Continue to Cusco, former Inca capital, and the Sacred Valley, to explore ruins, villages and markets. Of course, the highlight of your time in the area will be Machu Picchu, the impressive ruins set in the cloud forest, whose purpose is still not completely clear to archaeologists. You’ll begin your time exploring the Inca culture in the Sacred Valley, at a lower altitude for easier acclimatization and home to charming villages, terraced ruins overlooking the valley and colorful markets.

Then, continue to Machu Picchu in the panoramic Vistadome or the luxury Hiram Bingham service, where you’ll have a private guide to learn more about the impressive architecture and construction techniques. Finally, stay a few nights in Cusco, which has a combination of colonial and Inca architecture, a lovely main plaza, and the famed Temple of the Sun. Cusco is a lively town, with restaurants, bars and plenty of winding alleys to explore.

End your trip in the Amazon region, with a stay at one of the lodges set deep into the jungle there, or with a riverboat cruise on a luxury riverboat. Lodges range from those offering more amenities, to those for travelers interested in an authentic, in-depth Amazon experience. You’ll have activities in the Amazon like wildlife watching, canoeing, fishing for piranha, visiting local communities, night walks and more.

Ask us for more details on adding more destinations in Peru to your trip, or about other Amazon regions in South America.

Begin your trip in Quito, the capital city, lset in a valley between snow-capped Andean peaks. Quito is divided into an old and new quarter, and we work with a variety of hotel styles in the city. It’s worth a stay of two nights so you have a chance to explore the monuments and visit the Equator Monument.

Then, take a short flight to the Amazon jungle, where you can spend four or five days exploring trails through the forest with your naturalist guide, fishing for piranhas (or swimming with them!), visiting local communities, visiting parrot clay licks, and watching for wildlife from observation towers and canopy walks. Lodges are comfortable, and have amenities like private terraces with hammocks, electricity, fans, and running water, and work with sustainable principles to preserve the environment.

After the Amazon, continue to the Galapagos Islands for an exciting cruise of four, five or eight days. Each day you’ll have an early start, and then two island visits with your naturalist guide. You’ll often have the chance to snorkel after the land visit, where you’ll see the colorful marine life of the Enchanted Isles, and have the chance to swim with white-tipped reef sharks and playful sea lions. Because there are few natural predators in the Galapagos, animals are startlingly unafraid of humans, and you can get up close and personal with a blue-footed booby doing a mating dance, huge colonies of marine iguanas, or to ancient giant tortoises.

We work with a wide variety of Galapagos yachts, all visited by our Travel Consultants, and all adhering to the highest levels of safety and environmental standards, as well as working with top guides.

Ask us about customizing this trip with a Galapagos yacht to match your travel preferences, and the best Amazon program.

The Delfin luxury riverboats are ideal for travelers looking for the best Amazon trip – with smaller sizes for a more personalized trip, spacious cabins, and impeccable service from guides and crew, these two riverboats will make for a memorable trip.

Your trip begins in Lima, where you’ll arrive from your international flight, and spend two nights in a luxury property, with a city tour to the amazing colonial and pre-colombian highlights the city has to offer. Then, continue on to Iquitos, Peru, where you’ll board your boat. Then begin cruising to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, a five million acre nature reserve that few travelers visit. The Delfins offer four, five and eight day cruises, with excursions to native villages, blackwater creeks, lagoons, and along rivers where pink dolphins congregate. You’ll have the chance to fish for piranha and go on night walks in search of nocturnal wildlife. End the trip in Lima, with an overnight and farewell dinner prior to your international departure.

Ask us about 2009 and 2010 dates on the Delfin I and II, and combining this trip with other destinations in Peru.