South America:Peru
Peru's Primeval Amazon
Tour Highlights:
- Be among the privileged few to sail the Amazon on a 7-night cruise aboard the newest and only true luxury vessel, M/V Aqua. The 130-foot ship has a staff of 18 to serve a maximum of 24 guests, and each luxury guest suite has a panoramic window view of the river plus a sitting area.
- Explore the astonishing richness of wildlife found in the remote estuaries in the Peruvian rainforest and the Pacaya Samiria Reserve.
- Travel deep into the remote wilderness where the fabled Amazon River is born; and witness the vitality of the rainforest and its hundreds of unique species of flora and fauna.
- Savor a private tour of colonial and modern Lima that takes in the city’s grand architecture, open plazas, historic churches and fascinating museum.
- Explore traditional villages along the Amazon to meet people living as they have for centuries.
Day 1: Arrive Lima, Peru
Welcome to Lima. Your guide greets and escorts to your lovely hotel. Miraflores Hotel (executive ocean view suite)
Day 2: Lima
Lima was the center of Spanish power in the New World for 300 years, and remains the capital of Peru. The capital has a rich legacy of art and architecture from early civilizations to the Spanish colonial period. Its museums burst with artifacts of gold, ceramic and woven textile unearthed from ancient settlements. Your half-day sightseeing program includes Lima’s superb colonial churches, palaces and promenades. The Larco Herrera Museum boasts an excellent collection of pottery, gold and silver works, and mummies. Of unusual interest is the museum’s erotic pottery collection, the only one of its kind in the world with ceramics from the Chimu, Mohica and other Pre-Inca civilizations. Enjoy lunch at a local Peruvian restaurant before returning to the hotel. Miraflores Hotel (executive ocean view suite) (B,L)
Day 3: Lima / Iquitos / Embark M/V Aqua
Arrive in Iquitos this afternoon. There you will board the luxury 12-suite expedition vessel the M/V Aqua. Set out for the Yarapa River, an estuary of the Amazon. This spectacular adventure takes you to a place seldom visited by even the most experienced world travelers. You will encounter the most amazing wildlife, from monkeys to pink dolphins to harpy eagles. In the evenings, sample exquisite gourmet meals served with some of the finest South American wines. In the evening, go on a nighttime expedition, or relax on deck and enjoy the night sounds and starry skies. M/V Aqua (B,D)
Day 4: Yanaycu / Yarapa River
This morning, keep your binoculars handy on an early morning bird-watching excursion. You are sure to see some of the Amazon’s colorful residents such as russet and blue tiger herons, vivid masked crimson tanagers, graceful storks, blue and yellow macaws, and black-headed parrots. These are just a few of the 250 species of birds along the river. This afternoon, board small skiffs to Corriente Lake, where you have an extraordinary chance to fish for freshwater red-bellied, black, white, and purple piranha. Amazonia is home to more than 2,700 species of fish. Visit the small village of San Juan del Amazonas, where 80 or so descendants of the famed Cocama Indians still live in thatched, stilt houses, and carry on their tribe’s traditions. Savor a sundowner with the villagers as you watch the sun set over the mighty Amazon River. After dinner, naturalist guides take you to search for caimans, frogs, tarantulas, bats (there are 88 species in Amazonia), arboreal snakes, possums, owls, and other nocturnal birds. M/V Aqua (B,L,D)
Day 5: Yanayacu and Pucate Rivers, Pacaya Samiria Reserve
