Day 1 & 2 - Quito, Ecuador

The JW Marriott is located in the heart of the capital city and about 25 miles from Quito International Airport. From the comfortable and safe La Mariscal District, the hotel is a quick cab ride or about a 20 minute walk to the central area. Here you'll find plenty of dining options offering delicious Ecuadorian food.

Day 2 - 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 Compaia 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 - Baltra, Daphne

Cruise Embarkation, Baltra Island - Your flight from Ecuador lands on Baltra Island. During World War II, Baltra served as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal. Now the cactus-strewn landscapes of Baltra are home to the region's main airport and where you will be greeted by staff from Celebrity. After just a short bus and zodiac ride you will be aboard the ship.

Daphne Island - Daphne is a satellite volcanic cone located north of Santa Cruz Island. The crater floor is an important breeding site for blue-footed boobies. The cliff shore of the island is home for sea lions, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and tropical birds which can be observed during the circumnavigation of the island.

Day 4 - Santiago, Rabida

Puerto Egas, 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.

Rabida Island - A small island south of Santiago, Rabida is best known for its red sand and eroded volcanic landscape. The high amount of iron contained in the lava at Rabida give a distinctive red color to the sand of its beach. A nesting colony of pelicans makes its home here, along with sea lions, finches, mockingbirds, Galapagos Hawks, and some seabirds. With good conditions, the snorkeling can be excellent. Excursion options: zodiac, walk, swim, kayak and snorkel.

Day 5 - Isabela

Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island - Elizabeth Bay is one of the furthest points in the Galapagos visited on our cruise. Enter a sheltered cove accessible only by Zodiac. It is a wonderful and secluded mangrove ecosystem that is a refuge, resting, and feeding site for sea turtles, rays, blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, penguins, pelicans, lava herons, and more. Excursion options: Zodiac.

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.

Day 6 - Santiago, Bartolomé

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 geologic wonderland. There are two small beaches where turtles come for nesting. Take advantage of the cool of the early morning for a walk at this amazing site. Excursion options: Walk.

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. Marine turtles come ashore to nest here between January and March. Excursion options: hike up some 368 stairs "To the Top" of the volcano, a zodiac ride, and an optional beach swim or snorkel.

Day 7 - Santa Cruz, North Seymour

Las Bachas, Santa Cruz Island - Las Bachas is one of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the Galapagos. Behind it are two small ponds that often have flamingos feeding in the shallows. It is also one of the largest nesting areas for the Pacific green sea turtle. Excursion options: short beach walk to look for flamingos, followed by an optional opportunity to swim, snorkel from the beach, or just relax on the shore.

North Seymour Island - A small island just north of Baltra, North Seymour is home to the largest colony of frigate birds in the Galapagos. While keeping an eye out for male frigates trying to impress potential mates with an inflated red neck pouch, you may also see blue-footed boobies dancing in a timeless courtship ritual. Sea lions and large land iguanas also roam about this rocky terrain. Excursion options: a long rocky walk, zodiac ride and short easy walk; or simply a scenic zodiac tour along the coast to view wildlife and the geology of the area. Experienced snorkelers will also have an option of deep water snorkeling.

Day 8 - San Cristobal

Punta Pitt, San Cristobal Island - After disembarking onto the small green sand beach, hike up to a plateau, where the view and landscape are so spectacular it is well worth the effort. A steep gully leads up the cliff to a breeding ground for all three varieties of boobies: Red-footed, Blue-footed and Nazca. It's the only place in the Galapagos where you can see all three species nesting together. Excursions options: Hike, kayak, snorkel, Zodiac.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal Island - Visit the small waterfront town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the administrative capital of the islands. Excursion options: a tour of a local interpretation center and time for shopping or a fast-paced long walk to view scenic vistas, followed by a visit to the interpretation center.

Day 9 - Santa Cruz

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island - This is the main population center of the islands, home to the National Park Tortoise Breeding Center and the Charles Darwin Research Station. After Darwin's studies and surveys, the Galapagos Archipelago remained untouched except for occasional landings for water and meager supplies mustered from the uninhabited islands. Many tortoises were taken for food and oil.

