In shortThe Peru half and the Ecuador half are booked apart: for Machu Picchu, the 2-day Sacred Valley tour at $449 adds a night in Aguas Calientes and an English-speaking local guide, while the 14-hour day trip at $336 runs with a local expert guide in Spanish or English. For the islands, choose 5 days across three islands from $1399 or 7 days of island hopping from $1896 with bilingual naturalist guides from the National Park. Do Peru first, when the Cusco altitude is still ahead of you, and keep the islands for the second week.
4tours compared
from $336per adult
★ 5.028 reviews
Two days: Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
2 days · from $449 · ★ 4.8 (1294)
The Peru half at a calmer pace, with a night in a private room in Aguas Calientes, lunch and breakfast, and priority allocation for Circuit 2 subject to Ministry availability.
Read the full tour page →
See this tour
Machu Picchu in one day from Cusco
14 h · from $336 · ★ 4.5 (1716)
For travellers with few spare days in Cusco: admission, train or bimodal bus-and-train, shuttle bus up and down from Machu Picchu town, pickup and drop-off at your lodging and a local expert guide in Spanish or English.
Read the full tour page →
See this tour
Galapagos in five days, three islands
5 days · from $1399 · ★ 4.7 (56)
For a shorter island stay: land-based nights with accommodation, breakfast, lunch and use of snorkelling equipment, with the Galapagos flight arranged by you and departures possible on any date from one passenger.
See this tour
Galapagos island hopping, seven days
7 days · from $1896 · ★ 5.0 (28)
For an active week on Santa Cruz and Isabela: speedboat hops, the Sierra Negra volcano hike, snorkelling at Pinzón and Los Túneles, six nights in a double or triple room and bilingual National Park guides.
See this tourPhotos: the tour operator
What a Machu Picchu and Galapagos combined tour actually means
No operator sells a Machu Picchu and Galapagos combined tour as a single product. The Machu Picchu tours on this page start in Cusco, in Peru; the Galapagos tours take place on the islands, which are reached by air from mainland Ecuador, and both island listings exclude that flight. Two bookings, two countries, and your own international flights joining them.
Put Peru first. Cusco stands at 3,399 m while the citadel is at 2,340 m, so the altitude part of the trip belongs at the start, when you still have time to adjust; the 2-day tour drops you into the lower Sacred Valley on day one before the train to Machu Picchu. The islands then come at sea level, with snorkelling, boat transfers and volcano walks instead of thin air.
Count the days before you commit to dates. The Peru side takes 2 days with a night in Aguas Calientes, or 14 hours door to door on the day trip from Cusco, and the Galapagos side runs 5 or 7 days. Add a day or two in Cusco to acclimatise and the travel days between the two countries, and a trip that covers both without rushing sits at roughly ten days to two weeks.
Machu Picchu entry is nominal and tied to a clock. Each ticket carries the visitor's full name and ID document number, names and dates cannot be changed afterwards, and you go in at the hour printed on the ticket, so the passport details you give at booking must match the document you carry. The 2-day tour holds priority allocation for Circuit 2, the classic route, subject to Ministry availability; the day-trip operator suggests booking around 60 days ahead and notes that late bookings usually land on the midday and afternoon shifts.
On the islands the park charges sit outside the tour price. Both Galapagos listings exclude the Galapagos National Park entry and the Traffic Control (INGALA) card as well as dinners; the 5-day also excludes the Isabela dock fee and the Lobito bus at $10, $5 each way, and the 7-day excludes water taxis and travel and health insurance.
Which one fits you
Short on time in Cusco: take the 14-hour day trip at $336. It covers citadel admission, the selected round-trip train or bimodal bus-and-train service, the shuttle bus up and down from Machu Picchu town, pickup and drop-off at your lodging and a local expert guide in Spanish or English. Lunch, bottled water and gratuities are not included.
Travellers who dislike 14-hour days should take the 2-day tour at $449. One night in a private room in Aguas Calientes splits the travelling into two shorter days, the Sacred Valley comes with an English-speaking local guide, lunch and breakfast are included, and the Sacred Valley Boleto Turístico is paid in Peruvian sol cash at the ruins entrance.
A shorter island stay suits the 5-day Galapagos Intensive at $1399, land-based across three islands with accommodation, breakfast, lunch and use of snorkelling equipment. The operator can open departures on any date from one passenger, and accommodation can be upgraded from tourist class.
For a full week in the water, the 7-day island hopping expedition at $1896 stays with Santa Cruz and Isabela: speedboat travel, the Sierra Negra hike, Los Túneles, six nights' accommodation, private land transport, airport transfers, mask and fins, and guided activities with bilingual naturalist guides from the National Park.
Anyone who needs room to change plans should look at the cancellation terms: of these four, only the 7-day Galapagos expedition gives a refund, in full at least 6 days before departure and 50% between 2 and 6 days, while the other three are final sales.
Before you book
- Pickups in Cusco: the 2-day tour meets steps from your hotel at a nearby corner or landmark, or at Plaza Regocijo by the central fountain for distant lodgings, and the operations team confirms time and place by WhatsApp at least 72 hours before departure; the day trip includes pickup and drop-off at your lodging in Cusco.
- Machu Picchu tickets carry your full name and ID document number and cannot be changed later, so give the passport details exactly as they appear in the document you will show at the gate.
- Book the Peru half early: the 2-day tour's priority for Circuit 2 depends on Ministry availability, and the day-trip operator suggests about 60 days ahead, with midday and afternoon shifts the usual option for last-minute bookings.
- Optional extras in Cusco: Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain on the 2-day tour costs US$70 in cash, paid in Cusco, and Machu Picchu Mountain on route 1-A is open only to visitors over 18.
- Meals to plan around: the 2-day tour excludes breakfast and dinner on day one and lunch and dinner on day two, the day trip excludes lunch and bottled water, and both Galapagos tours exclude dinners.
- Galapagos costs paid separately: the flight to and from the islands, the National Park entry and the Traffic Control or INGALA card on both tours, plus the Isabela dock fee and the Lobito bus ($10, $5 each way) on the 5-day and water taxis and insurance on the 7-day.
- Cancellation: the 2-day tour, the Cusco day trip and the 5-day Galapagos are final sales with no refund; the 7-day Galapagos refunds in full at least 6 days ahead, 50% between 2 and 6 days and nothing within 2 days.
Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 9 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.
More ways to plan your visit
