Amazon Jungle Cruise- 6 Days

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Day to Day Itinerary

Day 1: ARRIVE LIMA

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

• On arrival at Lima's Jorge Chavez International Airport you are transferred to your hotel in the well-known coastal suburb of Miraflores. In the evening you meet your tour leader and the other members of your group for a pre-tour briefing. Please check the noticeboard near the hotel reception for confirmation of the exact time and place of the meeting (please note that if a significant number of group members are arriving late into Lima, this meeting may be held sometime on Day 2). This meeting is generally followed by an optional group dinner at a nearby restaurant. Lima has some of the most superb cuisine in South America and is especially renowned for its exceptional seafood. During your time here, you may wish to try ceviche, Peru’s national dish, which is raw fish marinated in lime juice and often served with hot peppers. This culinary delight is a must for all seafood lovers!

Day 2: FLY LIMA TO IQUITO, BOARD THE M/V AQUA Fly

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Activities:

• Today you are transferred to Lima airport for your flight to Iquitos, a 45 minute flight away.
• 6:00 p.m. Embarkation and Check-in. From the moment you step on board, you will enjoy the M/V Aqua’s atmosphere of low-key luxury. As you settle into your handsomely appointed, over-sized suite, you will feel the vessel begin to move; the beginning of one of the great adventures of your life. Stand on the Upper Deck to take in the view, as the M/V Aqua leaves Iquitos behind.
• Over the next three days, you will also sail along the largest tributaries of the Amazon, as well as on the mighty Amazon itself. You are embarking on a spectacular adventure, to a place visited by only a few of even the most experienced world travelers.
• 7:30 p.m. Safety Drill and Briefing on the Top Deck. Before dinner we will perform a routine safety drill. Then it’s into the air-conditioned lounge, where you will learn about life onboard, and will have the first of the nightly briefings about your adventure to follow. You will meet the naturalist guides and the cruise director, who will use video, photos, and maps to explain the details of your adventure to follow.
• 8:00 p.m. Welcome Dinner. Sit down, relax, sample some fine South American wine, and enjoy the truly world-class cuisine, created by Executive Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, whose restaurant, Malabar, is one of the best in all of Lima. Schiaffino’s recipes, with their imaginative use of local products – fruits, fish, spices – makes every meal a delightful adventure. (The menu always offers choices, including a vegetarian option.) Toast the beginning of a beautiful journey.
• Perhaps enjoy a nightcap on the Upper Deck, under the stars, before retiring.

Day 3: AMAZON/TAHUAYO RIVERS/CHARO LAKE/YACAPANA ISLANDS

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

• 6:30 a.m. See the Sun Rise Over the River
• Be up early to catch your first glimpse of the majestic Amazon River, as you watch the sun rise over this green world filled with wonderful wildlife. This initial contact with Amazonia is only a brief sampling of what the rest of your journey will hold.
• Approximately 08:00am Breakfast
• Our sumptuous daily breakfast buffet features a wide choice of traditional breakfast egg dishes, Peruvian specialties, and fresh-squeezed juices, made from tropical fruits you’ve never tasted before.
• 9:15 a.m. Tahuayo River Exploration and Fishing Trip at Charo Lake
• This morning it’s back aboard our comfortable excursion skiffs for your first adventure, traveling from the Amazon through the Huaysi short-cut canal to explore the Tahuayo blackwater river. Life jackets, ponchos, rubber boots, and plenty of cold potable water will always be available for you on board the skiffs. As we float down the Tahuayo, occasional fishermen paddling their dug-out canoes will give us a cheerful greeting. Keep your binoculars ready to spot a vast variety of wildlife: terns, orioles, blackbirds, black collared hawks, monkeys, and sloth share this wonderful environment with us. Upon arrival at Charo Lake, you can bait your hooks to try to catch one of Amazonia’s fearsome piranhas (and other fish as well). As you fish, trained guides will also tell you the story of the lake and its inhabitants.
• Return to the M/V Aqua
• Icy cold towels await you, as you transfer from your skiffs into the M/V Aqua. As the vessel continues up the Amazon River, you have some time to relax, or perhaps even take a nap, before lunch.
• Approximately 12:30 p.m. Lunch
• Enjoy lighter mid-day fare in our air-conditioned dining room.
• Late Afternoon -Yacapana Islands Exploration and Dolphin Sighting
• Locals call the Yacapana Islands the “Iguana Islands,” because of the huge population of these
• reptiles—like tiny dinosaurs—crawling over the ground and resting in the tree tops. We will pass by in the skiff, giving you a chance to snap good photos. As the sun sets, you will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and photograph both gray and pink freshwater dolphins. The people of the believe that these dolphins turn into humans to steal handsome men or pretty women from their villages during celebrations.
• 6:30 p.m. To the Headwaters
• We will return to the M/V Aqua vessel and continue our journey upstream, toward the headwaters of the Amazon River, where the Ucayali, Marañon, and the Amazon Rivers merge.
• Perhaps sip a pre-dinner Camu-Camu Sour on the Upper Deck, while you watch the sun set.
• Approximately 8:00 p.m. Dinner

