Itinerary

Day 1 - Friday

Quito Arrival

 

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.

Day 2 - Saturday

Quito

 

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 Compañia 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.

Day 3 Sunday - AM

Quito/Baltra Island

 

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra, Galapagos, an island that served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. The cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region’s main airport and where you will meet the ship. From the airport, it is just a short bus ride to the ship for embarkation.

Day 3 Sunday - AM

Daphne Island

 

Daphne is a satellite volcanic cone located north of Santa Cruz Island. The crater floor is an important breeding site for blue-footed boobies. The cliff shore of the island is home for sea lions, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and tropic birds which can be observed during the circumnavigation of the island

Day 4 Monday - AM

Gardner Bay, Española Island

 

A long white sand beach and clear blue waters make this an ideal spot for swimming, snorkeling, or just relaxing on the beach. In the water, sea turtles, rays, colorful tropical fish, sea lions and maybe even a white-tip reef shark may be seen. Excursion options: beach walking, swimming, or a deep-water snorkel for experienced snorkelers.

Day 4 Monday - PM

Suarez Point, Española Island

 

Española is the oldest island in the Galapagos and home to an abundance of wildlife. At this site, visitors can expect to see sea lions, Galapagos Hawks, marine iguanas, and both blue-footed and Nazca boobies. Excursion options include a long, rocky walk to look for Waved Albatrosses (March to January), and observing an impressive blowhole that spews water like a towering geyser.

Day 5 Tuesday - AM

Cormorant Point, Floreana Island

 

Floreana was the first capital of the Galapagos, and where Charles Darwin met the islands’ Governor. Its small brackish lagoon is often home to flamingos, stilts, and white-cheeked pintail ducks, and one of its beaches is a highly used nesting site for sea turtles. Check out the green-hued sand where you land! Excursion options include a relatively short walk to the lagoon and sea turtle nesting beach, and optional snorkeling and swimming at the landing beach.

Day 5 Tuesday - PM

Post Office Bay, Floreana Island

 

Rich in history, this site is home to the post office barrel established in about 1793, where pirates, buccaneers, whalers and others could leave their mail to be picked up by outbound ships. The tradition continues today, as visitors leave addressed postcards in the barrel and sort through left mail to deliver at home.

Day 6 Wednesday - AM

Moreno Point, Isabela Island

 

Along this beautiful rocky shore, a field of hardened black lava flows is pockmarked by shallow pools, which are home to shorebirds and flamingos. The mangrove-lined shore also provides a chance to see marine iguanas, sea turtles, stingrays, sharks, penguins, and the flightless cormorant. Excursion options: a long walk and zodiac ride, or an extended coastal exploration ride.

Day 6 Wednesday - PM

Urvina Bay, Isabela Island

 

Composed of five merged volcanoes, this is the largest island in the Galapagos and the most recently active, the latest eruption having occurred at Wolf Volcano in 2015. Here you will see large land iguanas, finches, and if lucky, a giant tortoise or two. In 1954, magma from one of the island’s volcanoes caused part of the bay to be uplifted some 6 meters, allowing you to walk through the remains of what was once a thriving underwater reef. Excursion options: Walk, hike, snorkel, swim.

Day 7 Thursday - AM

Espinoza Point, Fernandina Island

 

Fernandina is the youngest island in the Galapagos and, as Darwin wrote, it is “covered with immense deluges of black naked lava.” Along with its extraordinary black lava rocks, this point of land hosts the largest colony of marine iguanas in the Archipelago, along with sea lions and a nesting site for flightless cormorants. Excursion options: Walk, deep-water snorkel, hike.

Day 7 Thursday - PM

Vicente Roca Point, Isabela Island

 

The half-collapsed remains of an ancient volcano make for a spectacular setting at this site. Awe-inspiring cliffs, blue waters, and wildlife create a coastal exploration ride to remember as you search for sea turtles, penguins, fur seals, the flightless cormorant, marine iguanas, marine mammals, and the oddly shaped form of the elusive sunfish. Excursion options: coastal exploration, deep water snorkel.

Day 8 Friday - AM

South Plaza, Santa Cruz Island

 

One of two islands off Santa Cruz, South Plaza was born of upheaval, uplifted during a geologic event. The rocky island is strewn with prickly pear cactus and home to land iguanas, marine iguanas, and a colony of sea lions. Our excursion here is a short walk to view wildlife, flora, and geology.

Day 8 Friday - PM

Dragon Hill, Santa Cruz Island

 

Dragon Hill, or “Cerro Dragon,” is named after its population of land iguanas. The site offers a beautiful view of the landscape and two small brackish lagoons where flamingos and other shore birds occasionally feed. Along the trail, cross a beautiful “white forest” of Palo Santo (incense) trees and Galapagos cotton plants. Excursion options for this visit include a long walk and a short walk.

Day 9 Saturday - AM

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island

 

The main population center of the islands, Puerto Ayora is home to the National Park Service tortoise-breeding center and the Charles Darwin Research Station. You will be able to visit the breeding center and walk through the Research Station. You will also have the opportunity to take a bus ride to the highlands to observe giant tortoises in the wild and walk through a lava tunnel. In addition, you will have an exclusive opportunity to participate in the Scalesia reforestation project.

