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Day 1 -
Saturday
IQUITOS/AMAZON RIVER
4:05 p.m. Flight from Lima LP 394 -
cruise map
5:50 p.m. Arrival
Your guides await you, as your flight from Lima glides in for
landing at Iquitos International Airport. After you’ve claimed your
luggage, you will board an air-conditioned bus for your journey to
the river.
6:00 p.m. Transfer to Iquitos’ main wharf. There the M/V Aqua awaits
you.
6:20 p.m. Embarkation and check-in
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. Over the next seven days, you will also sail along the two
largest tributaries of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Marañon, 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. Following
that, 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.
8:00 p.m. Welcome Dinner
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world’s best. Here it is
presented with a touch of European flair, and a vegetarian dish is
always available. Raise a glass of fine South American wine to toast
the beginning of a beautiful journey, then look out the window and
watch the river go by as you experience your first wonderful meal
aboard the M/V Aqua.
Perhaps enjoy a nightcap on the Upper Deck, under the stars, before
retiring.
UP
Day 2 - Sunday
AMAZON/TAHUAYO RIVERS AND CHARO LAKE
6:30 a.m. Early Morning Skiff Expedition on the Amazon 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.
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
Our sumptuous daily breakfast buffet features a wide choice of
traditional breakfast egg dishes, plus Peruvian specialties, and
fresh-squeezed fruit juices.
9:15 a.m Tahuayo River Exploration and Fishing Trip at Charo Lake
This morning you will board our comfortable excursion skiffs for
your first adventure, traveling from the Amazon through the Huaysi
short-cut canal to explore the Tahuayo black water 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 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). As you fish, trained
guides will also tell you the story of the lake and its inhabitants.
11:30 a.m. 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.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
Enjoy lighter mid-day fare in our air-conditioned dining room.
4:00 p.m. 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 Amazon
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 pisco sour on the Upper Deck, while you
watch the sun set.
8:00 p.m. Dinner
UP
Day 3 - Monday
MARAÑON RIVER/PACAYA-SAMIRIA NATIONAL RESERVE (YANAYACU-PUCATE)
6:30 a.m. Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Guided Jungle Walk in the Primary Forest
This morning your Naturalist Guide will tell you all about
sustainable resource management projects in Amazonia. You will visit
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 medical value of jungle plants. And we will show you
famous Kapok Trees (ceiba pentandra), the tallest trees in the
Amazon Basin.
12:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch, followed by a Siesta
3:30 p.m. 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—among the 13 species of monkeys resident in the National
Park. Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of tamarins and 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. As the sun sets and our searchlight comes on, keep
your eyes out for caimans, tree boas, tarantulas, and frogs. After
this night adventure, the M/V Aqua will start sailing downstream on
the Marañon River, back toward the headwaters of the Amazon.
7:30 p.m. Arrive at the M/V Aqua.
8:30 p.m. Dinner
UP
Day 4 - Tuesday
YUCURUCHE LAKE / BIRTHPLACE OF THE AMAZON / PUERTO PRADO VILLAGE
VISIT AND NAUTA TOWN
6:30 a.m. Ucayali River and Yucuruche Lake
Rise early and be on your skiff at 6:30 AM. This morning we will
travel by skiff 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”. You will
be one of a very small number of people who have ever seen these
plants bloom.
8:30 a.m. Breakfast
9:15 a.m. 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—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 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 meet and interact with the hospitable
native Cocama Indians. They will share their culture, traditions,
and folklore with you, and you will have the opportunity to purchase
some of their handicrafts and delightful folk art.
11:30 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch
Share a last lunch with your fellow passengers who have taken the
three-night journey.
4:00 p.m Nauta Town Visit
This afternoon you will have the opportunity to visit the Town of
Nauta, the oldest town in the state of Loreto. This village, founded
in the 1930’s, is our only access point to Iquitos during our
expedition. Nauta is very important to the local river communities,
as it is the port where they come to sell their produce. We will
take a leisurely walk through town, to experience what life in a
large river community is like.
6:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
8:30 p.m. Dinner
Meet new friends—those taking the four-night journey—over dinner.
UP
Day 5 - Wednesday
UCAYALI RIVER/MAGDALENA VILLAGE/PUINAHUA CANAL
6:30 a.m. Ucayali River Exploration
We will set out early this morning to explore the Ucayali River, the
Amazon’s largest tributary. Sightings will include the slow-moving
three-toed sloths, iguanas, orioles, and horned screamers, as well
as many other birds.
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 a.m. Jungle Walk to Magdalena
After breakfast we will walk through the village of Madgalena, a
small community of ten families. After meeting the people, including
lots of lively and curious children, your naturalist guides will
lead you through the jungle to a beautiful lake that is home to the
world famous Victoria Regia giant water lily.
12:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch
4:00 p.m. Ucayali Exploration and Puinahua and Discovery Tour
This afternoon we will cruise the majestic Ucayali River, giving you
a chance to see and meet native balseros, or fishermen, who will
demonstrate their skill and let you see their catch—including a type
of “armored” catfish with a shell-like skin. You will have at least
one chance to sample this delicious local fish at dinner aboard the
M/V Aqua. We are also likely to spot, and have an opportunity to
photograph, the “banana balsero” rafts, loaded with hundreds of
clusters of bananas, drifting down the river to market. Other
highlights include the viewing of woodpeckers, parrots, macaws, and
toucans.
6:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
8:00 p.m. Dinner
UP
Day 6 - Thursday
PUINAHUA RIVER/HATUM POSA LAKE AND PACAYA RIVER
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Jungle Walk Near Hatum Posa Village
On this walk, 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—the source of many of the
world’s pharmaceutical products.
11:30 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch
3:30 p.m. Pacaya River Exploration, Plus Night Trip from Ranger
Station No. 1 to Yanayacu Lake
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 view the abundant life that is hidden in the deep
rainforest. You may see saki monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and the
easy-to-spot heavy howler monkeys, leaping long distances from tree
to tree. As the sun sets, you will hear the loud, ferocious sounding
warning signals made by the howler monkeys as they mark 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. We will use
our special spotlight torches to locate night creatures, including,
perhaps, huge caimans.
7:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
Tonight the vessel will be docked by the No. 1 Ranger Station in
Pacaya Samiria National Park.
8:30 p.m. Dinner
UP
Day 7 -
Friday
PACAYA RIVER / PUINAHUA VILLAGE VISIT
6:30 a.m. Pacaya Exploration; Breakfast on the Skiffs
In the bright morning light, your Guides will show you parrots,
macaws, toucans, and many different types of monkeys. We will also
go to the dolphin feeding spots along Pacaya River, where you will
be delightfully surrounded by these creatures while enjoying a light
breakfast and fresh juice.
After
breakfast, armed with poles and bait, we will take you to a special
place on this fish-rich river, where you will catch some of the more
than 3,000 species of tropical fish that live in the Amazon Basin.
The key target will be piranhas, the small carnivorous fish with a
fearsome reputation—considered a good food source by the locals.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
We will begin our homeward journey, sailing downstream toward
Iquitos.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
4:00 p.m. Native Village Visit
This optional afternoon excursion is a short informational walk into
a riverside village. Your guide will show you way of life in these
communities of fishermen and farmers.
5:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
We will sail downstream all night, as we make our way to Iquitos,
and your onward flight.
8:00 p.m. Farewell Dinner
Just minutes after being in the wilderness, surrounded by monkeys
and birds and the other wildlife of the rainforest, you will find
yourself sitting down to a final gourmet feast in the ship’s dining
room
9:00 p.m. Crew Presentation
Tonight, the Cruise Director will introduce some of the crew members
you haven’t yet met on the trip, but who have worked behind the
scenes to give you an unforgettable experience. There may even be a
bit of musical entertainment!
UP
Day 8 - Saturday
ARRIVE IN IQUITOS CITY/CHECK-OUT AND DISEMBARK AT THE MAIN
WHARF/CITY TOUR AND TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 a.m. Morning Excursion – The excursions today depend on the
level of the river.
Weather and time permitting, this will be the last opportunity to
see how people live along the Amazon—by visiting the lively
riverside community of Belen by skiff, in Iquitos. Here, where the
houses and shops actually float on the river during some months, you
will see the bustling food market of the entire Peruvian Amazon. All
local inhabitants throughout the region sell and purchase goods
here.
Some groups may instead take a short skiff ride to
visit the Boras indigenous community, on the Momon River. The Bora
tribe has made every effort to maintain its traditional culture
since arriving from deep inside the rainforest more than 30 years
ago. Today they will perform some of their most colorful dances for
you.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
You have time to pack and prepare for the next stage of your
journey.
12:00 p.m. Light Lunch
Please leave your packed luggage in your cabins, to be transferred
to the bus, before coming to the dining room for lunch.
1:15 p.m. Disembarkation/City Tour/Manatee Rescue Center/Transfer to
the Airport
Your afternoon in the remote city of Iquitos, accessible only by
river or air, will not disappoint. This bustling town, complete with
a house built by Gustave Eiffel, was once a rich center of the
rubber industry.
En route, we will visit the Manatee Rescue Center,
where biologists and volunteers care for endangered Amazon manatees
that conservation authorities have seized from local people and
fishermen. 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.
Finally, we will stop at the San Juan Amazonian
Indian Market, for a last chance to shop for local crafts.
5:00 p.m. Check-in at Iquitos International Airport
Your guides will help you with check-in, and will stay with you
until you have boarded your flight back to Lima.
6:20 p.m. Your Flight Departs for Lima LP 371
Note: All itineraries are subject to change, due to weather
and other conditions. All times indicated are approximate, and are
also subject to change. |
