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Amazon River Expedition

Program Overview

Discover the natural wonder of the Amazon River Basin, Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem. Your journey begins with 2 nights in Lima and continues with a 5-night, guided river cruise through the tributaries of the Peruvian Amazon and the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve—the world’s largest wetlands refuge. Enhance your voyage with the Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley Post-Program Option.

A Fall version of this program also exists.

Program Details

January 19 to 27, 2024 (Zafiro - Group Space) February 17 to 25, 2024 (Zafiro - Exclusive Charter)
From $5,575 plus air View Terms & Conditions
  • Custom-designed, 9-day, 8-night natural history journey through the heart of the Amazon.
  • Five-night deluxe river expedition boat Zafiro—one of a select number to cruise the upper Amazon and its tributaries within the world’s largest rainforest ecosystem.
  • Expert naturalist guides lead all Amazon expeditions.
  • Tour the historical center of Peru’s capital city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and vibrant Iquitos, an important rubber boom city in the 19th century.
  • Wake up in the heart of the Amazon Basin, where the jungle teems with the greatest diversity of plant and animal life on Earth.
  • Nighttime excursion in search of nocturnal rainforest animals and a red-bellied piranha fishing expedition.
  • All meals on board the boat and all guided tours are included.
  • Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley Post-Program Option.

Day 1 - Depart home city/Lima, Peru 

Day 2 - Lima 

Day 3 -  Iquitos/Nauta/Río Amazonas/Embark Zafiro (5:00 p.m.)  

Day 4 - Río Amazonas/Río Ucayali  

Day 5 - Río Amazonas/Río Ucayali/Río Marañón/Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve  

Day 6 - Río Marañón/Río Pucate/Río Ucayali  

Day 7 - Río Marañón/Nauta 

Day 8 - Nauta/Iquitos/Lima/Return to home city 

Day 9 - Arrive in home city 

View detailed program itinerary >

Zafiro

Expedition Vessel

The deluxe Zafiro, specifically designed to navigate the Upper Amazon River and its tributaries, carries a maximum of 36 guests. This spacious yet intimate river boat offers a unique way to experience this fragile ecosystem of colorful wildlife, abundant flora, and Amazonian culture within the most extraordinary, remote, and untouched rainforest.

Learn more about the Zafiro >

Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley Post-Program Option

Join this 5-night extension to your Amazon expedition. Delight in this extraordinary opportunity to experience legendary Machu Picchu, the breathtaking Sacred Valley, and the fascinating colonial and Inca traditions of Cuzco. Enjoy deluxe, ideally located accommodations in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cuzco.

The Pre-Program Option is available at additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.

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Program Itinerary

Day 1 Depart U.S. or Canada / Lima, Perú

Depart for the cosmopolitan coastal capital of Peru, Lima, located at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Arrive late this evening in the heart of the upscale, cultural Miraflores district and check the Casa Adina Private Collection Hotel.

Day 2 Lima

Following a morning at leisure, enjoy a tour of the historic center of Lima, a World Heritage site. See pre-Columbian temples and proud colonial mansions amid modern architecture, and the colorful buildings lining the Plaza de Armas—the city’s main square. Tour the opulent Casa de Aliaga, built in 1535 as the residence of Don Jerónimo de Aliaga, the co-founder of Lima. Filled with original 16th-century Spanish art and furniture, it is the oldest private house in continuous use in the western hemisphere and has been inhabited by the Aliaga family for 17 generations.

Then, visit the 17th-century colonial Convent and Church of San Francisco, a brilliant combination of Moorish and Baroque architectural styles and one of the finest churches in South America. Gather for the welcome reception in the hotel this evening.

Day 3 Lima / Fly to Iquitos / Nauta / Embark the Zafiro / Río Amazonas

This morning, fly to vibrant Iquitos, an important rubber boom city during the late 19th century that attracted thousands of immigrants from around the globe to the Amazon River Basin hoping to build their fortunes in the rubber industry. Dine at the Doubletree by Hilton Iquitos restaurant for lunch.

Then, transfer to Nauta and embark the Zafiro. Leave the modern world behind as you begin your voyage of discovery into one of the world’s most remote regions. Gather on the ship’s observation deck and watch as civilization fades away and the vast Amazon River unfolds before you. A team of expert naturalists will share their insight into this rich and complex ecosystem and help you identify fascinating species like the radiant large-billed toucan, pink river dolphin, and South American oriole. Across the basin’s planes, jabiru storks methodically search for food in the shallows, three-toed sloths move between trees in a slow-motion ballet, and hawks, kites, and turkey vultures glide overhead.

Day 4 Río Amazonas / Río Ucayali

Awaken in the heart of the Amazon Basin, where the dense jungle teems with the greatest diversity of plant and animal life on Earth and the perfect serenity of the river is broken only by the occasional fisherman paddling by in a traditional dugout canoe.

This afternoon on the shores of the Amazon, meet with ribereños, or river people, in their village which has been inhabited for generations. Here, the villagers maintain conservation efforts to raise several of the thousands of butterfly species that live in the Amazon’s unique ecosystem, including the rare electric-blue morpho.

Day 5 Río Amazonas / Río Ucayali / Río Marañón / Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

This morning, embark one of the vessel’s small excursion boats to explore the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, the largest wetlands reserve in the world. This area is home to the endearing capybara—a large, semi-aquatic rodent endemic to South America—and a profusion of rare palms, orchids, and other tropical plants that flourish at ground level. Watch for pink and gray river dolphins swimming alongside your boat.

After lunch, board a small river skiff in search of exotic wildlife, including toucans and saddleback tamarin monkeys, and marvel at the giant Victoria amazonica water lilies.

Day 6 Río Marañón / Río Pucate / Río Ucayali

Under the shade of a magnificent rainforest canopy, enjoy a picnic breakfast while you watch for white-necked heron and wattled jacana dipping into nearby shallow waters. Walk through this mysterious realm of soaring ceiba trees that reach as high as 200 feet, listen for endangered scarlet macaws chattering in the canopy, and watch for egrets, oriole blackbirds, and purple gallinules.

This afternoon, by special arrangement, meet a local shaman, or medicine man, who will perform a traditional ritual and explain how the ribereños have used indigenous medicinal plants and herbs to cure ailments for centuries. Participate in a traditional Amazonian tree-planting ceremony dedicated to ensuring the longevity and well-being of the rainforest.

This evening, search for elusive nocturnal creatures such as caimans and bats on a nighttime excursion into the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve—a vast blanket of stars glow above you, impossibly bright this close to the Equator.

Day 7 Río Marañón / Nauta

Enter a virtually uninhabited portion of the Amazon where the river narrows. Board excursion boats and cruise along labyrinthine blackwater tributaries while the vessel’s naturalists point out animal and plant life rarely detected by the untrained eye. Then, try your hand at catching a red-bellied piranha during a fishing expedition.

This afternoon, stop in a local village for a demonstration on how to prepare Amazonian specialties, including Juanes, a regional favorite made of chicken and rice wrapped in banana leaves. Later, visit another Amazonian village where you will learn more about the ribereños’ timeless way of life and special relationship with this remarkable environment.

Enjoy a final evening of cruising the Amazon. Gather on the vessel’s upper deck for a festive farewell as the sun sets over the lush flora of the passing rainforest.

Day 8 Nauta / Disembark river boat / Iquitos / Fly to Lima

Following breakfast, disembark and continue to the Iquitos Handicraft Market en route to the airport.

Fly from Iquitos to Lima, where day-room accommodations have been reserved. Stay overnight near the airport before the Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley Post-Tour Option. Or, late tonight, board your return flight to the U.S.