Independent Galapagos at the Finch Bay Resort & Peru with Ecuador's Amazon
Independent Galapagos at the Finch Bay Resort & Peru with Ecuador's Amazon
Independent Galapagos at the Finch Bay Resort & Peru with Ecuador's Amazon
18 Days Starting in Quito, Ecuador and ending in Lima, Peru
Visiting: Quito, Equador, Amazon Lodge, Coca, Galapagos Islands, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Island, Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu
Tour operator:
Tour code:
ISC2-2025
Group Type:
Independent
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Embark on an unforgettable adventure with the "Independent Galapagos at the Finch Bay Resort & Peru with Ecuador's Amazon" tour. This journey takes you through the lush Amazon rainforest, the vibrant city of Quito, and the breathtaking Galapagos Islands. Experience the rich biodiversity of the Amazon with guided walks, canoe trips, and canopy tower ascents. In the Galapagos, explore the unique wildlife of North Seymour, Santa Cruz, and South Plaza Island, with opportunities for snorkeling and kayaking. Continue to Peru, where you'll discover the historic cities of Lima and Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and the iconic Machu Picchu. This tour offers a perfect blend of adventure, culture, and natural beauty.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Quito,Equador
Location: Quito, Equador
Accommodation Name: Hilton Colon Quito
Welcome to Quito, where your hotel is available for mid-afternoon check-in.
Day 2: Quito,Coca,Amazon Lodge
Location: Quito, Amazon Lodge, Coca
Accommodation Name: Sacha Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Fly to Coca where you will be met by your Naturalist. • Travel by motorboat down the Napo River with opportunities to spot birds like herons, kingfishers, and others. • Next, transfer to a canoe and float through narrow channels looking for monkeys as well as large birds like toucans, parrots, or even macaws.• Arrive at your Amazon lodge located on Añangu Lake surrounded by pristine rainforest. • Tonight, enjoy a welcome drink, briefing, and dinner.
Day 3: Amazon Lodge
Location: Amazon Lodge
Accommodation Name: Sacha Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• After an early breakfast, journey to a parrot clay lick where 11 different species of parrots, parakeets, and macaws can be seen on a daily basis. • Later, walk to a local community where you are invited to join families of the Anangu indigenous community on their daily activities, such as harvesting bananas, coco, and manioc. • Take a Naturalist-guided walk through the jungle in search of interesting plants and colorful or well-camouflaged insects.
Day 4: Amazon Lodge
Location: Amazon Lodge
Accommodation Name: Sacha Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• This morning, ascend a canopy tower over 100 feet above the forest floor at the top of a Ceiba tree. From here, view spider monkeys, aracaris, toucans, blue and gold macaws, numerous species of tanagers, and the red-rumped cacique. • After lunch at the lodge, explore lakes and creeks on a dugout canoe in search of river otters, potoos, kingfishers, hoatzins, jacamars, hawks, and monkeys.
Day 5: Amazon Lodge,Coca,Quito
Location: Quito, Coca, Amazon Lodge
Accommodation Name: Hilton Colon Quito
Meals Included: Breakfast
• Depart your Amazon lodge and fly from Coca to Quito today. • The remainder of your afternoon is at leisure.
Day 6: Quito
Location: Quito
Accommodation Name: Hilton Colon Quito
Meals Included: Breakfast
• Your included private city tour showcases the rich legacy left by the Incas and the Spaniards. See Independence Square, dominated by its formidable cathedral, San Francisco Plaza Church, and the Basilica with its marvelous stained-glass windows.
Day 7: Quito,Baltra,North Seymour,Santa Cruz
Location: Galapagos Islands
Accommodation Name: Finch Bay Eco Hotel - Finch Bay Room
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Fly to Baltra in the Galápagos. • Upon arrival, board a yacht bound for North Seymour, an island teeming with life. You might have to give way to a passing sea lion, marine iguana, or blue-footed boobies that nest here. As you walk along the shore, see large flocks of pelicans in a dive-bomb feeding-frenzy, and one of the Galápagos’ largest nesting sites of the magnificent frigatebird. In the bushes you can see the males up close with their puffed-up scarlet throat sacs. • Return to the yacht and continue to the Finch Bay Hotel.