In 1930, an expedition from the US arrived to create a wildlife sanctuary for the entire archipelago, and finally, in 1935, the first laws were passed to protect these islands. In 1959, the Ecuadorian government declared the Galapagos a national park, the catalyst needed to promote scientific research, restoration, and preservation of the ecosystem.

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 10 - Baltra, Quito, Lima

From Baltra, you'll fly to Quito, and then on to Lima, Peru. A Celebrity representative will be on hand to assist with all your transfers. You'll overnight stay at the Westin Lima Hotel (or similar). A detail schedule of events, and departure times will be provided upon arrival in Lima.

Day 11 - Lima

Enjoy the morning on your own. Around noon, your guide will pick you up to start the afternoon tour with a culinary twist. You will visit Surquillo, the local food market, enjoy lunch at one of Lima's gourmet restaurants, and visit the Bohemian district of Barranco. After lunch, learn how to make traditional cocktails at a mixology class in a trendy Lima spot. Arrive back at the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the Westin Lima.

Day 12 - Lima, Cusco, The Sacred Valley

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

The small village of Ollantaytambo is one of the best surviving examples of Inca city planning and layout. The narrow cobblestone streets have been continuously inhabited since the 13th century. Looming over the village is the Fortress of Ollantaytambo, spectacular Inca ruins that mark one of the few places where the Spanish conquistadors lost a major battle. As a highly effective fortress, Ollantaytambo also served as a ceremonial center at the top of terracing. Walls here, like at Sacsayhuaman, were precisely cut and laid.

Day 14 - Machu Picchu, Cusco

After a morning breakfast at the hotel, you'll depart for Machu Picchu on the Vistadome train from the Tambo del Inca station. Lunch will be served at the Sanctuary Lodge in Machu Picchu.

Highlights of Machu Picchu not to be missed include:

• The Guardhouse - Marking the original entrance to Machu Piccu from the Inca Trail, this is the perfect spot for beautiful panoramic views of the citadel, Huayna Picchu and the surrounding Andes.
• The Temple of the Three Windows - on the Sacred Plaza, Hiram Bingham believed that the three windows symbolized the place where the Incas originated.
• Temple of the Sun -located near the center of Machu Piccu, this one of the most iconic buildings within the citadel. Constructed on top of a naturally formed rock, this is one of the few buildings in the entire Inca Empire to feature a curved wall.
• Royal Tomb - A small natural cave formed by a large rock, the tomb is some of the finest masonry work in Machu Picchu.

After your day at Machu Picchu, enjoy welcoming aperitifs, dinner, and an excellent selection of wines while relaxing on the Belmond Hiram Bingham luxury train back to Cusco for an evening of local music, dancing, and Pisco sours. Overnight at Hotel Monasterio in Cusco.

Day 15 - Cusco

After a morning breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a scenic tour at the Koricancha, also known as the "Temple of the Sun," before touring the Sacsayhuamn 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.

Koricancha - This extraordinarily crafted Temple of the Sun was the most sumptuous temple in the Inca Empire. Some 4,000 priests and their attendants once lived within its confines. Coricancha also served as the main astronomical observatory for the Incas.

Sacsayhuaman - These amazingly well preserved ruins overlooking Cucso, a testament to Incan architectural skill. Compiled of massive stones, the largest of which may weigh as much as 200 tons, the walls were cut and placed together with incredible precision and without a single drop of mortar to hold them in place.

Day 16 & 17 - Cusco, Lima

Your guide will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight back to Lima. Once in Lima you will visit Lima's historical downtown, where lunch is served at a local gourmet restaurant. You will enjoy Peru's Capital and its 2000 years of history and colonial wealth. Experience the artistic and contemporary traditions of its residents, making a stop at Saint Francis' Convent, a masterpiece of colonial architecture to visit its beautiful courtyards and catacombs.

After your tour, you'll be taken to the Westin Lima Hotel where you'll enjoy dinner. If you're flight home leaves that evening, you'll be provided a day room to relax in until it's time for you to be taken to the airport. If your flight leaves the next day, you'll be provided a room at the hotel to spend the night.

16-Night Galapagos Inner Loop and Machu Picchu Tour