Today, you can elect to take a full-day boat excursion or a guided jungle walk. The boat trip travels from Yanayacu Creek to remote Chingana, a small creek where giant river otter usually nest. These handsome animals have been killed in great numbers for their pelts, and are now threatened with extinction. You may also see howler and capuchin monkeys, tiny squirrel-sized tamarin monkeys, also endangered, and pink and gray river dolphins as well as a variety of birds. The guided jungle walk begins with a park ranger explaining sustainable resource management projects in Amazonia. You visit one of these projects. You may also see the artificial nests created on sand to protect turtle eggs. After lunch and a welcome siesta, your guide takes you on an expedition to see monkeys and some of the four species of freshwater dolphins – including the unusual pink dolphins – found here. The national park is home to 13 species of monkeys, including howler, woolly and pigmy marmoset monkeys. Watch for alligators, and dozens of colorful jungle birds. Take an optional night excursion before your ship sets sail toward Nauta Caño. M/V Aqua (B,L,D)
Day 6: Nauta Caño / Ucayali River & Puerto Miguel
Today, your ship skirts the edges of Pacaya Samiria Reserve, a flooded forest covering five million acres at the headwaters of the Amazon basin. Rise before dawn to view one of the great spectacles in the Southern Hemisphere – sunrise over the birthplace of the Amazon River. Here, two major tributaries, the Ucayali and the Marañon, unite to form the world’s greatest waterway. Your dawn excursion will be accompanied by a riot of bird song as you glide in small boats past river banks populated by large-billed terns, laughing falcons, gray tanagers, sandpipers, five kinds of parakeets, and the exotic short-tailed parrot. After breakfast, travel to Nauta Caño into a wilderness populated by squirrel monkeys, saddleback and black mantle tamarins, iguanas, and tagu lizards. After lunch, depart on the Ucayali River excursion, to visit Puerto Miguel village. M/V Aqua (B,L,D)
Day 7: Tapiche River/El Sapote Creek
Today begins with an early morning journey via skiff deep into the wilderness, along remote Tapiche River, in search of the magnificent, 3 1/2-feet-long harpy eagles as well as umbrella birds, tanagers, chachalacas, and puff birds. Try your hand fishing for piranha, or spend some time on your own. Glimpse fishermen paddling past in canoes and children waving from riverside villages. Explore El Sapote Creek tonight (only available in the wet season), where it is possible to see night jars, night hawks, frogs, tarantulas, bats, falcons, porcupines, and more. M/V Aqua(B,L,D)
Day 8: Pacaya Samiria Reserve
Today’s focus is the wildlife-rich Pacaya Samiria Reserve. Traveling by small boat, you enter the black-water lakes collectively known as the Mirrored Forest. You view the almost magical reflection of the towering trees in the glistening water. In addition to birds, caimans, monkeys, and dolphins, you will also see a paradise of colorful flowers. In the wet season, as the water level rises, it is possible to travel deeper into the reserve, exploring its farthest reaches. In the dry season, you spot turtles and the massive jabiru – pink storks that stand five feet tall and sport nine-foot wingspans. You may once again opt to go out on the skiffs to experience river nightlife. M/V Aqua (B,L,D)
Day 9: Ucayali / Amazon River / Sapo Playa
Cruise Ucayali and Amazon Rivers, and visit the small, banana-growing village of Sapo Playa. Here, you may want to have tee-shirts, school supplies or other items to barter for local crafts. These friendly people are eager hosts, and you are sure to enjoy your time in their company. Later, visit a prehistoric-looking swamp reminiscent of “Jurassic Park,” where the giant, six-foot lily pads grow. Here, during the wet season, you may also see lovely Chontilla Lake, and some of its rich flora and fauna. You can opt for another night excursion. M/V Aqua (B,L,D)
Day 10: Tahuayo River/Iquitos/Lima/Depart
This morning, wake early for an excursion on Tahuayo River for one last sunrise on the Amazon. During the four-hour voyage to Iquitos, enjoy a leisurely breakfast. This afternoon, explore the remote city of Iquitos, accessible only by river or air. This bustling town was once a rich center for the rubber industry. Visit to a butterfly farm before heading to the airport for your flight to Lima. A dayroom waits at the Miraflores Hotel. Savor a farewell dinner at the hotel before traveling to the airport for your flight home. Miraflores Hotel (executive ocean view suite) (B,L, D)
Rates/Departures:
Please call one of our destination experts to get all the details.