Galapagos & Machu Picchu Xpedition Cruise Tour

This itinerary starts AFTER the accompanying cruise itinerary.

On the first day of your journey, you'll be greeted at the airport by a Celebrity Cruises representative and transferred to the JW Marriott hotel. Enjoy free time to relax and settle in.

Breakfast is served at the hotel. During your guided tour of the capital of Ecuador, situated at an altitude of 9,350 feet, you'll stand on the equatorial line at the Middle of the World Park and Museum, and marvel at the monastery of San Francisco and la Campania Church. Your Tour Director will escort you throughout your Quito stay, and serve as your personal concierge. Lunch with a spectacular view of the city, and enjoy a welcome dinner at a local gourmet restaurant.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra, Galapagos. During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the regions main airport and where you will meet the ship. From the airport, it is just a short bus and Zodiac ride to the ship for embarkation.

Upon debarking from your Galapagos cruise, you'll fly to Quito Airport and then to Lima. A Celebrity Representative will assist with your transfer to the International Departure lounge in Quito. You will be greeted by a Celebrity Cruises representative at the airport, your guide and personal concierge for the Per portion of the trip. Overnight at the Westin Lima hotel. A detail schedule of events, and departure times will be provided upon arrival in Lima.

Breakfast at the hotel. A transportation service will pick you up from your hotel at the established time and will transfer you to the airport for your Lima/Cusco flight. Upon arrival in Cusco your visit will start en route to the Sacred Valley, where you will visit Awanakancha, a farm of South American Camelids and showroom of textiles, where local families show the entire traditional process of weaving and making garments. Lunch is served at Casa Hacienda Orihuela, where the Orihuelas, a family of great collectors, will be your hosts. The house has a varied collection of popular and colonial art ceramics, paintings, weapons, photography, ceremonial vessels and the ceramic bulls of Pucara. The grounds of the hacienda include a forest of eucalyptus trees and other native species and here the famous giant white corn is cultivated for export. Dinner and overnight at the Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection hotel in the Sacred Valley

Visit the park of Ollantaytambo with a series of stops at places of interest. The town of Ollantaytambo is a typical example of urban planning of the Incas still inhabited like in the past. Pachacutec (1438 - 1572) captured the town, destroyed it and built a new one absorbing it as part of his empire, and exhibits one of the most remarkable archaeological sites of the empire. After the tour, head to the Pablo Seminario workshop and art gallery. Lunch is served at the Wayra Ranch. Rich soil, ideal weather and millenary wisdom have combined to make the Sacred Valley arguably the most fertile in the world. You will probably become a believer as you indulge in its bounty. Delight yourself with a surprising gastronomic feast led by the prominent Chef, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino and Nacho Solis. Following lunch, there will be an equestrian demonstration. The Peruvian Paso horse, renowned for the smoothest gait in the world, will perform to the rhythm of marinera music. Diner and overnight at Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection (superior room).

Breakfast at the hotel. Early in the morning, you will take the Vistadome from the Tambo del Inca hotel train station. Your tour to Machu Picchu begins with a train ride to Aguas Calientes in approximately two hours. This town is also known as "Machu Picchu pueblo" and is the last stop before entering the most important archaeological site in Peru. Once in Aguas Calientes, we will transfer to a bus for a short ride to the entrance to the Machu Picchu sanctuary. Machu Picchu is a masterpiece of engineering and architecture that served as a sanctuary and retreat for the Inca Pachacutec (1438 - 1572). Machu Picchu, which means "Old Mountain", is considered a World Heritage by the UNESCO and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Lunch will be served at Machu Picchu Sanctuary lodge. In the early evening, you will begin to journey to Cusco aboard the Orient Express Hiram Bingham train. Train travel has always had a romantic appeal. Slow travelling through the Urubamba Canyon uphill across the Andean landscape from Machu Picchu to Cuzco is even more nostalgic. Yet doing it aboard the gleaming blue and gold Hiram Bingham is reliving a XIX century novel journey. Enjoy welcoming aperitifs, and dinner paired with an excellent selection of wines. After dinner you can dance to local music while sipping Pisco sours or step out to the open-air observation car while the sun is setting over the mountain peaks in the sacred landscape. Upon arrival to the train station we will transfer to your hotel in Cusco. Overnight at the hotel Monasterio.

Breakfast at the hotel. You will start your scenic tour at the Coricancha, also known as the "Temple of the Sun", the construction of which was ordered by Inca Pachactec (1438-1471) and was used as base for the construction of the Santo Domingo Convent upon the arrival of the Spaniards. This is when the Sun was worshipped during the Inca Empire and it was once full with gold artifacts. You will then go to the Cathedral, the most important building on the Main Square and one of the most splendid Spanish colonial churches in America, which is shaped as a Latin Cross and houses about 400 colonial paintings from the Cusco art school, and impressive goldsmith, silversmith and precious stones works. Its construction lasted almost a century, it started in 1560 and ended in 1654. The Ecclesiastical Chapter ordered to extract and transport hundreds of stones from the Sacsayhuamn fortress for this purpose. Lunch at Limo restaurant. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Monasterio.

Your guide will pick you up from your hotel at the established time and will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Lima, Per. Upon arrival, a transportation service with a guide will pick you up from the airport at the established time. You will visit the district of Pueblo Libre to visit the Larco Herrera Museum, a colonial mansion built in the eighteenth century which houses an extensive collection of ceramics from pre-Columbian art and textiles. Lunch will be served at a Caf del Museo restaurant. The visit continues to the Historic Center of Lima, and its 2000 years of history and colonial wealth. Admire the Plaza Mayor, which has important architectural monuments and buildings, like the Archbishop of Lima with its elegant balconies, the Government Palace and its magnificent bronze fountain dating from 1650. Continue to the convent of San Francisco, a masterpiece of colonial architecture. In the underground galleries are impressive catacombs whose purpose, according to popular histories, remains an enigma. Transfer to Parque del Amor, located in Malecon Cisneros in Miraflores, which was inaugurated in February of 1993 on the "Day of Love", and whose central part exhibits a beautiful sculpture carved by Peruvian artist Victor Delfin, dedicated to love and whose name is "The Kiss". The park also offers a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. Dinner and overnight or day room at the Westin Lima hotel. For guests departing during late night hours on Thursday, a day room will be provided as well as transfers to the airport for departure. For guests departing Friday, a full night will be provided as well as transfers to the airport on Friday. Your Celebrity representative will provide departure transfer details.