Celebrity Xploration 16-night Northern Loop cruise with Machu Picchu, Peru

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Itinerary

Day 1 Thursday

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 Friday

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 Saturday - AM

Quito - Flight to Baltra Island - Embarkation

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 region’s 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.

Day 3 Saturday - PM

Black Turtle Cove

A zodiac ride into Black Turtle Cove, one of the most beautiful sites in the Galapagos, takes you through a complex maze of tranquil saltwater inlets surrounded by mangroves. Once inside the cove, quietly explore the area looking for sea turtles, several species of rays, and sharks. It is also a nesting site for brown pelicans, egrets, and herons. Excursion options: Zodiac.

Day 4 Sunday - AM

Sullivan Bay, Santiago Island

During a volcanic eruption in the early 1900’s, this area of Santiago was covered with flowing lava. Today, the hardened fields of black rock create a geological wonderland. Take advantage of the cool of the early morning for a walk to view twisting hardened lava flows, collapsed craters, and lava ovens. Tall red scoria cones and pioneer plants also dot this unusual and very young landscape. Excursion options: Walk.

Day 4 Sunday - PM

Bartolomé Island

Bartolomé Island offers one of the region’s most photographed views, and is a spectacular geological setting. Its barren moon-like volcanic landscapes, spatter cones, and pinnacle rock make for a unique stop. It is also home to the endemic Galapagos penguin and provides an excellent opportunity for snorkeling. Excursion options: hike up some 368 stairs “To the Top” of the volcano, a zodiac ride, and an optional beach swim or snorkel.

Day 5 Monday - AM

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 in 2009. 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 5 Monday - PM

Tagus Cove, Isabela Island

Historically an anchorage for pirates and whalers, this site offers a breathtaking view of Isabela, its volcanoes, and a saltwater lagoon. Along the shore, seabirds, penguins, sea lions, sea turtles, and nesting flightless cormorants can often be found. Excursion options: Zodiac, walk, snorkeling and kayak.

Day 6 Tuesday - 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 6 Tuesday - 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 zodiac 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: zodiac, deep water snorkel.

Day 7 Wednesday - AM

Egas Port, Santiago Island

With its black sand beach, coastal tide pools, and blue-water grottos, this stop offers a wonderful taste of the Galapagos and the opportunity to see shore birds, Galapagos Hawks, sea lions, marine iguanas, and Galapagos fur seals. Sea lions, colorful tropical fish, and sea turtles are often seen while snorkeling (conditions permitting). Excursion options: walk, swimming, snorkel.

Day 7 Wednesday - PM

Espumilla Beach, Santiago Island

A sea turtle nesting site, favored attractions in this area include the Palo Santo forest, beach, and the lovely landscape. The trail passes a small seasonal lagoon where flamingos and white-cheeked pintail ducks are sometimes seen. Continuing on, the trail loops through the arid zone, where some of the tallest Palo Santo trees of the entire archipelago are found. Look out for the Galapagos Hawk as well as Darwin’s finches. Excursion options: Walk.

Day 7 Wednesday - PM

Buccaneer Cove, Santiago Island

Once a refuge for British buccaneers, pirate ships would anchor in this protected bay to make repairs and stock up on tortoise meat among other things. The steep cliffs, where hundreds of seabirds perch in front of the dark red sand beach, are a magnificent site. Excursion options: Kayak, snorkel, zodiac.

Day 8 Thursday

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 have the opportunity to take a bus ride to the highlands to observe giant tortoises in the wild and walk through a lava tunnel. Optional time for shopping will be available. Excursion options: Tortoise-breeding Center/Charles Darwin Center, Highlands.

Day 9 Friday - PM

El Barranco, Genovesa Island

El Barranco, also known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, is a steep stairway that leads up through a seabird colony full of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies. Once at the plateau, the trail continues inland and passes more nesting booby colonies in the thin Palo Santo forest. Keep an eye out for Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, storm petrels, and a short-eared lava owl if you are lucky. Excursion options: Hike, zodiac, deep water snorkel.

Day 9 Friday - PM

Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island

Darwin Bay’s soft white sand is only the beginning of a spectacular excursion. A trail from the beach takes you into lush mangroves where red-footed boobies nest. Other local wildlife includes sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, frigatebirds and more. Snorkeling is a must here, as the nutrient-rich water attracts all types of marine life including sharks, sea lions, sea turtles, and the occasional manta ray. Excursion options: Walk, swim, snorkel and kayak.

Day 10 Saturday - AM

North Seymour Island, Genovesa Island

North Seymour is a small island just north of Baltra. It is home to the largest colony of frigatebirds in the Galapagos. While keeping an eye out for male frigatebirds trying to impress potential mates with an inflated red neck pouch, you may see blue-footed boobies dancing in a timeless courtship ritual. Sea lions and large land iguanas also roam about this rocky terrain. Excursion options: Walk.

Day 10 Saturday - PM

Baltra Disembarkation / Transfer to Puerto Ayora

Baltra is home to the region’s main airport, and where you will fly out after a zodiac and bus ride to the airport.

Day 11 Sunday

Lima, Peru

In the morning, take the opportunity to sleep in, enjoy a massage* in the hotel’s fabulous spa or go for a swim in the indoor pool—the choice is yours. At noon, your guide takes you on a culinary tour. Begin at Surquillo, the local food market, then enjoy lunch at one of Lima’s gourmet restaurants, and visit the bohemian district of Barranco. Breakfast and dinner, as well as overnight accommodations are provided at the Westin Lima Hotel.

Day 12 Monday

Lima, Peru

After breakfast at the hotel, your guide will pick you up and transfer you to the airport for your flight to Cuzco. 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.

Day 13 Tuesday

The Sacred Valley

Experience the Urubamba Valley, The Sacred Valley of the Incas. Explore the impressive ruins, featuring hillside terraces and a crowning temple designed for worship and astronomical observation. You’ll tour Ollantaytambo and the Pablo Seminario workshop, then lunch at Wayra Ranch- a feast led by the prominent Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino and Nacho Solis. During your meal, delight in stunning equestrian Peruvian Paso horse entertainment and marinera music. Dine and overnight at Tambo del Inca Luxury Collection.

Day 14 Wednesday

Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu

After breakfast at the hotel, depart for Machu Picchu on the Vistadome train. Lunch will be served at the Sanctuary Lodge in Machu Picchu. Tour the exceptionally preserved buildings and mysterious passageways underlying the city. Then, enjoy welcoming aperitifs, dinner, and an excellent selection of wines while relaxing on the Belmond Hiram Bingham back to Cuzco for an evening of local music, dancing, and Pisco sours. Overnight at Hotel Monasterio in Cuzco.

Day 15 Thursday

Cuzco, Peru

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a scenic tour at 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 works of art. Lunch is served at Limo Restaurant, with dinner being served at the hotel Monasterio.

Day 16 Friday

Cuzco / Lima, Peru

Upon your return flight to Lima, enjoy a scenic tour of the city, visiting the Larco Herrera Museum, a colonial mansion built in the eighteenth century. Lunch at the Café del Museo restaurant before proceeding on to the Historic Center of Lima and the convent of San Francisco, a masterpiece of colonial architecture. Dine and overnight or day room at Westin Lima Hotel.

Day 17 Saturday

Lima Departures

Departure is determined based on your return flight schedule.