MOTOR YACHT AQUA EXPEDITIONS

Embark on the voyage of a lifetime, sailing the earth’s mightiest river — the Amazon. The first luxury vessel in the region, the M/V Aqua caters to the most adventurous of the world, providing an unforgettable journey into areas penetrated by only a privileged few. As the ship docks along the river, knowledgeable and experienced naturalists will take you, via small launches, into remote estuaries in the Peruvian Rainforest and the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. As you explore these pristine wilderness areas teeming with wildlife, you will also encounter local people living in villages as they have for centuries. And when the day’s sightseeing is over, the comforts of your luxurious floating hotel will await you.

Location:

Amazon River voyages depart from the port city of Iquitos, Peru. Iquitos is served by numerous daily flights from Lima, Peru’s capital. The flights take one hour and twenty-five minutes.

Amenities /Attractions:

You may choose three-, four-, or seven-night itineraries. Each day will bring amazing new wonders, as you set out with guides in a fleet of three launches to float toward the source of the mighty Amazon. Each day, you will explore the small islets and various winding river systems that make up the flooded forest. Pacaya Samiria Reserve, located on the headwaters of the Amazon basin, spans more than five million acres. Twice the size of Yellowstone Park, it teems with wildlife and aquatic life. You will have the opportunity to see hundreds of species, including the endangered pink Amazon dolphin, black alligator, and giant river otter.

Seasons:

Aqua Expeditions operates year-round, and every voyage is uniquely appealing, based on the changing seasons. During the flooded season, the river and estuaries grow, allowing launch boats to venture deeper into the flooded forest. During the dry season, the river recedes and beautiful sandy river beaches form.

Weather:

The weather in Iquitos is warm and humid with average annual maximum temperature of 31ºC (88ºF) and minimum of 21ºC (70ºF). The dry season (June-November) and the flooded season (December-May) feature particular differences in the plant and animal life as well as in the climate. Conditions on the river change with the seasons, but each rewards you in different ways.

Wildlife:

When you arrive at the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, you will enter a world filled with birds in neon-brilliant colors, playful monkeys, graceful hawks and herons and millions of butterflies. You will have the opportunity to see hundreds of species, including the endangered pink Amazon dolphin, the rare giant river otter—and perhaps, if you are very lucky—a sleek, black jaguar. In this glorious environment parrots and macaws perch in trees as though posing, fuzzy orange and chic black howler monkeys munch on the treetop leaves, pre-historic looking iguanas, like mini-dinosaurs, laze in the sun. You will have the chance to watch long-legged cormorants fish for their dinner, and will probably see alligators cooling themselves in the river and possibly from a safe distance the legendary boa constrictor.

Itinerary for the dry season:

Day 01 Saturday: Iquitos - Amazon River

5:00 p.m. Arrival. Your guides await you when you will arrive from Lima. After you have claimed your luggage, you will board an air-conditioned bus and transfer to Iquitos’ main wharf. There the M/V Aqua lies at anchor awaiting your arrival. As you settle into your over-sized suite, the 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.
8:00 p.m. Safety drill and briefing on the Top Deck. Before dinner there will be performed a routine safety drill. Following that the 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.
8:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner. Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world’s best. Here it is presented with a touch of European flair; 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.

Day 02 Sunday: Amazon - Tahuayo – Rivers and Charo Lake

6:30 a.m. Breakfast. Be up early to catch the sun on the river. The sumptuous daily breakfast buffet features a broad choice of traditional breakfast egg dishes, plus Peruvian specialties and fresh-squeezed fruit juices.
7:30 a.m. Tahuayo River Exploration and Fishing Trip at Charo Lake. This morning you will board the 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 you float down the Tahuayo, occasional fishermen paddling in their dug-out canoes will give you a cheerful greeting. Keep your binoculars ready to spot a vast variety of wildlife: terns, orioles, blackbirds, black collared hawks, monkeys, and sloth. 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 naturalist guides will also tell you the story of the lake and its inhabitants.
11:00 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.
1:00 p.m. Lunch. Enjoy lighter mid-day fare in the 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. Amazon folklore says that if you touch an iguana, you will develop some of their traits; nobody wants to be ugly, so the iguanas are well protected. You will pass by in the skiff, giving you a chance to snap good photos. For sun set you will might have the chance 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. You will return to the M/V Aqua vessel and continue the 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

