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Amazon River Expedition Cruise - High Water (8 days)8 days duration
Upon arrival at Iquitos Airport, you will be transferred to the main wharf where you embark the ‘M/V Aqua’. As you settle into your over-sized suite, your vessel will start on its journey toward the Yanayacu River, deep in the heart of Amazonia. Before dinner, your Cruise Director and Guides will give a brief orientation talk about life on board, where you will go and what you will see on your Amazon journey. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner and watch the river go by as you experience your first wonderful meal aboard the 'M/V Aqua'. (D)
An early morning skiff expedition allows you to catch your first glimpse of the majestic Amazon River, as you watch the sun rise over this green world filled with wonderful wildlife. You return to 'M/V Aqua' for a sumptuous breakfast.
Afterwards you reboard our comfortable excursion skiffs, traveling the Amazon through the Huaysi short-cut canal to explore the Tahuayo black water river. As you float down the Tahuayo, occasional fishermen paddling in 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). You return to 'M/V Aqua' for lunch. In the late afternoon, you re-join the skiffs for further exploration. Locals call the Yacapana Islands the “Iguana Islands,” because of the huge population of these reptiles. As the sun sets, you will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see and photograph both gray and pink freshwater dolphins. Once the sun sets and the jungle is dark, we begin our search for caiman, frogs, and different kinds of nightlife. You then return to the 'M/V Aqua' vessel for dinner and continue the journey upstream, toward the headwaters of the Amazon River, where the Ucayali, Marañon, and the Amazon Rivers merge. (BLD)
Today you can choose between two options:
Option 1: Full-day excursion with a Picnic Lunch at Ranger Station No. 2 Travel by skiff from Yanayacu Creek all the way to remote Yarina – Park Ranger Station No. 2. On this excursion, you may see howler and capuchin monkeys, the squirrel-sized monkeys called tamarins, pink and gray river dolphins, and a vast variety of birds. We will also take you deep into the jungle, where you will encounter wildlife and learn first-hand about the important medical value of jungle plants. And we will show you famous Kapok Trees (ceiba pentandra), the tallest trees in the Amazon Basin. Enjoy a generous picnic lunch at the Park Ranger Station No. 2, before we begin our journey back to our vessel. Option 2: Guided Jungle Walk/Siesta/Monkey and Dolphin Expedition This morning your Park Ranger will tell you all about sustainable resource management projects in Amazonia. You will visit one of the projects, where villagers are planting palms to obtain oil. You then return to the 'M/V Aqua' for lunch and a siesta. Later in the afternoon, you undertake the Monkey & Dolphin Expedition. You are likely 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—among the 13 species of monkeys resident in the National Park. Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of tamarins and howlers, dusky titi monkeys and 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. Return to 'M/V' Aqua for dinner. (BLD)
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. Rise early to view one of the great spectacles of the Southern Hemisphere: the sun rising over the birthplace of the Amazon River. Here—where the union of two major tributaries, the Ucayali and the Marañon, form the world’s greatest waterway—nature is at its most dramatic. Your dawn 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 travel by skiff to Puerto Miguel native village, where you can meet and interact with local villagers from this most remote part of the world, and can learn a bit more about their culture, traditions, and folklore. You will also have the chance to purchase local handicrafts. On the way back to the Aqua we will navigate on a small connector canal between the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers, where you will have a chance to see the world’s largest aquatic plant, the giant water lilies or “Victoria Regias.” After lunch, your afternoon excursion takes you to Nauta Caño, part of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. It is known as the mirrored forest, due to its glistening black water lagoons. You will enjoy observing different species, such as: toucans, parrots, macaws, iguanas, and more. On the way back to the M/V Aqua you will see a glorious sunset reflected in the waters of the mirrored forest. Dinner on board. (BLD)
After breakfast, board the skiffs to explore the Yanallpa River. This amazing black water stream forms part of the vast Amazon flooded forest. Your guides will tell you about the rainforest and its dynamic life, as we explore what scientists call a “gallery forest,” because of its narrow vegetation, creating a tunnel of leaves. As we float through this tunnel, it is easy to spot parrots, macaws, and fluffy monk saki monkeys, very close to the skiff. Return for lunch.
