Machu Picchu & the Galápagos

16 days
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Small Ship Cruise
Unique modes of transport: Discover unique wildlife of the Galápagos Islands—such as inquisitive sea lions and blue-footed boobies—while cruising aboard a small ship exclusively chartered for our group of just 16 travelers Local Trip Leaders: Gain deeper insight into Peru’s ancient history and rich cultures with a local OAT Trip Leader, and while cruising t...
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Overview

Trip type
Small Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

    • Visit Lima's National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology
    • See how entrepreneurial Peruvian women are turning their traditional craft into a business venture.
    • Visit the massive Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo
    • Enjoy a moving musical performance by the Sinamune Disabled Children's Orchestra
    • See work by local artists, and hear musicians.
    • See unique wildlife and striking geological formations.
    • Visit the colorful Inaquito produce market and then head to the Middle of the World Monument and the Inti Nan Museum

What's this trip about?

    Unique modes of transport: Discover unique wildlife of the Galápagos Islands—such as inquisitive sea lions and blue-footed boobies—while cruising aboard a small ship exclusively chartered for our group of just 16 travelers Local Trip Leaders: Gain deeper insight into Peru’s ancient history and rich cultures with a local OAT Trip Leader, and while cruising the islands, you’ll have the knowledge and guides of a certified Galápagos naturalist

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Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityLima
End CityQuito

Travel Themes

  • Cultural
  • National Parks
  • Nature & Wildlife

Destinations

  • South America
  • Ecuador
  • Peru

Attractions

  • Cusco
  • Galapagos
  • La Paz
  • Lima
  • Machu Picchu
  • Quito
  • Sacred Valley
  • Urubamba

Activities

  • Culture
  • Historic sightseeing
  • History
  • Nature
  • Short Cruise
  • Snorkeling
  • Wildlife viewing

Trip includes

    • International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges unless you choose to make your own air arrangements
    • All land transportation and 5 internal flights
    • Accommodations for 15 nights, including 4 or 3 nights aboard a privately chartered small ship in the Galápagos*
    • 15 small group activities, plus Galápagos shore excursions
    • Services of a resident, English-speaking OAT Trip Leader on the mainland, plus a second Trip Leader who is a certified Galápagos naturalist while cruising the islands
    • Gratuities for local guides, drivers, ship-crew, and luggage porters
    • 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next adventure—an average of $327

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Itinerary

DAY 1
Depart U.S. • Lima, Peru Accommodations: Antigua Miraflores or similar Depart the U.S. today on an international flight to Lima, Peru. An OAT representative will greet you at the airport this evening and escort you to your hotel.

DAY 2
Explore Lima Meals included: B D Accommodations: Antigua Miraflores or similar

After breakfast, you'll get acquainted with our Trip Leader and fellow travelers, including those who took the optional pre-trip extensions to The Amazon Rain Forest of Peru or Bolivia: La ...

DAY 3
Lima • Fly to Cuzco • Explore Chinchero & the Sacred Valley Meals included: B L D Accommodations: San Agustin Urubamba Hotel or similar

The Knitters See how entrepreneurial Peruvian women are turning their traditional craft into a business venture. This morning, w...

DAY 4
Sacred Valley • Explore Ollantaytambo Ruins • A Day in the Life of the Urubamba community FOUNDATION VISIT Meals included: B L D Accommodations: San Agustin Urubamba Hotel or similar This morning, we visit the massive Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. This is one of the fe...
DAY 5
Train ride through Urubamba Gorge • Explore Machu Picchu Meals included: B L D Accommodations: El Mapi Hotel or similar

After breakfast this morning, we visit a pottery workshop. Then we continue to Ollantaytambo, where we’ll board the train to travel to Machu Picchu....

DAY 6
Explore Machu Picchu • Travel to Cuzco Meals included: B L D Accommodations: José Antonio Cuzco Hotel or similar

We rise early to travel to Machu Picchu again after breakfast, arriving before the crowds. You can remain at the hotel if you wish, but most travelers appr...

DAY 7
Optional Inca Marvels of Tipon tour • Explore Cuzco OPTIONAL TOUR Meals included: B Accommodations: José Antonio Cuzco Hotel or similar

After breakfast, join our optional tour to Tipon, a location south of Cuzco with well-preserved ancient agricultural terraces and an...