Day 4: MARAÑON RIVER/PACAYA-SAMIRIA NATIONAL RESERVE (YANAYACU-PUCATE)

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

• 6:30 a.m. Breakfast
• Guided Jungle Walk in the primary forest
• This morning your Naturalist Guide will tell you all about sustainable resource management projects in Amazonia, and will take you to one of these projects, where villagers are planting palms to obtain oil. Your Guide may also show you the artificial nests created on the sand to protect turtle eggs. Then we will take you deep into the jungle, where you will encounter wildlife and learn first-hand about the important medicinal value of many jungle plants. We will also show you famous Kapok Trees (ceiba pentandra), the tallest trees in the Amazon Basin.
• Return to the M/V Aqua
• 12:30 p.m. Lunch, followed by a Siesta
• Afternoon Monkey,Dolphin and Caiman Expedition
• In this late afternoon skiff excursion, you are likely to see howler and capuchin monkeys, the squirrel-sized monkeys called tamarins, and a vast variety of birds. You are also apt to see the two different kinds of freshwater dolphins—including the unusual pink ones—found in the Amazon. Later, keep your eyes directed toward the jungle canopy, where you can spot at least several kinds of primates—some of the 13 species of monkeys resident in the National Park. Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of tamarins and dusky titi monkeys, as well as pigmy marmoset monkeys. Watch for alligators, and keep your binoculars at the ready, as you are likely to see more than 200 species of birds. As the sun sets and our searchlight comes on, keep your eyes out for caimans, tree boas, tarantulas, and frogs.
• 7:30 p.m. Arrive at the M/V Aqua. Enjoy a hot shower and a cool drink, before heading to the dining room. The M/V Aqua will start to sail downstream on the Marañon River, back toward the headwaters of the Amazon.
• Approximately 8:30 p.m. Dinner

Day 5: YUCURUCHE LAKE / BIRTHPLACE OF THE AMAZON / PUERTO PRADO VILLAGE VISIT / IQUITOS

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

• 6:30 a.m. Ucayali River and Yucuruche Lake
• Rise early and be on your skiff at 6:30 AM. This morning your skiffs we take you along the Ucayali River to Yucuruche Lake, where we will walk a little way into the jungle to see the world’s largest aquatic plant—the giant water lilies or “Victoria Regias.”
• Bring your cameras. You will be one of a very small number of people who have ever seen these luxuriant plants bloom.
• 8:30 a.m. Breakfast
• Visit Birthplace of the Amazon/Puerto Prado Village
• This morning, the M/V Aqua skirts the edges of the vast Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, a flooded forest covering five million acres at the headwaters of the Amazon basin. We board the skiffs to view one of the great spectacles of the Southern Hemisphere: the birthplace of the Amazon River. Here two major tributaries—the Ucayali and the Marañon—unite to form the world’s greatest waterway. Here, you will experience nature at its most dramatic. Your morning excursion will be accompanied by abundant 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, the exotic short-tailed parrot, and dozens of other birds.
• We will then travel by skiff to Puerto Prado native village, where you will get to know the hospitable Cocama Indians. They will share their culture, traditions, and folklore with you and you will have the opportunity to purchase some of their delightful folk art and crafts.
• Return to the M/V Aqua
• Approximately 11:40 a.m. Lunch
• Share a last lunch with your fellow passengers, before preparing for your onward journey.
• 1:15 p.m. Disembarkation/Manatee Rescue Center/Transfer to the Airport
• Before we head for the airport, we will take you to visit the Manatee Rescue Center, where biologists and volunteers care for endangered Amazon manatees that conservation authorities have seized from local people. Biologists will give a presentation about the project and its efforts to help these helpless mammals..You will also see how the manatees are cared for and are prepared for re-introduction into their natural habitat.
• Your guides will help you with check-in, and will stay with you until you have boarded your flight back to Lima.
• Afternoon flight to Lima.

