Land of the Incas with Galápagos Legend North and Central Cruise

The Capital of the New World extends a warm welcome on your epic voyage through the iconic and unexpected highlights of Peru. Meet your local host on arrival and transfer to your hotel in the fashionable barrio of San Isidro.

This evening, you’ll join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception at 6 p.m. (WR)

Ease in to Lima life with a leisurely morning to enjoy the city. Next, you’ll connect with the colonial heritage of Francisco Pizzaro’s 'City of Kings', joining your Local Specialist for a city tour that reveals Lima’s colonial splendour. Admire the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre and see the Church of San Francisco, delving into its hidden catacombs, religious art museum and extensive library.

Later, you’ll embark on a scenic walk through Miraflores with your Travel Director and soak up the local sights and sounds. (B)

We'll fly to Cusco this morning, the gateway to Peru's treasured Sacred Valley, where you will enjoy a local Peruvian lunch with sweeping views of the Sacred Valley. Then we'll Dive Into Culture, meeting a Shaman who will perform a special ceremony to welcome us to Peru.

Tonight, you'll stay at our Stays With Stories hotel along the banks of the Vilcanota River, on the grounds of an old 17th-century colonial hacienda. It is great for morning birders and afternoon walks in the gardens. (B/L/D) Stay: Aranwa Sacrey Valley

Connect With Locals over a Be My Guest experience lunch, learn about the culture surrounding the production of Giant White Corn. Our hosts will demonstrate the differences between traditional farming techniques and the newer technologies used today. Revel in the romance of the local Marinera dance and local musicans.

This evening, meet Local Specialist, Peter Frost, a writer, photographer and independent scholar who has explored the Andes and Amazon for 47 years, locating and investigating the previously unknown Inca and pre-Inca site of Qoriwayrachina. He currently resides in Peru and works as an accompanying expert for National Geographic Expeditions. (B/BMG)

Visit the mystical Incan stronghold of Ollantaytambo, en route to Machu Picchu, a village in the Sacred Valley, set on the Urubamba River amid majestic mountains. It's known for the Ollantaytambo ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces on a hillside.

Then, ascend to the Lost City in the Clouds aboard the Vistadome train (light snack included) travelling along the Inca Trail, where you can view hikers and porters along the way. Here you will delve into the mysteries of this once-great civilisation, joining your Local Specialist for an exploration of the temples, palaces and terraces whose construction defy imagination. Visit the iconic great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and the intricately carved Intihuatana, most likely used as a sundial centuries ago. We return to our hotel where we will Connect With Locals and learn how to prepare an authentic Ceviche and pour the perfect Pisco sour. (B/D) Stay: Sumaq

The ruins of Machu Picchu beckon yet again and we enjoy one final opportunity to reconnect with its story, spending some time on our own to explore the hill-top fortress. Next, we’ll journey back to the Sacred Valley by train, stopping en route to Cusco to Dive Into Culture and learn about the natural dyeing techniques used by native weavers. Visit the Pisac handicraft market followed by sampling the sweet flavours of chicha as we Dive Into Culture yet again, savouring the favourite drink of the Andes. Then a Stays With Stories tonight, in what was once an old, colonial Hacienda located in the historic centre of Cusco. (B) Stay: Novotel

Begin your day at the ruins of the UNESCO-listed Sacsayhuaman fortress overlooking Cusco. Your Local Specialist will guide you through Cusco’s colonial centre.

Later, you’ll join another Local Specialist who will reveal insights into the nearby 13th-century Incan settlement of Qoriwayrachina. The afternoon is free. (B)

Fly to Juliaca and meet a Local Specialist to learn about daily life on the Peruvian altiplano. After an included lunch, we’ll visit Sillustani, a pre-Incan burial ground on the shores of Lake Umayo. Explore the towering chullpas (above ground tombs) before travelling to Puno along the shores of Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the sun. (B/L) Stay: GHL Lake Titicaca

Connect With Locals as you cruise the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca, passing floating islands constructed by the Uros Indians. Next, in the midst of South America’s largest lake lies Taquile Island, where we’ll Dive Into Culture and embark on a private tour to gain insights into the tradition of knitting and weaving for which the local villagers - men and women - are renowned. Enjoy a lunch here and learn more about the islanders’ unique way of life upon islets make of totora reeds, which grow in the lake, and are attached to sticks driven into the bottom of the lake.

Tonight, we indulge in a Regional Dinner at our favourite local restaurant in Puno. (B/L/RD)

Return to Lima this morning, then continue your journey to the coastal playground of Paracas. Discover what life is like in Peru’s rural countryside before arriving to Paracas for dinner at your seaside hotel and an evening at leisure. Perhaps there’s even time for a stroll along the Malecon. (B/L/D) Stay: Aranwa

Take to the skies, soaring above the coastal desert to see the enigmatic Nazca Lines, gigantic geometric designs viewable only from the air. Next, stop this afternoon at our Dive Into Culture, the Regional Museum of Ica, where we’ll explore the centuries-old cultures of the Paracas and Nazca.

Later, we will once again Dive Into Culture during a visit to Bodega El Catador to learn about and taste the finest pisco in the country. The rest of the day is free. (B)

This morning, connect with nature with a Local Specialist, cruising around the uninhabited Ballestas Islands, a 'mini-Galapagos' teeming with wildlife. See the mysterious Candelabra in Pisco Bay, then return to Lima where this evening, we’ll visit the Larco Museum with a Local Specialist. Our journey almost at its end, we’ll indulge in a festive Farewell Dinner in the museum’s garden restaurant. (B/FD) Stay: Novotel

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Ecuador (flight not included in holiday price). Enjoy a warm welcome in Quito where you will be greeted at the airport and taken to your hotel. (B) Stay: Sheraton

Visit the historical centre of Quito, which was the first place in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and travel to the 'Middle of the World' to stand on the Equator. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. (B)

Cruise north to south through the islands and islets of the remote Galápagos.

On arrival at Baltra Island Airport, transfer to the M/V Galápagos Legend, which will ferry you to the Highlands Tortoise Reserve on Santa Cruz Island, where you’ll walk amongst the world’s largest tortoises in the wild. (B/L/D) Stay: M/V Galápagos Legend

Visit to Genovesa Island today, climbing up the rocky Prince Phillip's Steps in search of Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and Darwin’s famed finches. Walk to expansive lava field over which Wedge-rumped storm petrels swarm, then continue to Darwin Bay. (B/L/D)

The marine iguanas of Santa Cruz view our arrival with indifference as we embark on our walk from the small lava dock. We’ll see the shallow lake where flamingos come to feed, then continue inland in search of land iguanas. Arriving Santa Fé island later, we’ll enjoy a snorkel amongst sea lions, turtles, reef sharks and spotted eagle rays, then walk past a forest of giant Opuntia cacti. (B/L/D)

The serene landscape of Bachas Beach is our final stop on our Galápagos expedition. Bachas is a great place to swim, walk along the shore or visit the lagoon. Our journey at its end, we transfer to Baltra Airport for our return flight to Quito. Airport arrival time in Quito will be at 5 p.m.; please be aware when booking your flights. (B)