DAY 8
Explore Sacsayhuaman & Kenko • Curandero ceremony Meals included: B L D Accommodations: José Antonio Cuzco Hotel or similar

We begin this morning’s explorations at the massive Sacsayhuaman fortress set on a hilltop overlooking Cuzco. Its double-zigzag wall is said...

DAY 9
Fly to Quito via Lima Meals included: B D Accommodations: Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda or similar

After an early breakfast at our Cuzco hotel, we bid farewell to our Peruvian Trip Leader and depart for our flight to Lima. From Lima we fly to Quito, Ecuador, arriving in...

DAY 10
Sinamune Concert • Discover Quito FOUNDATION VISIT Meals included: B L Accommodations: Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda or similar

After breakfast this morning, we enjoy a moving musical performance by the Sinamune Disabled Children's Orchestra, whose members are physicall...

DAY 11
Fly to the Galápagos • Embark on Galápagos cruise Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship

After breakfast, we fly from Quito via Guayaquil to the Galápagos—an enchanted Pacific archipelago that straddles the equator some 600 miles west of Ecuador's ...

DAY 12
Cruise the Galápagos Islands Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship

Today we continue our exploration of the Galápagos. Our Trip Leader will give us an orientation briefing, including conservation techniques suggested by the Galápagos National Park...

DAY 13
Cruise the Galápagos Islands Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship

Here is a preview of the islands you may call on during your Galápagos cruise.

Santiago (James) Tidal pools reveal a profusion of octopi, starfishes, and other undersea life...

DAY 14
Cruise the Galápagos Islands Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Galápagos Small Ship

We continue our exploration of the Galápagos. As we take in their striking seascapes, we can consider how they have impressed great American writers in two different centuries. Her...

DAY 15
Disembark ship • Fly to Quito Meals included: B D Accommodations: Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda

This morning, we disembark our ship and fly from the Galápagos via Guayaquil back to Quito, where we'll arrive at our hotel in the late afternoon. We have a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

DAY 16
Quito • Return to U.S. or begin post-trip extension Meals included: B

Trip Extension: The Amazon Rain Forest of Peru Learn about the rituals and daily life of the Yagua tribe from their chief in this trip extension to Peru's Amazon Rain Forest. Today, we'll visit the ...

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Dates & Availability

Price From $5,095
Price per day$318
Last Updated: 2/23/2024

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours).

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Reviews & Ratings

4.9/5  Excellent
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Other Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Reviews

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Policy over practical customer service. zero customer service

Dec 2023

Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Company Reviewsby Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours)

don't expect humanity or common sense

This letter is effectively what was communicated no less than 8 times in writing and conversation to OAT representatives up the chain, beginning 19 days before the t...

Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours) Company Reviewsby Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours)

Trip of a Lifetime

Our recent Tanzanian Safari was indeed the trip of a lifetime. Saw the big 5, met the wonderful locals and spent 5 days in the Serengeti. Saw many lions, zebras, gi...

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Feb 2023

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Be careful

Booked for July and gave them $12,000. They talked us into early arrival and then come back to us a two months later saying we can't offer. We have to keep our airli...

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Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T. Tours)

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Overseas Adventure Travel offers unique small group adventures worldwide to Americans over 50. By land and sea, we explore on—and off—the beaten path with a resident OAT Trip Leader, immersing ourselves in local cultures, sampling unique modes of transportation, and staying in authentic lodgings that reflect the essence of your destination. Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises serves both our GCT and OAT brands with an award-winning fleet known for exceptional value and high-quality experiences in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Custom-designed according to our travelers’ specifications, our fleet includes 50+ small river and ocean-going ships that we own or privately charter.

Grand Circle Corporation is a global enterprise—comprised of a family of travel companies—committed to changing people’s lives by offering high-impact experiences to our travelers and building local communities through philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and volunteerism.

Simply by traveling with OAT, you support the work of the nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation, which was created with the mission of changing people’s lives through travel—both those of our travelers, and of the people who welcome us so warmly into their homelands.

Journey with the Leader in Adventure Travel and Watch Your Dreams Take Flight: It is the stuff of dreams: gazelles bowing to lap at a glassy pool in the Serengeti as the vast sky turns purple with night, the tiered splendor of the Himalayas, rising behind a Tibetan monastery. Dreams like these are everyday realities for OAT travelers, thanks to the principles which ground every OAT adventure: value, choice, discovery, and carefully paced itineraries.

