Amazon Rainforest Cruise - Premium Adventure

The Amazon: one of the wildest and most remote corners of Earth. For those drawn to the natural beauty of our planet, a voyage along the mighty Amazon River in Peru offers the ultimate adventure. Come face to face with pink dolphins, playful monkeys, sleepy sloths, giant butterflies and a myriad of other rare creatures in the remote Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. Travel in high style aboard M/V Zafiro, the most luxurious ship on the river, enjoying all the comforts of a five-star hotel. Disembark for guided moonlight safaris, canoe excursions, nature walks and piranha fishing. Amazonian cultural encounters are aplenty in Ribereño villages – receive a blessing from a shaman and learn ancient customs from the local people. Drawing on insight from our native Amazon travel guides, we intentionally vary the villages and tributaries we visit, ensuring you get the most authentic experience possible.

KEY INFORMATION 

Two nights in premium hotel accommodation in Lima and seven nights on board the premium riverboat M/V Zafiro

Seven days of wildlife viewing by skiff, accompanied by expert naturalist guides

Internal flight to/from Iquitos included

Group normally 22-38 plus crew

Location start: Lima

Location end: Lima

HIGHLIGHTS ❇️

❇️ A full week to discover the Peruvian Amazon by boat and on foot, travelling in style aboard the premium riverboat Zafiro

❇️ Get to the heart of the rainforest, with opportunities to spot pink and grey river dolphins, caiman, scarlet macaws and much more

❇️ All excursions accompanied by fascinating naturalist guides who are experts in the Peruvian Amazon – join them for stargazing and storytelling

❇️ Join a village shaman for a blessing ceremony and learn about the use of medicinal plants within the local community

❇️ Luxurious amenities aboard the Zafiro, including a Jacuzzi, spa services and fresh Amazon fusion cuisine

Included ✅

✅ Accommodation

✅ All breakfasts and lunches, plus 7 included dinners. Food on the Zafiro is excellent!

✅ Complimentary tea, coffee, water, natural juices, Peruvian cocktails, soft drinks, house wines and local beer during meals

✅ Premium accommodation on board the Zafiro in your choice of spacious suite – four different price categories

✅ Assistance at Lima airport on arrival

✅ Internal return flights from Lima to Iquitos

✅ Transfers to/from the airport in Iquitos to M/V Zafiro

✅ Daily excursions with a focus on discovering the wildlife and culture of the Peruvian Amazon

✅ Rubber boots and rain ponchos for use during excursions

✅ Entrance fees to the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

✅ Named naturalist guides, all chosen for their extensive experience and great customer feedback

✅ Tips to the crew of the Zafiro are included (only the cost of tipping the naturalist guide will be extra)

✅ Guide - Tour Leader

✅ Detailed Itinerary (upon booking confirmation)

Not Included ❌

❌ Flights (optional item)

❌ Travel Insurance (optional item)

❌ Single accommodation (available on request)

❌ Solo traveller supplement (Where only one person is travelling on a departure date)

❌ Visas or vaccinations

❌ Tips for the naturalist guide

⚠️ Optional items can be added to your travel upon your request

Onsite / Nearby ➡️

➡️ Country/Lakes

➡️ Mountains

➡️ Exotic Wildlife

Itinerary

Day 1 Start Lima

Welcome to Peru! Today we arrive in Lima, the capital and largest city. You'll be met at the airport and accompanied on the very short walk to the Wyndham Costa del Sol, a premium hotel at the Lima Airport with comfortable rooms and facilities. A meet and greet on arrival is included for everyone, regardless of which flight you arrive on today.

Premium accommodation: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport (four-star) or similar

Day 2 Fly from Lima to Iquitos; board the Zafiro

Our adventure begins with a flight over the Andes to Iquitos, the gateway to the Amazon River. The local team in Lima will assist with flight check-in today. On arrival in Iquitos, we have a welcome lunch with all guests before boarding the Zafiro – a premium riverboat and our home for the next seven nights. The crew will be waiting to welcome you on board, and help you settle into your cabin and get familiar with the boat. All suites have 100 percent Peruvian prima cotton sheets, comfortable beds, bathrobes, air conditioning, and floor-to-ceiling windows for that all-important view.

After a welcome pisco sour (the national cocktail), enjoy your first stargazing and storytelling with the naturalist guides while cruising slowly on the Amazon River toward the confluence of the Marañón and Ucayali rivers.

Premium accommodation: Zafiro

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 - 8 Amazon River and tributaries

Spend the next six nights aboard the Zafiro, navigating deep into the tributaries of the Amazon – a web of forests and lakes that pulsates with a chorus of birdlife, the calls of primates, and flashes of colourful butterflies. More than 1,300 bird species, 40,000 plant species, and grey and pink river dolphins inhabit this lush, ever-changing rainforest known collectively as the Amazon.

Enjoy unprecedented access to three habitats: varzea, igapó and palm-flooded forest, including the deep reaches of the protected Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. There is a huge diversity of possible wildlife sightings here, including blue-and-gold scarlet macaws, hoatzins and horned screamers. Traverse the waterways aboard sturdy excursion boats to areas where you may find marsh birds such as oriole blackbirds, green ibis, yellow-headed caracaras, black-capped donacobius and white-headed marsh tyrants. Night excursions may reveal caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs and other nocturnal wildlife. Periodically throughout the year, guests may even release turtle hatchlings.

Daily excursions include early morning birding, enriching presentations, visits in local villages and even piranha fishing. Learn about the lives of the Ribereño people as we visit riverbank villages. This is a fantastic opportunity to stroll through their gardens and learn about medicinal plants from a local shaman.

Pointing out details no guidebook could provide are the onboard team of world-class naturalists, while the attentive crew ensures exceptional service in the wild.

Please note, our navigational itinerary will have some seasonal variations depending on the water levels.

Premium accommodation: Zafiro

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 Fly from Iquitos to Lima

This morning, we disembark the Zafiro, waving goodbye to our excellent crew and guides. En route to the airport, we can visit the Amazon Rescue Center, where biologists and volunteers care for manatees before release. Following this excursion, we transfer back to Iquitos for our flight to Lima.

Upon arrival back in Lima this afternoon, it's just a short walk to our premium airport hotel. Most guests stay overnight and depart on day 10. If you have a tight schedule, you could use the hotel as a dayroom to freshen up before connecting with independent overnight flights (from late evening onwards). Please discuss with your sales representative whether your flight times will work.

Premium accommodation: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport (four-star) or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 10 End Lima

You are free to depart Lima at any time today or consider extending your stay to spend more time discovering Peru.

Transfer Details

Free arrival and departure transfers for all customers to and from the end hotel.