Peru & Galapagos holiday. Helping Dreamers Do.

From

£5398

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15 days excluding flights

Countries:Galapagos Islands, Peru

More info:Price is per person, based on 2 people sharing. This trip can also be booked without flights, and for the Peru part of the itinerary only.

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“Explore South America’s most famous spots on one small group holiday, with a five-day Galápagos cruise, a train up to Machu Picchu and a tour of Lake Titicaca’s floating islands. ”

Highlights

Description of Peru and Galapagos holiday

Taking a two week holiday to South America can feel like a compromise; how do you choose between its phenomenal wealth of cultural and natural highlights, without feeling like you’ve missed out? This small group, Peru and Galapagos holiday is one solution – giving you plenty of time to explore the Incan wonders of Peru before flying 1,000km offshore to the Galapagos Islands, to encounter volcanic landscapes and a wealth of wildlife. Your tour leader will take care of all the logistics, with specialist guides joining you along the way to share the secrets of Peru and Ecuador’s most impressive cultural and natural highlights.

Internal flights ensure you cover more ground in less time, as you are whisked down to Cuzco from Lima, to start your trip at the heart of the Inca Empire. Here, immaculately crafted stone walls stand side by side with baroque colonial churches and contemporary bars and cafes – a wonderful insight into ancient and modern Andean culture. Travel deeper into the mountains and further back in time with explorations of ruins such as Pisac and Sacsayhuamán – taking the train to Machu Picchu for the grand finale. From here you’ll venture down to Lake Titicaca, ringed by snowy Andean peaks, and where you can take a tour to the floating Uros Islands, woven from reeds.

The next set of islands have somewhat more solid foundations: the volcanic Galapagos, reached via a flight from Lima via Guayaquil in Ecuador. You’ll have five days to explore this fascinating archipelago while living onboard a comfortable motor yacht with en suite cabins. Embark each day to discover how Darwin developed his theory of evolution and see how the giant tortoises, marine iguanas and dancing boobies have adapted to life in this remote outpost.

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.com

Check dates, prices & availability

Date

Price per adult

Basis

Status

19 Nov 2020

£5398

excluding flights

Available

Click here to enquire about or book the 19 Nov 2020 departure

Our top tip:

Bring layers for the mountains and raingear for Amazon.

Trip type:

Small group holiday.

Solos:

Solo travellers welcome. Surcharge for single room.

Accomm:

Standard hotels, shared cabins.

Included:

Flights, breakfasts, some meals, tour leader, naturalist guide, land and domestic air transport, accommodation.

Meals:

All breakfasts, one lunch, and full board on cruise. Budget £30/day for other meals.

Vouchers

Accepted

Holiday type

Small group adventure holiday

This trip is run by a company which specialises in only Central and South America holidays. Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip and how many others are booked on it) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone, with your partner or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places, whilst being led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader.

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.

Tourism to Ecuador, Peru and the Galapagos Islands has boomed over the past few decades. For this reason there is even greater emphasis for holidays to be carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner. The cruise in the Galapagos is on a boat that has a history of strictly upholding the Galapagos Park rules which are designed to protect the natural resources and animals within the park. These include the prohibition of taking any flora from the islands, touching the animals and staying within carefully planned viewing areas and designated pathways. Before you set off on the cruise, the specialist guides will cover these aspects in detail and throughout the trip the passengers are sensitively reminded of these. The team on board also provides and recycles plastic bottles so that nothing need be disposed or left on the islands. The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) carries out scientific research and complementary actions with collaboration from local, national and international partners to conserve the Galápagos. Their focal point is the Charles Darwin Research Centre (CDRC) at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. We will visit this centre as part of the tour and learn from the carefully laid out resources. It is possible to view and support the conservation and breeding of the unique species of Galápagos Tortoise, as well as learning in depth about Foundation’s work in conserving the island’s fragile natural resources.

The Impacts of this Trip

Experienced guides, including a resident biologist, are from the region itself and provide a range of carefully planned excursions to the surrounding area rich in various forms of wildlife.

Your tour leader, who is either from or spent a considerable amount of time living in Peru, will encourage interaction with the local communities at every stage. This includes trips to local markets in Cusco and the Sacred Valley and also out to the Uros Islands in Lake Titicaca, where a selection of remote, traditional communities have turned to tourism to diversify their livelihoods and welcome visitors to their extraordinary islands, entirely made of the local totora reed. A wonderful opportunity to experience the fascinating indigenous way of life.

Environment