Our Value puts your travel dreams within reach: OAT can help you realize your travel dreams for a lot less than you thought possible. Together with our regional offices located throughout the world, we’ve been able to establish long-term relationships with many local vendors and hotels. Buying direct brings down our costs—and allows us to pass the savings on to you. And negotiating directly for hotel space also allows us to secure as many single room allotments as possible for our solo travelers. That way, we can also extend our great value to solo travelers. In fact, we offer the best value for solo travelers, guaranteed.

The Choice is yours: You’ll always have plenty of choices with OAT. We offer you a breadth of awe-inspiring travel destinations—from the peaks of the Andes to the sweeping desert sands of the Sahara to the rugged natural beauty of Iceland. You'll also enjoy more trip extension choices than ever before—like hiking to ancient monasteries in Bhutan or discovering the Moai monolithic rock statues on Easter Island. You have plenty of choices within each adventure, too, including several interesting optional tours. And the free time we’ve woven into our itineraries allows you plenty of opportunities for independent exploration. You can shop, unwind, perhaps linger at a sidewalk café, visit an interesting gallery or museum, or explore a cobbled street that caught your eye earlier in the day. You can do as much or as little as you want on an OAT adventure—the choice is yours.

OAT Difference

Adventure Travel: Adventure travel with OAT is a journey beyond the familiar, one that takes you into the very heart of a destination—to meet people where they work and live.

OAT Advantages: Journey with the leader in adventure travel and watch your dreams take flight, thanks to the principles which ground every OAT adventure: value, choice, discovery, and carefully paced itineraries.

Small Groups, Big Discoveries: When you discover the world in an OAT small group, you’ll journey off the beaten path to the places the big tour groups miss—and enjoy an intimate, discovery-filled adventure filled with personal connections, shared experiences, and treasured memories.

Trip Leaders: No matter where in the world you venture with OAT, you'll have one of our resident, expert Trip Leaders by your side. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure.

Airport Transfers: We’ve listened to your feedback, and will now offer international airport transfers to and from your hotel to our travelers who choose to purchase their own airfare on OAT adventures as part of our Personalize Your Trip program, which allows you create the OAT adventure that's right for you.

Personalize your trip: OAT travelers have long expressed the desire to decide exactly where they’re going, how they get there, and when they wish to leave. That’s why we developed a variety of choices that enhance the value of every trip we offer, allowing you to create the adventure that works best for you.

Traveling solo? Enjoy your own room or cabin—at no extra cost: You’re in control of your travel dreams—and we’re making them more affordable than ever: Maybe you prefer the freedom of solo travel—or maybe you and your usual traveling companion can’t agree on a destination. Whatever the reason, you don’t have to put your travel dreams on hold. When it’s time to go it alone, you’ll never pay a Single Supplement to have your own room or cabin with OAT.

What they’re known for
Small group tours for seniors and retirees wanting an international adventure, especially solo female travelers.