Day 03 Monday: Marañon River - Pacaya - Samiria National Reserve (Nauta Caño and Yanayacu-Pucate)
6:30 a.m. Breakfast
Today you can choose between two options:
Option 1: Full-Day Excursion with a Picnic Lunch at Ranger Station No. 2.
7:30 a.m. Full-Day Excursion at Ranger Station No. 2. Travel by skiff from Yanayacu Creek all the way to remote Chingana, a small creek where giant river otter usually nest. These handsome animals were killed in great numbers for their pelts, and are now threatened with extinction. On this excursion, you will also see howler and capuchin monkeys, the squirrel-sized monkeys called tamarins, pink and gray river dolphins, and a vast variety of birds. You will also be taken deep into the jungle, where you will encounter wildlife and learn of first-hand about the important medical value of jungle plants. You will see the 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 you return to the vessel. 4:00 p.m. Arrive at the M/V Aqua.
Option 2: Guided Jungle Walk/Siesta/Monkey and Dolphin Expedition.
8:30 a.m. Guided Jungle Walk at Ranger Station No. 1. This morning a 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. The ranger may also show you the artificial nests created on the sand to protect turtle eggs. 11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua / 12:30 p.m. Lunch, followed by a Siesta / 4:00 p.m. Monkey and Dolphin Expedition. In the late afternoon 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.
6:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua.
7:30 p.m. Dinner
8.30 p.m. Optional Night Excursion. This evening you will take the skiffs in search of caimans, tree boas, tarantulas, and frogs. After this night adventure, the M/V Aqua will start sailing downstream on the Marañon River, toward the headwaters of the Amazon.

Day 04 Tuesday: Birthplace of the Amazon - Puerto Miguel Village and Marayali River

5:30 a.m. Birthplace of the Amazon. 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 and be on your skiffs at 5:30 a.m. 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.
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Puerto Miguel Village. You 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 trade items for local handicrafts.
11:00 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. Ucayali River and Yucuruche Lake. This afternoon you will travel by skiff along the Ucayali river to Yucuruche Lake, where you 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 at night.
7:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
8:30 p.m. Dinner. Meet new friends—those taking the four-night journey—over dinner.

Day 05 Wednesday: Ucayali River - Yanallpa Area

7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Jungle Walk to Yanallpa Lake. This morning you will go in search of the bizarre-looking birds called hoatzins, which live in huge colonies in a very strange Jurassic Park-like lake. As you hike, your guides will teach you orientation techniques used in the deep jungle.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch
4:00 p.m. Ucayali Exploration and Discovery Tour. This afternoon you 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—which they are taking to the market in the small village of Requena. You will also find a banana balsero raft, loaded with hundreds of clusters of bananas, drifting down the river to market.
6:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
7:30 p.m. Dinner
8:30 p.m. Night Trip at Sapote River. Your guides will show you several types of caiman, members of the alligator family, along the fish-rich Sapote River. Chances are good that you will surprise other night-dwelling creatures as well.
10:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua to sail upstream on the Puinahua River.

Day 06 Thursday: Pacaya River Exploration

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.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch
4:00 p.m. Pacaya River Exploration, Plus Night Trip from Ranger Station No. 1 to Yanayacu Lake
In the late afternoon you will take the 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. As the sun sets you will hear 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.
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.
8:00 p.m. Dinner

Day 07 Friday: Puinahua - Pacaya Rivers and Carocurahuayte Lake

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. You will also go to the dolphin feeding spots along Yanayacu Lake, where you will be delightfully surrounded by these creatures while enjoying a light breakfast and fresh juice.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua. You will begin the homeward journey, sailing toward Iquitos.
12:30 p.m. Lunch
3:30 p.m. Sapote River Fishing Trip. Armed with poles and bait, you will be taken 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.
6:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua. You will sail downstream all night, as you make your 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 guides 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.

Day 08 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
8:30 a.m. Last Skiff Trip (optional). A brief skiff trip along the majestic Amazon will give you a last chance to photograph the wildlife of the jungle.
10:00 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 a light lunch.
12:40 p.m. Disembarkation/City Tour and Transfer to the Airport. Your afternoon in the remote city of Iquitos, accessible only by river or air, will not disappoint you. This bustling town, complete with a house built by Gustave Eiffel, was once a rich center of the rubber industry. After a city tour, you will make a stop at San Juan Amazonian Indians’ Market for some last-minute shopping.
4:00 p.m. Arrive at Iquitos International Airport, where your guides will help you check-in and will wait with you until you flight departs.
5:30 p.m. Flight Departs for Lima

Note: All itineraries are subject to change, due to weather and other conditions. All times indicated are approximate, and are also subject to change.