Galapagos and Inca Trail tour
Highlights
Quito | Galapagos Islands | Lima | Cuzco | Sacred Valley | Ollantaytambo | Inca Trail | Machu PicchuDescription of Galapagos and Inca Trail tour
Prepare for a unique 17-day adventure, big on ancient sights and breathtaking beauty, as you travel in a small group from the bustle of Quito, visiting the Galapagos Islands, before soaking up the history of the Incas in and around Cuzco. Travelling by plane, train and both private and public bus, this is a full and fascinating introduction to Peru and Ecuador.You start in Ecuador’s spirited capital, Quito, one of South America’s most attractive cities, sitting at an altitude of 2,850m with a view of Volcan Pichincha on the horizon. Beautiful colonial style buildings and the nooks and crannies of the Old Town unfold on a guided walking tour. From Quito, head to the extraordinary Galapagos, staying on three different islands to fully explore the region. You’ll hike, kayak and snorkel to get close to the wildlife, from sea lions, manta rays and turtles, to the iconic giant tortoises. Next, fly to Lima in Peru, wandering its Spanish-style streets and feasting on tasty fish ceviche in one of its many cafes, before flying to Cuzco where you’ll visit the Chocolate Museum – try the hot chocolate made from local cacao beans.
A bus journey takes you through the Sacred Valley, where maize crops grow on terraces carved into its sides, before hiking the Classic Inca Trail or Inca Quarry Trail towards Machu Picchu (it’s also possible to reach this ancient site via train and bus). This beautifully preserved citadel was built around 1440 AD. A guided tour explains its key features, but you’ll have lots of time to roam at leisure, too, snapping memorable photos and savouring this remarkable place, before heading back to Cuzco and home.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is a classic style of small group adventure. You'll find your trip combines a good mix of included activities and free time, with some meals included as per your itinerary. We don't want you to feel chaperoned, it's your holiday not ours. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with organising anything you might wish to do in your free time, but how you spend it is up to you. Anything listed as included in your itinerary will be included in trip price; whereas anything listed as optional will be at an additional cost should you wish to take part.
These trips are great value, including things that you would struggle to organise independently, such as a night at a homestay in a remote village, or local guides around a remote place of interest. Transport will be a combination of private vehicle and public transport, whichever is the most appropriate for the route we are travelling; this might include train, plane, camel, tuk tuk, bicycle, boat…
On a majority of these trips you'll stay in 2-3 star accommodation, locally owned and reflective of the region you are travelling through. All solo travellers will be automatically roomed on a twin share basis with another group member of the same sex, unless you opt to pay for your own room at time of booking. There are no compulsory single supplements for solo travellers willing to share. Single rooms aren't available on camping trips, and you will be expected to help out with camp tasks such as setting up and breaking down your camp.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

Our staff ‘on the ground’ are all recruited locally, from your group leaders who will accompany each leg of your trip, to the porters who will support and assist you on your Inca Trail trek. Your guide on the Galapagos will be a qualified Naturalist trained by the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and will be highly knowledgeable on the Islands themselves, the flora and fauna, along with the conservation and environmental issues affecting them.
On the Galapagos Islands we support the work of The Galapagos Conservancy, the largest source of private support for conservation efforts in the region. The 11,000 Friends of Galapagos are individuals and institutions who care deeply about the Galapagos Islands, and understand the scientific importance of preserving this one-of-a-kind ecosystem. Funds raised by the Galapagos Conservancy support the core operations of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) which will be visited on Isla Santa Cruz.
Throughout your trip you will be encouraged to take steps to ensure that your journey is as environmentally responsible as possible. We encourage all travellers to be respectful of their environment at all times and follow their leaders’ instruction with regard to interacting with the wildlife on the Galapagos. Whether snorkelling with playful sea lions, or attempting the perfect close up of a marine iguana, we require all travellers to listen to their leaders in order to maintain not only the environment, but also preserve the wellbeing of these amazing animals.
Your group leader will be on hand to assist with the appropriate disposal of rubbish en route, recycling wherever possible. There are no recycling facilities on Isabela Island, so we ask that plastic rubbish is taken with the group when we leave. On similar lines, group members are encouraged during the trip to use refillable water bottles with purification tablets rather than purchasing bottled water, contributing to the rapidly escalating problem caused by the copious number of plastic bottles discarded globally on a daily basis.
The Impacts of this Trip
The very ethos of our style of travel is responsible; small groups on fully escorted tours, experiencing the very best of a region, a culture and a landscape, with a friendly local hand guiding the way. Our itineraries are designed to give our travellers real life experiences without compromising the part of the world through which we are journeying, this is our commitment as a global tour operator.
As a company, our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. We run and support a variety of projects globally, from healthcare, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and environmental and wildlife protection. Our own in house foundation has been in operation for over 11 years; a not-for-profit fund that has distributed over AU$3 million to more than 70 non-government organisations since 2002. Donations come from our travellers and are then matched by us dollar for dollar.


Our staff ‘on the ground’ are all recruited locally, from your group leaders who will accompany each leg of your trip, to the porters who will support and assist you on your Inca Trail trek. Your guide on the Galapagos will be a qualified Naturalist trained by the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and will be highly knowledgeable on the Islands themselves, the flora and fauna, along with the conservation and environmental issues affecting them.
On the Galapagos Islands we support the work of The Galapagos Conservancy, the largest source of private support for conservation efforts in the region. The 11,000 Friends of Galapagos are individuals and institutions who care deeply about the Galapagos Islands, and understand the scientific importance of preserving this one-of-a-kind ecosystem. Funds raised by the Galapagos Conservancy support the core operations of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) which will be visited on Isla Santa Cruz.
Throughout your trip you will be encouraged to take steps to ensure that your journey is as environmentally responsible as possible. We encourage all travellers to be respectful of their environment at all times and follow their leaders’ instruction with regard to interacting with the wildlife on the Galapagos. Whether snorkelling with playful sea lions, or attempting the perfect close up of a marine iguana, we require all travellers to listen to their leaders in order to maintain not only the environment, but also preserve the wellbeing of these amazing animals.
Your group leader will be on hand to assist with the appropriate disposal of rubbish en route, recycling wherever possible. There are no recycling facilities on Isabela Island, so we ask that plastic rubbish is taken with the group when we leave. On similar lines, group members are encouraged during the trip to use refillable water bottles with purification tablets rather than purchasing bottled water, contributing to the rapidly escalating problem caused by the copious number of plastic bottles discarded globally on a daily basis.

The Impacts of this Trip
The very ethos of our style of travel is responsible; small groups on fully escorted tours, experiencing the very best of a region, a culture and a landscape, with a friendly local hand guiding the way. Our itineraries are designed to give our travellers real life experiences without compromising the part of the world through which we are journeying, this is our commitment as a global tour operator.
As a company, our responsibilities don’t stop when our tours end. We run and support a variety of projects globally, from healthcare, education, human rights, child welfare, sustainable development and environmental and wildlife protection. Our own in house foundation has been in operation for over 11 years; a not-for-profit fund that has distributed over AU$3 million to more than 70 non-government organisations since 2002. Donations come from our travellers and are then matched by us dollar for dollar.

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Our travel guides
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