This afternoon we will take a magical journey on the Dorado River through the “Mirrored Forest,” seeing towering trees reflected in the black water river, while spotting dozens of enchanting parrots, blue-yellow macaws, and a great variety of primates and sloths enjoying nature unperturbed by our presence. As we make our way back to our vessel, you will also have the chance to see caimans and frogs and fishing bats. Dinner onboard. (BLD)
This morning you will rise early to cruise the beautiful and intricate ox-bow lake of Hatum Posa. As we follow its shore, we may see several kinds of monkeys and many types of birds, including terns, neo-tropic cormorants, egrets, herons, hawks, and our favorite horned screamers. We will also take the skiff into other black water lakes linked to this huge lake in the flooded forest before returning to the 'M/V Aqua' for breakfast.
Afterwards, you enjoy a walk where your guides will introduce you to native people doing subsistence farming, and will tell you how they learned to cultivate wild plants and trees to earn farm income. Deep in the primary forest, your guides will also show you the wealth of fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle. Return to vessel for lunch. In the late afternoon, we will take our skiffs along the Pacaya River, journeying from Ranger Station No. 1 toward Yanayacu Lake, where you can see the abundant life that is hidden in the deep rainforest. We have chosen this time of day to give you the chance to see the late afternoon activity of the rainforest animals, including fluffy monk saki monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and the easy-to-spot howler monkeys. As the sun sets, listen for the loud, ferocious-sounding warning signals made by howler monkeys marking their territories. When night falls, you will hear the second movement of the Amazon rainforest symphony, as other nocturnal animals send their shrill calls across the tree tops. As we take the skiffs back to the 'M/V Aqua' for dinner, we will use our special spotlight torches to locate night creatures, including, perhaps, huge caimans. (BLD)
Back on the Pacaya River as the sun rises, you will see a treasure trove of wildlife, including parrots, macaws, toucans, and many kinds of monkeys—as well as some “surprise” species that you have never seen before. Enjoy a “bag breakfast” of light sandwiches and fresh juice. Since we will stop near a popular dolphin feeding spot, you will see quite a show as you enjoy your meal.
Upon returning to the vessel, we will start sailing down river, toward Iquitos. Lunch onboard. This afternoon, we will travel to Carocurahuayte Lake, a splendid “hot spot” lake, where you will be able to fish for some of the more than 3,000 species of tropical fish that live in the Amazon basin. Our key focus will be on piranhas! Once we are back onboard, the ship will continue its journey down stream, sailing toward Iquitos through the night as you enjoy a Farewell Dinner. (BLD)
After breakfast, weather and time permitting, there will be a last opportunity to see how people live along the Amazon—by visiting the lively riverside community of Belen, in Iquitos, by skiff. Here, where the houses and shops actually float on the river during some months, you will see the bustling food market for the entire Peruvian Amazon. All local inhabitants throughout the region sell and purchase goods here.
After returning to 'M/V Aqua' for a light lunch, we arrive for an afternoon of the remote city of Iquitos. This bustling town was once a rich centre of the rubber industry. En-route, you will visit the Manatee Rescue Centre, where biologists and volunteers care for endangered Amazon manatees that conservation authorities have seized from local people and fishermen. You will see how the manatees are cared for and are prepared for re-introduction into their natural habitat. Finally, we will stop at the San Juan Amazonian Indian Market, for a last chance to shop for local crafts. You are then transferred to the airport for your flight back to Lima. (BL) Inca Tours does not own any of the hotels, lodges or service providers utilised in making up the tours. As a result Inca Tours is only acting as an agent for the operators and as such does not accept responsibility for any negligence, omissions, errors or differences in standard experienced by passengers when utilising the operators' products or services. Please Note: for full booking terms and conditions please see the back of our booking form.
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