Day 8: Santa Cruz. Excursion To The Highlands
Location: Santa Cruz
Accommodation Name: Finch Bay Eco Hotel - Finch Bay Room
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Transfer to the lush highlands of Santa Cruz to a farming area called El Manzanillo on the edge of the Giant Tortoise Reserve. Here, tortoises can be seen grazing year-round, along with woodpecker finches, mockingbirds, and flycatchers. • After lunch, visit a local farm, where coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa beans are grown, harvested, and prepared. • Return to the hotel and perhaps spend time on the private beach.
Day 9: Santa Cruz. Excursion To Punta Carrion & South Plaza Island
Location: Santa Cruz Island
Accommodation Name: Finch Bay Eco Hotel - Finch Bay Room
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• This morning, travel to Punta Carrion on Santa Cruz Island for some time to snorkel. The shallow reefs and mangroves make this an ideal site to snorkel with plenty of reef fish as well as occasional sea lions and sharks. • Next, sail to South Plaza Island, a small island full of fascinating wildlife, both along its shore and along its dramatic, wind-swept cliffs. Here you will see large, yellow land iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, masked and blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and much more during your guided walk. • Return to the hotel this afternoon.
Day 10: Santa Cruz. Excursion To Divine Bay
Location: Santa Cruz
Accommodation Name: Finch Bay Eco Hotel - Finch Bay Room
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Today’s adventure takes you to wildlife-rich Divine Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Marine iguanas, herons, noddy terns, blue-footed boobies, and tropicbirds are commonly seen here. You may explore by boat or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can take to the sea by kayak. Keep an eye out for sea turtles, rays, and reef sharks as you cruise the tranquil waters. • Return to the hotel for lunch, followed by an afternoon visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station, established to help conserve the Galápagos’ natural habitats and protect the area’s famous giant tortoises.
Day 11: Santa Cruz,Baltra,Guayaquil
Location: Santa Cruz
Accommodation Name: Hotel Pullman Miraflores
Meals Included: Breakfast
• Depart the hotel this morning for the airport in Baltra. • Then, fly to Lima where you will be met by your Local Guide who will take you to your hotel.
Day 12: Lima
Location: Lima
Accommodation Name: Hotel Pullman Miraflores
Meals Included: Breakfast
LIMA • Your included city tour focuses on Lima’s rich colonial history as well as the modern city. Lima was the bastion of Spanish South America from its founding in 1535 until the independence of the South American republics in the early 19th century. See the cathedral, where the remains of Francisco Pizarro are sealed in a wooden coffin, and the Santo Domingo Convent to see the relics of three famous Peruvian saints—Santa Rosa de Lima, San Martin de Porres, and San Juan Macias. (B)Today’s I-Time Tips This evening, you may choose to head over to a nearby park to witness the largest electronic water fountain complex in the world, certified by the Guinness Book of Records. You will enjoy a wonderful show of water, lights, music, and images.
Day 13: Lima,Cusco
Location: Cusco
Accommodation Name: Casa Andina Premium Cusco
Meals Included: Breakfast
• Fly to Cusco, high in the Andes, where you will be met by your Local Guide. • Your guided tour visits the cathedral in Plaza de Armas and Santo Domingo Monastery, one of the most important temples devoted to worship of the sun. It is said it was covered in gold leaf and filled with golden representations of nature. • Take a short drive outside the city to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a fortress of gigantic stones—with some blocks weighing more than 350 tons. Followed by the amphitheater of Kenko, and the red fortress of Puca Pucara.
Day 14: Cusco,Sacred Valley
Location: Sacred Valley
Accommodation Name: Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado Hotel and Villas
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
• Today, a short drive into the Urubamba Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where you will learn about the importance of the alpaca for Inca cultures, as well as the ancient weaving techniques still in use today. • Continue to the market town of Pisaq, where you can buy handmade rugs, alpaca sweaters, and jewelry at bargain prices. • At the other end of the valley, visit Ollantaytambo to see some of the finest examples of Inca masonry.
