newesttraveler

I am in the early planning stage for a family trip to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. My wife and I are in our early 50's and we will be traveling with our two daughters (early 20's). We enjoy active vacations (hiking, kayaking, snorkeling) and plan to travel from Houston in late May or early June 2011.

We are assuming two weeks for the entire trip and our initial thought is to visit Machu Picchu first (Houston, Lima, Cusco, Manchu Picchu) and then fly to Quito and on to the Galapagos, thinking that the cruise will be less active than the Manchu Picchu visit and a nice way to relax before returning home. Does this reasoning make sense, and have we allocated enough time for both locations?

For the Galapagos, we are considering a five day cruise on the ARCHIPEL I. We found the boat on line through galapagosislands.com, and would like any advice on this boat and booking company from those of you that may have used them in the past.

jfkosu

I leave in 10 days on a OAT trip to exactly the locations you mentioned. Have traveled with OAT before and they are terrific if you like to hike and get to know the people of the country you are visiting. In Australia we stayed on a sheep farm. In Peru we are having dinner with a family

qwovadis

Hi NT,

Have done this

generally better cheaper to cut out the middleman and DIY book DIRECT and LOCAL with providers of quality.

www.andantravelweb.com for non biased inka trail info

www.qente.com

www.incalandadventures.com Flavio from $300

www.pmexplorers.com

all local direct get great reviews..

on Galapagos

Galapagos islands is the foreign owned juggernaut br careful.

more knowledgeable direct providers of quality owned by locals

www.GalapagosXpedtitions.com Eva there

is awesome for discounts

www.surtrek.com another good locally owned provider

Archipel has roach issues poor itinerary

check recent TA posts

Nina Seaman 2 or the Eric/Flamingo/Lety ships

are a tonne better find great deals from locals on those...

Be aware that Galapagos Cruises and Inka Trail

are #1 and #2 most scammed by foreign occult touts

posing as "experts" on the boards and in country

It is super easy to get shafted and pay thousands

more than you need to.

So be very careful go direct local for best quality experience

at best price and always www.insuremytrip.com

Happy Journey,

qwovadis

guanguiltagua.com/html/eric-letty-flamingo.html

one of the best local boats with great ittierary

at a discount currently...

Do CAREFUL research for best experience..

Caveat Emptor!

ztsipapu

I suggest that you consider a longer cruise in the Galápagos. A 5-day cruise is really only 3 days, since the first and last days of any cruise are cut short due to airport transportation issues. Since you're going all that way--and likely paying more then $500/person just to get there, with flight and NPG admission--consider an 8-day trip, which allows you 6 days of being on a variety of spectacular islands surrounded by extraordinary wildlife. Also, be sure to consider the boat's itinerary as well as the boat itself. For me, the best islands are Genovesa (breeding sea birds, especially the Red-footed Booby), Fernandina (great scenery and Flightless Cormorants), and Española (also gorgeous scenery and breeding colonies of the stunning Waved Albatross). Not many itineraries get to all of these, but keep these in mind as you compare itineraries.

Tina
trip report at http://galapagos2009.wordpress.com/

GalapagosExpert

Hi Newest Traveler,
I second the motion for a longer Galapagos cruise if you can. A 7 day cruise will offer you those few extra days of amazing experiences. (Actually, your whole trip sounds amazing!). I haven´t cruised on the boat you mention, but I have booked through the company and website you posted, and can recommend them. They are based in Quito and also have a small office in the Galapagos Islands. Check out what the 2011 itinerary will be, and which islands it includes.

You will still have an active time on any cruise you choose: two land visits and one snorkeling site per day! Have a wonderful time!

solsenz

Were these 2 companies partnered together? Or did you contact them seperately? Which companies again did you use? thank you.

rrc

I agree that a longer cruise would be preferable. We did a 7 day and the islands are all quite different, so it isn't repetitive at all. We did quite a bit of snorkeling, and some hiking, too, so I wouldn't say that the cruise portion will be just for relaxing unless you want it that way.

DeCal

I would definitely choose a longer cruise, if you are going to make the trip might as well make it worth while! I have not used the company you mention, but I have gone through http://www.galapagos.com/ and they were wonderful!