Day 6: LIMA

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

• On the morning of Day 6 we start our exploration of the Peruvian capital with a half-day city tour. Founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, it was from Lima that all Spanish territories in South America were governed. Few cities at that time could rival Lima’s power, wealth and opulence. However its glory days ended in 1746 when the city was virtually destroyed by an earthquake. Many of the colonial buildings were rebuilt and we get a first-hand look at several of them on our tour. The striking Plaza Mayor (Plaza de Armas), flanked by some of the most important buildings in town such as the cathedral, the huge Government Palace and the Archbishop’s Palace, constitutes the heart of the city. We visit the cathedral and the nearby San Francisco Monastery, with its catacombs containing some 70,000 human remains. We also visit the impressive National Museum of Anthropology, Archaeology and History of Peru, which is home to a wonderful collection of cultural exhibits tracing the history, arts and accomplishments of the people of Peru, ranging from the original inhabitants of the land through to the Inca Empire and the Spanish conquerors. The afternoon is free to do your own exploration of Lima. You may wish to wander around Miraflores or perhaps catch a taxi to visit the Gold Museum or the Larco Museum, which is renowned for its ancient pottery collection. Please remember that you must agree on a fare with the driver before catching a taxi, as the taxis here do not have meters. (Miraflores-Downtown approximately 10-15 soles)
• NB: Flights out of Lima on this day must be booked after 5PM

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Your Trip

What's Included

Not Included

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Important Information

Built:     2007
Port of embarkation:   Iquitos, Peru
Vessel’s Registry:   Peru
Type of Vessel:   River Expedition Vessel
Length:    130 feet / 39.80 m
Beam:     24 feet / 7.30 m
Draft:     5 feet / 1.5 m
Gross Tonnage:   400 tons
Cruising Speed:   10 knots
Electricity:    220 volts
Engines:    2 new Cummins 380 HP Marine Engines
Generators:    1 x 95 KVA Cummins and 1 x 65 KVA Cummins
(encapsulated for noise reduction)
Water:     7000-liter water treatment plant

Safety:   Radio communication with separate battery pack, satellite phone, life jackets, flares and signals, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in each cabin, automatic defibrillator on board.

Launch Boats:   Three auxiliary aluminum launch boats equipped with four-stroke low emission engines; constant radio communication with the main vessel. Each boat has a capacity of 8 passengers.

Crew:   21, including a cruise director, paramedic and 3 English-speaking naturalist guides.

Accommodation:   Up to 24 passengers with private facilities
 

Cabins:    12 suites:
• 4 Master Suites measuring 240 sq. ft.
• 8 Suites measuring 230 sq. ft.
- All outside-facing with large panoramic windows
- All air conditioned with en suite sitting areas
- 4 interconnecting suites for families

Cabin features: 

Twin beds that can be converted to a California king-sized bed
En suite sitting area
Internal communications system, bathroom with shower, toilet, sink, cabinet, hairdryer, and a basket of toiletries.
Hot water around the clock.

Social Areas:   

Indoor Bar-Lounge
Dining Room
Outside Lounge
Observation Deck
Boutique
 

Partner organisations on the ground: Peregrine works with partner organisations in each country we visit. This ensures we provide employment opportunities within local communities, including our experienced local leaders. We minimise the negative impacts of travel and maximise the benefits to the regions we travel, through working with our ethical services providers. For any assistance prior to travel, please contact your travel agent. For assistance whilst you are travelling, please contact the local numbers listed on your travel itinerary, as your call will be received in the same time zone. Alternatively, if you have already joined your tour, please direct your enquiries to your local tour leader

About this Information

The information provided here is given in good faith and has been compiled with all reasonable care. However, things change and some of the information may become out of date. Please keep this in mind when you read it and check with us if you want to be sure about something. The document was correct at time of printing, but you can check online for the most up to date version.  If you have any queries, please contact your travel agent or our staff in Australia. We are here to help you!

Last Updated

3 May 2013

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