Ecuador & Peru · 10 days · Moderate
10-Day Machu Picchu & Galápagos
The two things most people fly to South America for, in one trip, sequenced so the connections work. Peru first while you have the energy for altitude, then a travel day to Quito, then the islands — which is the right way round, because nobody wants Machu Picchu after a week of early boats.
Short answer
10-Day Machu Picchu & Galápagos is a 10-day, 9-night Ecuador & Peru itinerary starting in Lima and finishing in Baltra airport, Galápagos, for private, or shared groups. It is quoted on request, because the price moves with dates, party size and hotel category. On top of that sit the mainland–islands flight and US$230 per adult in mandatory fees, which no operator is allowed to include — US$200 for the National Park, US$20 for the transit card and US$10 collected at the pier on Isabela. Every day of it is published below, and we rebuild it around your dates at no extra cost.
Highlights
- Machu Picchu with a guided circuit, and the Sacred Valley before it
- Both Galápagos snorkelling headline sites: Las Tintoreras and Los Túneles
- A full navigable day tour to an uninhabited island
- The border logistics handled — this itinerary crosses two countries and four airports
How this trip moves
9 nights, 5 places to unpack
The thing most itineraries hide is how much of your holiday is spent getting somewhere. Here it is up front.
Where you sleep
- Lima 1 night
- Cusco 3 nights
- Quito 1 night
- Puerto Ayora 2 nights
- Puerto Villamil 2 nights
The shape of it
- 1 The day you get there
- You sleep here
- Flight
- Boat
- Road
- Train
Day by day
- Day 1
Welcome to Peru
Met in Lima and transferred to the hotel.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Not included
- You sleep at
- Lima
- Day 2
Lima to Cusco — city tour
Morning flight to Cusco, then the Cathedral, Qoricancha, Qenqo and Sacsayhuamán at an easy pace. You are at 3,400 m; today is deliberately light.
- Change of base
- Flight
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Cusco
- Day 3
The Sacred Valley
Pisac and Ollantaytambo, with lunch in the valley.
- Change of base
- Road
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Cusco
- Day 4
Machu Picchu
Train, bus, guided circuit, free time, and the return down the valley.
- Change of base
- Train
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Cusco
- Day 5
Cusco → Lima → Quito
A travel day across two countries. We hold the connections, handle the transfers and make sure the Ecuadorian entry paperwork is done before you land — including the customs form.
- Change of base
- Flight
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Quito
- Day 6
Quito to the Galápagos
Morning flight to Baltra, biosecurity, the park fee desk and the crossing to Santa Cruz. Highlands and the Charles Darwin Station in the afternoon if the timing allows.
- Change of base
- Flight + Road
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Puerto Ayora
- Day 7
Full-day navigable tour
A day boat to an uninhabited visitor site: landing, guided walk and snorkelling.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Puerto Ayora
- Day 8
Isabela — Las Tintoreras
Speedboat to Puerto Villamil and out to Las Tintoreras: reef sharks, marine iguanas, penguins.
- Change of base
- Boat
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Puerto Villamil
- Day 9
Los Túneles
The lava arches — sea turtles, seahorses, white-tipped sharks and nesting blue-footed boobies.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Puerto Villamil
- Day 10
Baltra airport
Speedboat to Santa Cruz and the transfer across the island for your flight home.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- — last day, you fly home
What is included
- Nine nights’ accommodation with breakfast in both countries
- All transfers, inter-island crossings and ground transport
- Certified guides in Peru; National Park–licensed naturalists in the Galápagos
- Train to Machu Picchu and the Machu Picchu entrance fee
- All excursions listed, with snorkelling equipment in the islands
- A pre-departure pack covering entry requirements for both countries
What is not included
- International flights, and the Cusco–Lima–Quito and Quito–Galápagos flights
- Galápagos National Park entrance fee — US$200 per adult, cash on arrival
- INGALA transit control card — US$20
- Meals not stated, travel insurance, tips
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. The Galápagos National Park entrance fee (US$200 per adult, US$100 per child under 12, cash on arrival) and the INGALA transit control card (US$20, bought online before your flight) are collected from you personally and cannot be included in any operator’s price. Budget US$230 per adult on top of the figure above. Full breakdown →
When to do this trip
April to October works for both countries. Peru’s dry season and the Galápagos calm-water season overlap least in June–August, which is also when everything is fullest — book early.
Good to know before you book
- Group size
- Private, or shared groups
- Starts
- Lima
- Ends
- Baltra airport, Galápagos
- Pace
- Moderate
- Passport
- Valid at least six months beyond your arrival date. Entry requirements →
- Insurance
- Not included and not optional in our view. Medical evacuation from the islands or the rainforest is expensive.
- What moves the price
- Hotel category, private versus shared guiding, your dates, and party size — a solo traveller pays the room, not half of it. We break the whole thing down in the Galápagos price index.
- If we have to change something
- Weather, park regulations and flight schedules occasionally force a swap. We tell you before you travel, not on the day, and we replace like with like.
Who this trip is not for
We would rather lose the booking than sell you the wrong week. These are the reasons people come back from this itinerary disappointed, and all of them are predictable before you pay.
Anyone with only ten days and no flexibility
Two countries, four flights and altitude. It works, but every connection has to hold. A single delay compresses the rest, and we build the buffers for that reason.
Anyone who wants to go deep on either
Ten days across both is the highlight version of each. If one of the two matters more to you, tell us and we will give it the extra days rather than splitting evenly.
Anyone prone to seasickness or altitude sickness
This trip has both. It is the one itinerary where we ask about both before quoting.
If any of those describe you, tell us — there is almost always a version that fits, and it is usually not more expensive.
Questions about this itinerary
How long is the 10-Day Machu Picchu & Galápagos?
10 days and 9 nights, starting in Lima and ending in Baltra airport, Galápagos.
How difficult is it?
Moderate. Group size: Private, or shared groups.
When is the best time to do this trip?
April to October works for both countries. Peru’s dry season and the Galápagos calm-water season overlap least in June–August, which is also when everything is fullest — book early.
What extra costs should I budget for?
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. The Galápagos National Park entrance fee (US$200 per adult, US$100 per child under 12, cash on arrival) and the INGALA transit control card (US$20, bought online before your flight) are collected from you personally and cannot be included in any operator’s price. Budget US$230 per adult on top of the figure above.
Photographs
These islands, photographed by us
Not a picture library. These are ours, taken on the islands this itinerary visits — each one says where and when.
-
A sea lion asleep on the municipal beach San Cristóbal, January 2019 — our own photograph -
The lagoon by the Itabaca Channel, crossing to the airport Santa Cruz, January 2019 — our own photograph -
Sunset on the town beach Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, January 2019 — our own photograph
What you meet on this one
Not a promise — these are wild animals. But these are the species this itinerary is actually built to reach, and each one has its own page with the exact sites.
The full Galápagos wildlife encyclopedia →Which month for which animal →
If this one is not quite it