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Logistics

Accommodation

,Antigua Miraflores Lima, Peru Located in Lima's Miraflores district, the Antigua Miraflores is a charming colonial inn located within walking distance of the Parque Miraflores, the Larcomar shopping district, and the seaside. Each of its 35 comfortable rooms features air-conditioning, private bath, direct-dial telephone, minibar, and cable TV. San Agustin Urubamba Hotel Urubamba, Peru In the Sacred Valley, we stay at the 72-room San Agustin Urubamba Hotel, located on the landscaped grounds of a former colonial estate and just a short drive from the Inca sites of Ollantaytambo and Pisac. Hotel facilities include an on-site restaurant and bar. Each room features cable/satellite TV, telephone, wireless Internet access, and private bath with hair dryer. El Mapi Hotel Aguas Calientes, Peru To explore Machu Picchu over two days, we stay overnight at El Mapi Hotel in Aguas Calientes, a very small town near the site. Each room is simply appointed with modern amenities. During your stay, enjoy the hotel bar, café, and access to wireless Internet. José Antonio Cuzco Hotel Cuzco, Peru The 126-room José Antonio Cuzco Hotel is situated in the historic center of Cuzco, just a short walk from the Plaza de Armas. Services available on-site include a restaurant serving Peruvian cuisine, a currency exchange, a souvenir shop, and a hairdresser. Each air-conditioned room features a minibar, cable TV with DVD player, direct-dial phone, safe and Internet access. Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda Quito, Ecuador In Quito we stay at the Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda, located in the city center one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the Casa de la Cultura concert hall and El Ejido Park. Each of the 148 air-conditioned rooms features cable TV, minibar, telephone, safe, and private bath. The hotel has a restaurant and a bar on-site. Extensions Antigua Miraflores Lima, Peru Located in Lima's Miraflores district, the Antigua Miraflores is a charming colonial inn located within walking distance of the Parque Miraflores, the Larcomar shopping district, and the seaside. Each of its 35 comfortable rooms features air-conditioning, private bath, direct-dial telephone, minibar, and cable TV. Explorama Lodge The Amazon, Peru Shrouded by lush rain forest vegetation, the Explorama Lodge complements its remote natural setting with 50 rooms in palm-thatched bungalows connected by torch-lit paths. Covered walkways connect the bar, dining room, sun porch, and hammock houses. All rooms have private baths, but there is no hot water or electricity; kerosene lamps provide lighting. Please note: Accommodations in the Amazon are rustic. At Explorama Lodge, rooms have private baths, but no hot water or electricity (room lighting is provided by kerosene lamps). There is electricity in the dining area that can be used to charge batteries. Ceiba Tops The Amazon, Peru Located on the banks of the Amazon River, Ceiba Tops offers air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms and free wireless Internet in the heart of the rain forest. Lodge amenities include an outdoor pool with water slide, elaborate gardens, hammock house, and lounge. Plaza Hotel La Paz La Paz, Bolivia The Plaza Hotel is centrally located in La Paz near the Plaza Murillo, museums, shops, and restaurants. Each of the 200 rooms features cable TV, telephone, Internet access, minibar, refrigerator, coffee- and tea-making facilities, and private bath. Hotel facilities include a health club with a heated indoor swimming pool, a bar, and two on-site restaurants. Hotel Rosario del Lago Copacabana, Bolivia The cozy, red-roofed Hotel Rosario del Lago sits perched overlooking Lake Titicaca, offering not only splendid views but easy walking access to the lake itself. The 25 rooms each offer a private bathroom, hair dryer, cable TV, and telephone, and the hotel’s comforts also include a restaurant, terrace grill, and common-area fireplace. Hacienda Abraspungo Riobamba, Ecuador Please note: Select departures feature similar accommodations. Hotel Carvallo Cuenca, Ecuador The Hotel Carvallo is located in the historic center of Cuenca. This contemporary hotel, built in a restored colonial house, provides updated amenities and personalized service. Each of its 30 rooms includes a telephone, cable TV, minibar, and private bath with hair dryer. Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda Quito, Ecuador In Quito we stay at the Mercure Grand Hotel Alameda, located in the city center one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the Casa de la Cultura concert hall and El Ejido Park. Each of the 148 air-conditioned rooms features cable TV, minibar, telephone, safe, and private bath. The hotel has a restaurant and a bar on-site.

Transportation & Flights

Travel by 20-passenger coach, train, 16-passenger small ship, and rubber inflatable Zodiacs  4-6 hour drives, two 1.5-hour rail journeys, and 4 internal flights of 1.5-3 hours each,

Transportation & flights

Travel by 20-passenger coach, train, 16-passenger small ship, and rubber inflatable Zodiacs  4-6 hour drives, two 1.5-hour rail journeys, and 4 internal flights of 1.5-3 hours each
Ship & cabin information
Galápagos Small Ship
Our 16-passenger Galápagos small ship is chartered exclusively for our OAT group. The ships we use are 85-95 feet long and can maneuver easily among the islands. All ships feature lounge areas, a bar, sun deck, and a dining room serving local and international cuisine. The simply appointed cabins have twin beds, a porthole or window, and a private bath with shower. As we travel at night, there will be engine noise.
Avg. Length :95 ft. Avg. Beam :26 ft. Avg. Draft :7 ft. Avg. Cabin size :170 sq. ft., with fixed beds OAT group : 16 travelers with 1 trip leader (exclusive OAT private charter) Stairs, no elevator Built : 2000 onwards
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Meals Included
  • 38 meals—daily breakfast, 10 lunches, and 13 dinners 
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Trip ID
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