories with fellow travelers, and toast the unforgettable experiences shared throughout Peru. It's the perfect finale to your remarkable adventure.

Welcome to Ecuador!

Fly to Quito, via Lima, where you will be met by a Globus representative and transferred to your hotel. Free time this evening.

Please Note: The Tour Director does not accompany guests on extensions. Guided service is as outlined in the day-by-day itinerary.

Quintessential Quito

On an included city tour with a Local Guide, see Independence Square with its Cathedral and San Francisco Plaza Church, and the Basilica.

Adventure on the Horizon

Take a morning flight to San Cristobal, one of the remote Galápagos Islands. Upon arrival, board the Galápagos Legend for your 4-night cruise. On San Cristobal, visit the Interpretation Center with your Naturalist and learn about ongoing conservation of the archipelago, its history, ecosystems, flora, and more. Next, a walk to Tijeretas Hill brings you to a frigatebird nesting colony and beautiful views of the bay below.

Please Note: Itinerary in the Galápagos is subject to change.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - SHIP SPOTLIGHT: The M/V Galapagos Legend, with a capacity for 100 guests, has the charm of The Enchanted Islands. With her three different decks, the Galapagos Legend offers a great variety of comfortable and spacious social areas without losing a sense of intimacy. The ship features a restaurant serving fresh international and local cuisine, outdoor BBQ area, a lounge with full bar, 24-hour snack and coffee station, a pool bar, Jacuzzi, pool, boutique, science corner, fitness facility, auditorium, library, glass bottom boat, kayaks, and doctor's office. On top of the numerous amenities, the Galapagos Legend has the top Naturalists in the archipelago who will lead you on every excursion and bring the islands to life!

Survival of the Fittest

Join your Naturalist guide for excursions to Gardner Bay and Punta Suárez on Española Island, one of the oldest islands in the archipelago. At Gardner Bay, see one of the most stunning beaches in all of the Galápagos that is home to a colony of Galapagos sea lions and offers a great place to snorkel. You will also see the Hood mockingbirds, endemic to this island, along with Darwin Finches.

Next, on Punta Suárez, you will find a slew of marine iguanas and sea lions that greet you upon landing. From there, come into close encounters of Nazca and blue-footed boobies, endemic lizards, gulls and even a dramatic blowhole. On this island, it is your only opportunity to see the endemic waved albatross during their breeding season between April and December. With luck, we can watch their complex courtship display.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - WONDERS OF NATURE: Española Island is an ecological laboratory all its own as one of the oldest of the Galápagos islands – some 400 million years old. Española is home to a variety of Darwin's finches here – an inspiration for the scientist's research into evolution. Nearly identical to mainland finches in every way but their beaks, these tiny birds played an enormous role in Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection, concluding their unique assortments of beaks had adapted over time for the species to survive in this strange landscape.

Kaleidoscope of Life

This morning, visit Post Office Bay, named for the wooden barrel that served as an informal post office for sailors passing through. Here, you may also encounter Darwin's finches, yellow warblers, and lava lizards, and take advantage of another chance to snorkel. This afternoon, visit Cormorant Point to see a brackish lagoon, which usually holds one of the largest flamingo populations in the Galápagos.

The trail continues to a beautiful white-sand beach, one of the most important nesting sites of Green Pacific sea turtles. Enjoy a chance to snorkel at Devil's Crown, an eroded volcanic cone, home to sea turtles, reef fish, spotted eagle rays, sea lions, and even white-tipped reef sharks. You may also see boobies, noddies, tropicbirds and frigates roosting nearby.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - NATURAL ATTRACTION: Pink flamingos, blue-footed boobies, red-breasted frigate birds, great blue herons, and green sea turtles are just a few of the creatures that make up a kaleidoscope of life along the white and green sands of Floreana's Cormorant Point. Hike, snorkel, or simply gaze upon this extraordinary island sanctuary.

A View from the Top

This morning, visit Dragon Hill, where you will find a brackish lagoon frequented by shorebirds, ducks, and flamingos. Further inland, the trail heads up the hill and offers a beautiful view of the archipelago, as well as the chance to see land iguanas. A special treat is in store for you this afternoon at Punta Bowditch. Be one of the first people to visit this new site on Santa Cruz Island! Relax on a powdery beach, snorkel around turquoise-water islets and hike beside salt pools and dried white corals. This area is also a common nesting site for marine turtles.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE: Recently added as a visitor site in the Galápagos archipelago, Punta Bowditch is an undiscovered treasure on Santa Cruz. The white-sand beach is the perfect place to snorkel in search of colorful reef fish, turtles, and much more!

Gentle Giants

Drive to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island and visit the Tortoise Reserve where giant tortoises are found in their natural habitat. See and learn about the conservation and breeding programs to protect the endangered tortoise species found here. Continue to the airport and fly to Guayaquil.

TOUR HIGHLIGHT - CONSERVATION HEROES: Visit the Tortoise Reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, home to many wild Galápagos giant tortoises. Here, these magnificent creatures wander the pastures in their native habitat. The population is booming mainly because they are completely protected here.

Safe travels until we meet again!

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.