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Day
1 - Tuesday: Arrival / Nauta / Embarkation / Marañon River
3:30 p.m. Flight from Lima LP 382
In just an hour and 45 minutes you will be in the heart of the
Peruvian Amazon region.
5:15 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.
5:40 p.m. Transfer to Nauta’s main wharf.
Enjoy a scenic one-and-a-half hour drive through the Peruvian
countryside to the small village of Nauta. You will be traveling
along the only road out of town . . . and it only goes as far as
Nauta.
7:30 p.m. 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 four days, you will also sail along the largest tributaries
of the Amazon, as well as the mighty Amazon itself. You are embarking
on a spectacular adventure, to a place visited by only a few of
the most experienced world travelers.
8:00 p.m. Safety Drill and Briefing on the Upper 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 journey into the Amazon.
8:30 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 the Lima. Schiaffino’s recipes, with the imaginative use
of local products – fruit, fish, spices – make 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. |
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Day
2 - Wednesday: Ucayali / Yanallpa / Dorado Rivers / Pacaya Samiria
National Reserve
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Yanallpa River Expedition
This morning we will board the skiffs to explore this amazing black
water stream, 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.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch
4:00 p.m. Dorado River Exploration and Night Excursion
This afternoon we will take a magical journey 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.
7:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
8:00 p.m. Dinner |
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Day
3 - Thursday: Puinahua River / Hatum Posa Lake / Pacaya River
6:30 a.m. Hatum Posa Lake Expedition
This morning we will rise as early as the sun to cruise this beautiful
and intricate ox-bow lake. As we follow its shore, we will almost
certainly surprise 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 blackwater lakes linked to this huge lake in the flooded forest.
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Jungle Walk Near Hatum Posa or Village Visit
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. As your adventure takes
you deep in the primary forest, your guides will also show you the
wealth of fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle
– and will reveal some of the plants’ secrets.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua, where you will be greeted
with a cooling towel and fresh fruit juice.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
Enjoy time to relax with a good book, or just watch the river bank
pass by.
4:00 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 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, 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
8:00 p.m. Dinner
After your gourmet meal, why not sit out on the top deck and
study the canopy of stars? They glisten like thousand-watt bulbs
here, in a world without electric lighting to diminish the impact.
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Day
4 - Friday: Puinahua / Pacaya Rivers and Carocurahuayte Lake
6:30 a.m. Pacaya Exploration and Breakfast Aboard the Skiffs
Back on the 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.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
As our journey nears its end, your luxurious home away from home
starts to sail back down the river toward Iquitos. It isn’t
over yet however. A new adventure awaits you this afternoon.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
3:30 p.m. Carocurahuayte Lake/Fishing Trip
This afternoon, we will travel to this splendid “hot spot”
lake, where you will be certain to catch some of the more than 3,000
species of tropical fish that live in the Amazon basin. Our key
focus will be on piranhas, those small, sharp-teethed carnivorous
fish with a big reputation for being scary. Catching one will make
for great cocktail conversation back home.
6:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
Once we are back onboard, the ship will continue its journey down
stream, sailing toward Iquitos through the night.
7:00 p.m. Briefing in the Top Lounge - Recap of Itinerary and
Sightings
8:00 p.m. Farewell Dinner
Leaving the peace and beauty of the jungle behind, we will enjoy
our final dinner together, swapping stories about the wonderful
experiences shared on the river.
9:00 p.m. Crew Presentation
After dinner, your guides will introduce some of the crew members
that you have not yet met, but who have been busy with the “behind
the scenes” work that has helped to create a seamless experience. |
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Day
5 - Saturday: Arrival in Iquitos / Check out and Disembark
at the main Wharf / City tour / 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 floating in skiffs
through the lively riverside community of Belen, in Iquitos. 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.
10:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
Sadly, it’s time to finish packing. Please leave your packed
suitcases in your suite for pickup before going to lunch.
12.00 p.m.
Light 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. 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, including 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.
4:30 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.
5:50 p.m. Your Flight Departs for Lima LP 383 |
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2012
Departures: Jan 3,10,17,24,31; Feb 7,14,21,28; Mar 6,13,20,27; Apr 3,10,17,24; May 1,8,15,22,29;
Jun 5,12,19,26; Jul 3,10,17,24,31; Aug 7,14,21; Sep 11,18,25; Oct 2,9,16,23,30; Nov 6,13,20,27;
Dec 4,25 |
