Machu Picchu and Galapagos Combination 15 days

Arrive and transfer to city centre hotel

Half day city tour in the morning, starting in the old colonial area, visiting the Huaca Puccllana, pre-Inca ruins, Plaza de Armas, Cathedral and San Francisco church, with its impressive catacombes. Later, go on towards modern Lima and the districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, ending at the modern shopping centre of Larco Mar, with views over the Pacific Ocean.

Afternoon and evening free.

After breakfast, transfer to airport and fly to Cusco. Met by your guide and drive to the Sacred Valley for a visit to Pisac Inca ruins and the impressive, unfinished Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. Overnight in the pretty town of Ollantaytambo.

After breakfast, transfer to the station for the train to Aguas Calientes, from where we take a public shuttle bus up the winding mountain road to the entrance of Machu Piccu. Time free to explore and wonder at these magnificent ruins, set in their spectacular mountain setting.

Return to Aguas Calientes in the afternoon and take trains to Cusco. Transfer to hotel. Time to explore and take a leisurely evening meal.

Breakfast and then enjoy a fascinating morning tour of this City of the Incas. Visit the Qorikancha Temple (Temple of the Sun), walk on the Plaza de Armas and visit the Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Quenqo and Tambo Machay.

Afternoon free to explore

Transfer to airport for flight to Lima, connecting with your international flight to Quito.

Arrive and transfer to your city centre hotel

In the morning, visit the historic Old Town area, which was the joint first cultural World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in 1978. In the afternoon, take an excursion up to the line of the Equator and stand astride the line.

In the evening, choose to eat at any of the varied restaurants in the city, or return to the Old Town and sample traditional Ecuadoran fare.

Transfer to Quito Airport for flight to Baltra Island in the Galapagos. Transfer to board the MC Anahi.

After lunch on board, visit the delightful Bachas Beach on the island of Santa Cruz. This beach is a nesting area for green turtles and we should also see some flamingoes. white-cheeked pintail ducks and common stilts, as well as migratory birds, depending on time of year.

Overnight, we have sailed up to Genovesa Island. Here, at Darwin Bay, a half-mile trail leads through the mangroves, nesting site for rare red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tail gulls, as well as many land birds. If time permits, there is great snorkelling off the beach here.

In the afternoon, climb the steps (known as Prince Phillip's steps) up the cliff at El Barranco. A cliff-top walk through the palo santo vegetation rewards with sea views and short-eared lava owls, storm petrels, Galapagos swallows and doves and more boobies and frigate birds.

At South Plaza, we have a dry landing on a pier and take a walk up through sesuvium vegetation and opuntia cactii to the cliff top, where we can see Nazca and blue-footed boobies, Audubon's shearwaters, swallow-tailed gulls and more. This island is also home to colourful red and yellow land iguanas and one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the islands.

Santa Fe is home to a small and picturesque bay with two visitor trails - one leads to a scenic cliff-top and the other to a prickly-pear cactus forest. Sea-lions, land and marine iguanas and Galapagos hawks are highlights here.

In the morning, we land at Punta Pitt on the east end of San Cristobel. This area is known mainly because it is the only place you can see three species of booby - red-footed, blue-footed and masked - and both species of frigate bird nesting in the same location. It is also one of the most scenically attractive areas with rolling landscape and multi-coloured vegetation.

Later, we sail to the distinctive Kicker Rock, known locally as Leon Dormido or sleeping lion because of its shape. If time permits, this is a great snorkelling spot for seeing sharks, rays and turtles. A little further on is Lobos or Sea Lion Island, great for snorkelling with sea-lions as well as spotting blue-footed and Nazca boobies

In the south east of San Cristobel is the giant tortoise breeding centre of Cerro Colorado where the island's tortoises can roam in a secure and controlled,  but free environment.

Later, visit the island's Interpretation Center to learn about natural and human history and conservation on the island.

In the morning, land at Suarez Point, a great place for seeing not only boobies, but also the large waved albatrosses, which use the cliffs as a launching pad. Also seen here are hooded mockingbirds, red-billed tropicbirds, Galapagos hawks and lava lizards. A major attraction is the spectacular blowhole, throwing water high into the air. We walk for a mile or so over mixed terrain here.

Gardner Bay on the eastern side of the island is the breeding site for most of the world's population of waved albatross, which nest here from April to December. Sea turtles also nest her, but between January and March. A good beach for snorkelling.

Cormorant Point on Floreana has a large flamingo lagoon, where white-cheeked pintails and common stilts can also be seen. Here, there are also different coloured beaches, including Green Beach, made up of olivine crystals.

Sail around and land at Post Office Bay, where there is a barrel, originally used by whalers in the 18th and 19th centuries to post messages to be picked up and delivered by later passing boats. Today you can post and collect cards too.

Arrive in Puerto Ayora on Santa in the morning and take a visit to the Charles Darwin Station to see tortoise and iguana conservation in action.

Later, transfer to Baltra Island for flight back to the mainland.