Day 15: Sacred Valley,Machu Picchu
Location: Machu Picchu
Accommodation Name: Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Embark on a train trip bound for Machu Picchu and cut a path through the Sacred Valley to this “Lost City of the Incas,” discovered by American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911.• On a guided tour of Machu Picchu, explore this intact fortress with its temple remains, holy houses, and mile-long aqueduct. For hikers, a brisk one-hour walk leads to the Sun Gate, the ancient entrance used by the Incas.
Day 16: Machu Picchu,Sacred Valley,Cusco
Location: Machu Picchu
Accommodation Name: Casa Andina Premium Cusco
Meals Included: Breakfast
• A morning at leisure allows you to wake up early to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu with your second included entrance to the ruins. • Return to Cusco by train.
Day 17: Cusco,Lima
Location: Cusco
Accommodation Name: Hotel Pullman Miraflores
Meals Included: Breakfast
• Fly to Lima today.
Day 18: Lima
Location: Lima
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your vacation ends after breakfast this morning.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Accommodation is provided at various hotels including Hilton Colon Quito, Sacha Lodge, Finch Bay Eco Hotel, Hotel Pullman Miraflores, Casa Andina Premium Cusco, Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado Hotel and Villas, and Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel.
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Meals
Buffet breakfast daily; 9 lunches; 8 three-course dinners are included.
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Guided Tours
Guided tours are included in various locations such as Quito, Amazon Lodge, Santa Cruz, Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.
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Transportation
Flights between Quito, Coca, Baltra, Lima, Cusco, and Guayaquil are included. Additionally, transportation by motorboat, canoe, yacht, and train is provided.
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Excursions
Excursions to various locations including North Seymour, Punta Carrion, South Plaza Island, Divine Bay, and the Charles Darwin Research Station are included.
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Naturalist Guide
A Naturalist guide is provided for the Amazon Lodge excursions.
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Entrance Fees
Entrance fees to various sites including Machu Picchu and the Charles Darwin Research Station are included.
What's Not Included
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Personal Expenses
Personal expenses such as souvenirs, laundry, and additional food and beverages not included in the meal plan are not covered.
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Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is not included and should be purchased separately.
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Optional Activities
Optional activities and excursions not listed in the itinerary are not included.
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Gratuities
Gratuities for guides, drivers, and hotel staff are not included.
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International Flights
International flights to and from the starting and ending locations are not included.
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Visa Fees
Visa fees and any other travel documentation costs are not included.
Meals
Buffet breakfast daily; 9 lunches; 8 three-course dinners
Notes
Transportation is as outlined in the day-by-day itinerary and include private airport transfers to/from intra-vacation flights. Internal flights to/from the Galápagos and Ecuadorian Amazon are included. Local guide service is provied in Quito, Lima, Cusco & Machu Picchu. A Naturalist in the Galápagos and Amazon are also provided. Intra-vacation flights to and within Peru are not included but can be added. Maximum enjoyment of this vacation requires walking on cobblestone streets, uneven pathways, and climbing stairs. Elevations exceeding 10,000 feet can make even modest exertion a challenge. Maximum elevation on this tour is 12,200 ft. For the Amazon adventure, guests should be prepared for eco-lodging due to their remote nature in the rainforest. Further, guests should be prepared for sustained walking, possibly muddy conditions, and have the ability to jump in/out of small water crafts such as canoes and small fishing boats. Itinerary is subject to change in low or high water situations. On the Galapagos Islands, we use a small vessel (20 guests) that has 3 crew members, emergency washrooms and a snack bar. The excursions are day cruises with landings on the islands, some of which are wet landings. Departure times vary depending on what islands we visit. At times we may visit 1 island but we land on different parts of it. These sailings are subject to change and weather related depending on what island we are visiting. The day sailings are around 5 to 6 hours per day which includes the landings and sightseeing. Terrain is rocky and uneven. Itinerary in the Galápagos are subject to change.
