After a 7-day trek across 46 miles (74 km) of jaw-dropping Andean landscape, we arrived at the Sun Gate and descended about 1,000 feet to the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu. As we wound around the hillside, our vantage point … Read More
After spending a couple days exploring Cusco and the Sacred Valley – and getting acclimatized to the 11,200′ (3,400 m) of elevation – we were excited to begin our 7-day private trek to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay trail. We … Read More
OLLANTAYTAMBO We spent one day of our journey exploring some of the sights of the Sacred Valley, about 1.5 hours driving from Cusco. We descended the high city via winding roads that led us to the small town of Ollantaytambo, … Read More
Sunday June 7, 2009 We departed the catamaran particularly early for our trek to the top of Bartolomé. This small island’s scenic vistas are the Galápagos’ most iconic. We got a 6am start to avoid the groups from the two … Read More
Friday June 5, 2009 This morning we reached Moreno Point on Isabela Island, one of the westernmost islands. The western islands are the youngest, with numerous lava fields and less vegetation than the older, eastern islands. They are also less … Read More
Thursday June 4, 2009 Today began in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. This is the most populated town on Galápagos – about 12,000 people – and, in fact, one of the few areas inhabited by humans. From the dock … Read More
Wednesday June 3, 2009 This morning we took a short walk from a brown, sandy beach (Cormorant Point) to a flamingo lagoon on Floreana Island. After watching several hot pink birds wading around, grazing in the water, we traversed the … Read More
Tuesday June 2, 2009 We hopped off the panga early this morning at Gardner Bay (Española Island). It was a beautiful, white-sand beach mottled with sunbathing sea lions. It was amazing to be so close to them. There were several … Read More
Monday June 1, 2009 Today we packed up and boarded our Aerogal flight to the Galápagos Islands! We arrived in San Cristóbal around noon. The airport is nothing more than a single, paved runway with a small, covered pavilion as … Read More
