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Tour Overview
South America is an assault on the senses, with landscapes, cultures, food and drink to blow you away around every corner. This adventure will give you a taste of all of the above, it will challenge your body and mind, but with that extra bit of comfort and luxury you expect from such a memorable holiday – be inspired!
Food & drink Included in the cost of the trip are meals in some fantastic restaurants, sampling some of the best food South America has to offer. While we will cover drinks during meals, we may ask you to chip in if it turns out to be a particularly thirsty night... Also, there will be a couple of occasions while in towns, when the group will be free to explore and as such we will leave lunches to your own discretion. This will be only 2 or 3 occasions though.
Accommodation We have carefully picked some real characterful hotels whenever we are in towns and cities, with all the comforts you would normally expect, but not in the cold characterless style of a high rise hotel block. Of course, while on the Inca Trail, we have 2 person tents, but again will make this as comfortable as realistically possible.
Preparation Once you have booked onto the trip, we will be with you every step of the way in the build up for departure, helping to sort flights, insurance, providing recommendations on kit, anything you should need.
Travelling alone? Not a problem. Our price is based on two people sharing, and if you are joining this trip on your own, you will be sharing a room or a tent with someone of the same sex. If you would prefer to have your own room and tent, you can pay our single supplement of £200.
SIGHTS - Ecuador: Quito, the equator, the Santa Lucia cloud forest reserve, cruising through the Galapagos islands. - Peru: Lima, Quest’s Villa Maria Project, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
WEATHER October is the end of the dry season, so the weather should still be stable and dry on the whole. As we are travelling from jungles to mountains to islands though, you should be prepared for a whole range of temperatures.
Activities
- trekking - bird watching - volleyball with the locals - snorkeling - sunbathing - enjoying good food and wine - visiting project sites - Inca exploration
Guiding and support
Leaders - The opportunity to lead a parents expedition is a real privilege for our leaders, so as a result you will be accompanied by only our best and most experienced staff. We have always said that it’s our leader which bring the trip to life for you – and you will not be disappointed here!
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Tour Highlights
- Introduce yourself to South America in Quito, a world heritage site - Stretch your legs in the magnificent cloud forest, while trekking to our conservation project in Santa Lucia - Spend an unforgettable 5 days swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing and island hopping through the Galapagos - Visit our longest standing project in the largest shanty town in the world – Villa Maria, Peru - Give yourself the ultimate finale, trekking along the Inca Trail to the awe inspiring city of Machu Picchu
Bored of hearing all those wonderful anecdotes from your friends? Green with envy after yet another set of mind blowing photos from their latest travels? Here’s your chance to experience it all for yourself, but with that little extra bit of luxury. This is an active adventure, trekking through the forests and mountains of Ecuador and Peru, but always coming back to some pretty special accommodation at the end of each day. Of course, let’s not forget about the Galapagos Islands – pretty damn special!
Team size: 6-12 people For: All ages Duration: Three weeks
Itinerary
Days 1-2 | Departure from London to Quito
Departing early from London, we have a long flight to Ecuador’s capital, Quito. Fortunately, our hotel is only a short drive from the airport, and the magical rooms awaiting us in Café Cultura are sure to take our minds off the jetlag. After a well earned sleep, we make our way out the next day into the colonial centre of Quito, a labyrinth of sumptuously decorated churches and squares, all combined with the modern day colour of the Ecuadorian people.
Days 3-5 | Santa Lucia cloud forest reserve
A one hour drive from Quito takes us to “Mitad del Mundo”, the middle of the world – well we couldn’t come all this way without visiting the equator?! Moving on, we cross a mountain pass and start our descent into the cloud forest. With every turn our vehicle takes, the vegetation gets thicker, as does the humidity. Our first night we have it easy, the vehicles take us straight to the door of the Maquipucuna lodge, but don’t get too used to that... After a morning chorus of birds, frogs and cicadas, we have a 2 hour trek up to the Santa Lucia lodge – the view will make all that exertion worth it! For those of us with some strength left, our last day in the cloud forest will start with a trek to an andean cock of the rock lek – a quite unique experience. Then it’s back for breakfast and a downhill walk back to our vehicles via a pretty special waterfall. Arriving in Quito, you won’t believe it has only been 2 days since we left.
