Why visit Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands?
- alexandrasturmayr
- Dec 10, 2019
- 7 min read
The Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu are two of the most sought after tourist destinations in South America, and for good reason; The Galapagos Islands are an incredible wildlife observation destination, with endemic wildlife species that do not fear humans, and Machu Picchu is one of the most fascinating historical sites in the world. Both are probably, and should definitely be (!), On your wish list.
The Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands that extend along the equator, 600 miles west of the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. Due to its location and volcanic origin, all life there has traveled from the continent somehow, and then it has become unique species of endemic animals. The Galapagos Islands had a profound impact on Charles Darwin when he visited there in 1835, as he noted that the animals on one island were different from those of the same species on another island.
98% of the Galapagos Islands are reserved as a National Park, and where you can go and what you can do are highly regulated. The traditional way to visit Galapagos is on a 4 to 15 day cruise on a small yacht, which lands in different places every day with your trained and licensed naturalist guide. A new type of trip is island-to-island travel, staying on one or more of the 4 inhabited islands and taking day trips to see wildlife, although much of it is located in or near cities. Also popular are multi-sport adventure tours where you can go kayaking, walking, snorkeling and even biking every day to recreate and see wildlife.
These unique wildlife species are still found in the Galapagos Islands in large numbers, and because they have never learned to fear man, they are very easy to see. Where else in the world can you see giant turtles, blue-footed boobies, penguins and iguanas swimming in one place?
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is located in a remote mountain range above the Sacred Valley, about 50 miles northwest of Cusco, Peru. It was built by the Incas around 1450, most likely as a farm for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. At that time, the Incas had expanded their territory to cover most of western South America. They ruled this region in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, before their defeat at the hands of the Spanish.
Machu Picchu had long been forgotten when it was "discovered" by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Much of the site has been rebuilt, and it is a magical place to visit, full of excellent views and ancient mysticism. It is the best known and recognized symbol of the Inca Empire.
Machu Picchu itself is not a great site and can be experienced in half a day, but it is remote and takes time to arrive. In addition, Cusco, the jumping city for trips to Machu Picchu and the nearby Sacred Valley of the Incas are incredibly interesting and worth visiting.
You can get to Machu Picchu from Cusco either by taking the train to the valley below the citadel, then taking a bus to the site itself, or walking along the Inca Trail.
Why visit both on a trip
If you are interested in seeing and experiencing both the culture and the history of Machu Picchu and the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, and if you are not likely to make another trip to South America, combining the two destinations in one trip makes a lot of sense, since they are relatively close to each other on the western side of South America. But, you need a minimum of 10 days to start experiencing both destinations properly, and we recommend at least 14 days to give yourself time to really enjoy your trip. In addition, there is an additional cost to visit two destinations, as it requires more flights and hotel schedules.
Why choose only one destination on your trip?
Assuming you are interested in both destinations, you may decide to choose to visit only one on your trip if your time (or budget) is limited so that you cannot properly experience both destinations completely. We strongly believe in traveling more slowly to allow you to experience the true nature of a destination, instead of rushing to many destinations to get stamps in your passport and check marks in the list of destinations of your dreams, but you really only experience airplanes, trains and Cars wherever you go.
Keep in mind that combining the two destinations adds time and cost to your trip, as it requires additional flights and enough time to see both destinations correctly. See more about this below. Machu Picchu is located in the highlands of southern Peru, near the city of Cusco, and the Galapagos Islands are 500 miles west of the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. You cannot fly directly between the two destinations, as you must enter and leave Peru from Lima, and Ecuador from Quito or Guayaquil.
From Quito it is a 4-hour flight to the Galapagos Islands, and from Lima it is an hour by air, but then it takes another 3-4 hours by bus and train to get to Machu Picchu. You will need to spend the night in Lima or in one of the Ecuadorian cities (Quito or Guayaquil) to combine the two destinations.
How much time do I need to visit both destinations?
Theoretically, you can combine the two destinations in just 8 days, but, frankly, it would be a horrible journey, since it is too fast to do anything else that is not able to say that you have been there (although you have not actually seen or experienced either). At a minimum, you need 10 days to start experiencing both destinations, but you won't find many organized trips that are so fast, since it really is too much travel and you have enough time in any of the destinations. Trips from 12 to 14 days are generally long enough to have a great experience in each destination.
To have a decent trip, you need one day to travel to Peru or Ecuador, at least five days in Galapagos, at least four days in Peru and another day to get home, for a total of 11 days. In four days you can visit Machu Picchu, see the ruins in Cusco and its surroundings, and that's it. We strongly recommend spending more time in this area, as there is so much to see and do that you could easily spend more than a week here. One more day in Peru, for a total trip of 12 days, adds to your experience in Peru.
Five days is really the minimum duration of the trip for a trip to Galapagos, since the first and last day of your trip is mainly dedicated to coming and going from the islands, leaving only 3 full days to explore. For years, the traditional yacht trip to Galapagos was 8 days, while the traditional multisport adventure trip is 7 days. In addition, you need one night before flying to Galapagos in Quito or Guayaquil, as flights to Galapagos leave early in the morning. That means you should really plan at least 6 days for the Galapagos portion
If you have less time than this, we recommend visiting only one of the two destinations on this trip, to really experience it and then plan a separate trip to visit the other. This may sound disappointing, but both sites deserve the time to really explore them, and you could easily spend 10 days to two weeks alone at any destination.
The best ways to experience the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu
Types of trips to Galapagos
The traditional trip to the Galapagos Islands is a naturalistic cruise on a small yacht that visits several islands, with passengers disembarking twice a day in different places with their naturalist guide for slow walks in nature, panga rides (small boats) and snorkel excursions
A new type of trip to Galapagos is an island-to-island trip, where you stay in hotels on several of the 4 inhabited islands and take day trips to nearby sites from there. Finally, there are multisport adventures in Galapagos that, like island-to-island trips, are based on hotels on different islands, but instead of taking slow walks through nature, you spend your days hiking, kayaking, snorkeling and cycling to see the Iconic wildlife of Galapagos
Types of trips to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu itself is a relatively small site that can be seen in less than a day, but it is remote and difficult to access, so a visit there takes at least several days. It is best to spend time exploring Inca history and highland culture in Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which you must cross on your way to Machu Picchu.
There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu: walk along the Inca Trail and enter Machu Picchu through the Puerta del Sol on foot, or take the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo and then take a short bus ride through the mountain to visit Macchu Picchu. .
Most people arrive by train, as they can take cultural tours through the Inca and colonial sites of Cusco and Sacred Valley, or perform a multisport adventure (hiking, cycling, horse riding and rafting in remote cultural sites) or a walk not allowed , and still visit Machu Picchu taking the train
The Inca Trail is a walk of 1, 4 or 5 days, which requires permits issued by the Government of Peru. Permits can be exhausted many months in advance (usually, increases in May and June run out in early January, followed by April, July and August), so if you are considering this option, you should plan ahead.
New for 2016, there are separate permits for hiking on day 1, or Royal Inca Trail, which is the last day of the Inca Trail and allows you to reach Machu Picchu on foot through Inti Punku, or Puerta del Sol. The permits of this option do not sell quickly, so if you want to reach Machu Picchu on foot, this is a fabulous option that can be combined with another walk, a multi-sport adventure or even a more cultural trip, even when the permissions for the complete
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