Day 10 Sunday - PM

Disembarkation- Baltra-Quito-Lima Arrival

 

Enjoy breakfast onboard before disembarking and heading to the Baltra airport for your flight to Quito and on to Lima. Upon arrival at the Quito airport a Celebrity representative will be on hand to assist you with your Lima flight check in. For your convenience, they will provide an entry voucher to the airport VIP lounge in Quito. Upon your arrival in Lima, and clearing customs and immigration formalities, you will be greeted by a Celebrity Cruises representative at the airport. A detailed schedule of events will be provided. Dinner and overnight at the Westin Lima.


Westin : Grande Deluxe Room

Day 11 - Monday

Lima, Peru

 

This morning you will have the opportunity to sleep in, perhaps enjoy a massage* in the hotel’s renowned spa or go for a swim in the indoor pool, the choice is yours. Around noon, your guide will pick you up to start the afternoon tour with a culinary twist. You will visit Surquillo, the local food market, enjoy lunch at one of Lima’s gourmet restaurants, and visit the Bohemian district of Barranco. After lunch, learn how to make traditional cocktails at a mixology class in a trendy Lima spot.

 

You will be back at the hotel in the late afternoon with ample time to get ready for the next day’s early departure to Cuzco.

 

Westin : Grande Deluxe Room

Day 12 - Tuesday

Lima / Cuzco - Sacred Valley, Peru

 

After breakfast at the hotel, your guide will transfer you to the airport for your Lima/Cuzco flight. Lunch is served at Casa Hacienda Orihuela in The Sacred Valley, where the Orihuelas, a family of great art collectors, will be your hosts.

 

Dinner and overnight at the Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection hotel in The Sacred Valley.

 

Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection Hotel: Deluxe Terrace

Day 13 - Wednesday

The Sacred Valley

 

After breakfast at the hotel, head to the Urubamba Valley, The Sacred Valley of the Incas. Tour the impressive ruins, featuring terraces carved into the hillside and a temple designed for worship and astronomical observation. Tour the fortress of Ollantaytambo. Followed by lunch at Wayra Ranch, a feast led by the prominent Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino and Nacho Solis, as you delight in stunning equestrian Peruvian Paso horse entertainment. After lunch, visit the Pablo Seminario workshop, showcasing utilitarian and artistic objects. Dinner and overnight at Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection.

 

Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection Hotel: Deluxe Terrace

Day 14 - Thursday

Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu

 

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the Ollantaytambo rail station for your departure on the Vistadome train. Tour the almost perfectly preserved buildings and the mysterious passageways underlying the city. Lunch will be served at the Sanctuary Lodge in Machu Picchu. After lunch, you will have the option for a second visit to Machu Picchu in the afternoon (time permitting). Prior to departure, tea time is offered at the Sanctuary Lodge. You will board the world famous Belmond Hiram Bingham train in the late afternoon for your journey back to Cuzco. Onboard enjoy welcoming aperitifs, dinner, and a selection of wines as well as live local music, dancing, and Pisco sours.

 

Overnight at Belmond Palacio Nazarenas in Cuzco.

 

Palacio Nazarenas: Studio Suite

Day 15 - Friday

Cuzco, Peru

 

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a scenic tour of the Coricancha, also known as the “Temple of the Sun,” before touring the Sacsayhuamán fortress and the Cathedral, one of the most splendid Spanish colonial churches in America, housing about 400 colonial paintings from the Cuzco art school, impressive goldsmith, silversmith, and precious stone works. Lunch is served at a local gourmet restaurant.

 

Dinner and overnight at the Belmond Palacio Nazarenas.

 

Palacio Nazarenas: Studio Suite

Day 16 - Saturday

Cuzco / Lima, Peru

 

After breakfast at your hotel, you will head to the airport for your morning flight back to Lima. Once in Lima you will visit Lima’s historical downtown, where lunch is served at a local gourmet restaurant. You will enjoy Peru’s Capital and its 2000 years of history and colonial wealth. Experience the artistic and contemporary traditions of its residents, making a stop at Saint Francis’ Convent, a masterpiece of colonial architecture to visit its beautiful courtyards and catacombs.

 

Dinner and overnight or day room at Westin Lima Hotel.

Day 16 - Saturday

Lima Departures

 

Your departure and accommodations (day room or hotel night) will be scheduled based on your return flight schedule.

 

Note: *Massage services available at an additional cost.


*During the rainy season (January 1st – April 30th) the train service between Machu Picchu and Cuzco adopt a bimodal route due to weather. During this time all trains conclude their journey in the Ollantaytambo station upon return from Machu Picchu. Guests traveling during this period will disembark in the Ollantaytambo station, and will spend an additional night at El Tambo del Inca hotel in the Sacred Valley. After breakfast, guests will continue their journey to Cuzco as scheduled. All site visits and services remain the same. Please note this change does not add additional nights to the program and is offered for the safety and comfort of our guests.

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