Days 6-10 | Cruising through the Galapagos islands
Flying from Quito to Guayaquil on the Ecuadorian coast, then 600 miles out to sea, we are met by our crew which will be looking after us on our Galapagos experience. Travelling on a small motor yacht (maximum 16 people), we really will enjoy a personalised service and will feel as if we have these islands to ourselves. Travelling to a different island each day, and taking time to swim, snorkel and sleep in between, our expert guides will bring this place to life for us and explain just why it was and continues to be such a defining habitat for the entire living world – and your kids haven’t been here!
Day 11 | Lima and the Villa Maria project
Lima, like Quito, was once a Spanish colonial hub, and many of the buildings are still standing, albeit a little worn. Today, we have the unique opportunity to experience two extremes of reality of South American life. First, we will visit some of the areas once populated by the Spanish aristocracy, with architecture, wealth and extravagance to prove it. Then, just 30 minutes down the road, we can visit the shanty town of Villa Maria, where Quest has been working since 1998. Conditions are harsh but the project is thriving and we are delighted to be able to take you here.
Days 12-13 | Cuzco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Flying into Cuzco is a fascinating experience. Surrounded by mountains, it takes some intelligent flying to negotiate the valleys and touch down at the airport – these pilots are a dab hand though. Then we have a couple of days acclimatising to the altitude and enjoying some of the incredible sights this city has to offer. A mixture of Inca and Spanish construction, you could literally walk around this town for weeks and not get bored. However, an even more impressive sight awaits us, and this time we have to earn it.
Days 14-18 | The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
During these next four days, we will be putting as many luxuries as we possibly can your way – good food, porters at your beckoned call, morning, afternoon AND evening tea! We will however be under canvas, and have some pretty tall hills to ‘stroll’ over. Every corner you turn though will treat us to beautiful view after beautiful view, and the Inca constructions also become progressively more impressive, until finally on the fourth day, Machu Picchu appears out of the swirling mist. Was it worth it, I think it was…
Includes all accommodation, food (except a couple of lunches), activities, permits, transport, your Quest leader and a £200 donation to Quest4Change. Excludes international flights and travel insurance.
Our Trusted Partner's Responsible and Sustainable Travel Policy
With our charity Quest4Change, we work to alleviate poverty and protect endangered environments. Over the last 13 years we have raised over £1.2million. 100% of this has been used to support worthwhile, sustainable projects in Africa and South America.
About our Trusted Partner
Quest Overseas runs worthwhile projects and challenging expeditions for teams of students in South America and Africa. Our long term partnerships with our local projects means that we have been able to put together some unique and inspiring shorter trips for "grown up gappers", combining visits to our project sites with some pretty spectacular adventures nearby.
Old Inca Fort : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Old Inca Fort
Santa Lucia Cloud Forest : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Santa Lucia Cloud Forest
Dead Woman's Pass : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Dead Woman's Pass
Virgin Jungle : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Virgin Jungle
Galapagos Islands : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Galapagos Islands
Lost City of the Incas : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Lost City of the Incas
Street Children in Villa Maria : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Street Children in Villa Maria
Unique landscape and fauna of the Galapagos : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Unique landscape and fauna of the Galapagos
Ruins of Machu Picchu : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Ruins of Machu Picchu
The children of Villa Maria : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
The children of Villa Maria
Enjoying view with gin and tonic : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
Enjoying view with gin and tonic
Santa Lucia Lodge : Galapagos and Inca Trail Adventure at www.NatureandKind.com (THE.NATURAL.CHOICE)
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