The Amazon. World’s Most Powerful River. Up Close & Personal. 7 Days.
The mighty Amazon flows through eight countries—almost half of South America. It starts as a 15-inch-wide stream high in the Peruvian Andes, and six rios later, it becomes the Amazon, which flows for more than 4,000 miles.
Isn’t it time you took a trip there yourself?
We’ve found the perfect riverboats on which to cruise along the Peruvian Amazon, the newly-renovated and delightful eight-passenger Delfin I and the comfortable 28-passenger Delfin II. Both were built specifically for these waters.
Aboard the Delfin I: Fly to Lima, Peru, for a day of sightseeing. Then head for Iquitos, Peru’s quintessential upriver hideout. From here, w head for nearby Nauta to embark the Delfin I. Enter Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, full of wildlife and some of South America's best rain forest scenery. Along the roiverine route, see flora, fauna, and villages up close. Skiffs tkaae us ever closer to the amazing animals and plants here. Look for gray and pink river dolphins that cavort alongside our boat. Get to know the particular sounds of nocturnal rain forest creatures as twinkling stars fill the endless black sky.
Over the next five days, we often leave the riverboat behind, manning smaller launches to investigate tiny tributaries and islands teeming with iguanas and caimans. Look for 13 species of New World monkeys. Get a lesson in the medicinal properties of jungle plants. Take a night safari. Tour the jungle on foot to examine the world’s largest aquatic plant in full bloom (few people ever get to see this). Meet the hoatzin, a mysterious prehistoric bird species. Have breakfast with the dolphins, and fish for pirañhas. Our route: San Isidro Flooded Forest, YanaYacu, the Pucate River, La Posada Canopy Walkway, Tawampa Lake, Nauta Caño, the Amazon Headwaters, San Francisco village, Yucuruchi Lagoon, the Yarapa River, Nauta, Iquitos, Lima.
Aboard the Delfin II: Fly to Lima, Peru, for a day of sightseeing. Then head for Iquitos, Peru’s quintessential upriver hideout. From here, w head for nearby Nauta to embark the Delfin II. Belluda Stream or Belluda Cano,a native community, is next. How we explore depends on the season; during the rainy months, cruise the stream aboard skiffs into Pacay-Samiria Nationbal Reserve. Be on the lookout for Saki monkseys, tamarin monkeys, morpho butterflies, laughing falcons, and other striking creatures. During ht dry season, we hike into the forest and end with a dugout canoe ride across in a wonderfully remote lagoon. Then back to the riverboat for time on the El Dorado River, where we can swim with pink dolphins.
Atunb Poza Lake is a haven for birds and a great place to see massive kapok trees up close. The Puinahua River leads us into the Pacaya River, the very heart of Pacay-Samiria. Take a night safari to get a handle on the jungle after dark. An experience you won't want to miss.
On Caro Curahuayte Lagoon, we do a bit of pirañha fishing. Learn the facts about this supposed blood-thirsty species.
Into the riverside community of Yanallapa to meet the villagers and see their daily rituals.
The Puinahua leads us to the Ucayali and Yarapa rivers, which takes us to Puerto Miguel, whose culture gets our attention for a while.
Disembark the Delfin II in Nauta, then back to Iquitos for a little time in the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Center before heading back to Lima, then home.
All in all, a most memorable and exotic experience. Interest piqued? We understand.
Please note: During the Amazon portion of this journey, R. Crusoe & Son partners with Delfin Amazon Cruises. Unless you are chartering the riverboat, you share the Delfin I or the Delfin II with other, non-Crusoe travelers.
To request a detailed itinerary for this journey (and others), click here.