UNESCO Sites
City of Cusco|City of Quito|Galapagos Islands|Historic Center of Lima|Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
Accommodation
Quito: Hilton Colon Quito - MET, Coca: Sacha Lodge, Santa Cruz Island: Finch Bay Eco Hotel - Finch Bay Room, Lima: Hotel Pullman Miraflores, Cusco: Casa Andina Premium Cusco, Sacred Valley: Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado Hotel and Villas, Machu Picchu: Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel
Mode of Transport
Travel includes flights to Coca, Baltra, and Lima, motorboat and canoe rides in the Amazon, yacht transfers in the Galápagos, and train trips to and from Machu Picchu.
Check out our Q&As
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What kind of wildlife can I expect to see during the Amazon Lodge stay?
During your stay at the Amazon Lodge, you can expect to see a variety of wildlife including herons, kingfishers, monkeys, toucans, parrots, macaws, spider monkeys, aracaris, blue and gold macaws, tanagers, red-rumped caciques, river otters, potoos, kingfishers, hoatzins, jacamars, hawks, and more.
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What activities are included during the visit to the Amazon Lodge?
Activities at the Amazon Lodge include traveling by motorboat and canoe to spot birds and monkeys, visiting a parrot clay lick, walking to a local community to join in daily activities, taking a Naturalist-guided jungle walk, ascending a canopy tower to view wildlife, and exploring lakes and creeks by dugout canoe.
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What can I expect during the visit to North Seymour Island in the Galápagos?
On North Seymour Island, you can expect to see sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, and magnificent frigatebirds. The island is teeming with life, and you will have the opportunity to observe these animals up close.
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What will I experience during the excursion to the highlands of Santa Cruz?
In the highlands of Santa Cruz, you will visit El Manzanillo on the edge of the Giant Tortoise Reserve to see tortoises grazing year-round. You will also visit a local farm where coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa beans are grown, harvested, and prepared.
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What kind of snorkeling experience is offered at Punta Carrion?
At Punta Carrion on Santa Cruz Island, you will have the opportunity to snorkel in shallow reefs and mangroves, where you can see plenty of reef fish, sea lions, and occasionally sharks.
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What can I expect to see during the visit to South Plaza Island?
On South Plaza Island, you will see large yellow land iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, masked and blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and more. The island is full of fascinating wildlife both along its shore and dramatic, wind-swept cliffs.
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What activities are available at Divine Bay on Santa Cruz Island?
At Divine Bay, you can explore by boat or kayak, and you may see marine iguanas, herons, noddy terns, blue-footed boobies, tropicbirds, sea turtles, rays, and reef sharks. You will also visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about conservation efforts and see giant tortoises.
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What historical sites will I visit in Cusco?
In Cusco, you will visit the cathedral in Plaza de Armas, Santo Domingo Monastery, the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, the amphitheater of Kenko, and the red fortress of Puca Pucara.
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What can I expect during the visit to Machu Picchu?
At Machu Picchu, you will have a guided tour of the intact fortress, exploring its temple remains, holy houses, and mile-long aqueduct. For hikers, there is an option to take a brisk one-hour walk to the Sun Gate, the ancient entrance used by the Incas.
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What is included in the city tour of Lima?
The city tour of Lima includes visits to the cathedral where Francisco Pizarro's remains are sealed, the Santo Domingo Convent to see relics of famous Peruvian saints, and a focus on Lima's rich colonial history and modern city.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
For over 90 years.
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest Covid-19 policies
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Travel documents, including any air tickets, itineraries, and other information, are available approximately two to three weeks prior to departure provided full payment has been received.
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
The Globus Lighthouse Project - an illuminating initiative where we can all come together to tread lightly and give generously for the globe's greater good. Globus, along with sister companies Avalon Waterways and Cosmos, invite our travellers and partners to help us in supporting causes that provide for a more sustainable planet and a brighter tomorrow.
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We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of barrhead travel charges.
Up to 98 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 97 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.
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At 28 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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