Peru Amazon River Cruise - Dec to May - ZAFIRO - 4 Nights

You will be picked up at the airport and brought to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Iquitos where you will enjoy a delicious lunch before being transferred by private vehicle to the main dock of the city of Iquitos to board the cruise ship.

Our staff will show you to your suite, which will be equipped with comfortable beds, 100% Peruvian Pima cotton sheets, cotton bathrobes, air conditioning and a private bathroom with a shower and amenities.

Before setting sail, our bartender will serve you a cocktail prepared with local fruit and pisco, the most popular liquor in Peru. You can sip it while enjoying 360° views from the observation deck or a panoramic view from the indoor or outdoor lounge.

After setting sail, our naturalist guides will offer an overview of the travel itinerary, including activities, routes, information about wildlife and vegetation, geographical and historical context, as well as other useful info. If you have any doubts or concerns, our guides are always available to answer your questions.

We will then enjoy the welcome dinner. Start your journey by sampling the selected wines and dining Peruvian cuisine with an Amazon flare. There are many options on our menu, including vegetarian alternatives. Please let us know in advance if you have any special dietary needs.

After dinner, you will be able to take in stunning views of the starry night sky while we start our journey to the depth of the Amazon rainforest.

Before breakfast, we will go out for a boating expedition on the Amazon River to explore the local flora and fauna.

When you get back, enjoy our breakfast buffet, which offers a daily selection of traditional dishes, Peruvian specialties, freshly baked goods and a range of freshly squeezed juices.

After breakfast, we will head out to see the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón rivers, which give rise to the Amazon River. Here we will observe pink and gray river dolphins.

We will go back to the boat for lunch by midday and then have time to rest. Make sure you attend the talk about the source of the Amazon and the hydrography of the river so that you will be up to speed for our walk to Puerto Prado, where we will see the “Victoria Regias”, the largest water lily in the world.

We will then head back to the boat for dinner and live music. After dinner, we will enjoy a nighttime outing in search of caimans, tarantulas, frogs and other nocturnal species.

Breakfast and outing on a skiff to different lakes and lagoons, until we reach the Japanese Lagoon. There, we will enjoy a picnic and one of the best conserved and protected areas of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. It is also a popular spot to view pink river dolphins from the skiff.

Before heading back to the Zafiro, we will take a trip to the Yanaquillo.

Once we are back on the cruise ship, we will get ready to go kayaking and take a dip in the black waters.

Head back for lunch aboard the Zafiro. Before starting the afternoon activity, our guides will give a talk about the Amazon philosophy.

Afterward, we will take a walk through the rainforest overhanging bridges, where you can admire the riches of the rainforest from the treetops.

Once we are back on the Zafiro, our bartender will give a demonstration of how to make Peruvian cocktails, and we will then enjoy live music while we await the gala dinner with the captain.

Breakfast and visit to the community of San Regis, where we’ll learn about the local people’s way of life and traditions.

We will also learn about their ancestral traditions from the community’s shaman. With our guides as interpreters, we will be able to ask questions about spiritual connections and curing the soul. We will then continue the ceremony by planting a tree as a positive contribution to the environment. There, we will also see a market set up by women from the community to sell their handmade crafts.

Head back for lunch aboard the Zafiro. After resting, the guides will tell us about the myths and legends of the Amazon.

In the afternoon, we will head out on a skiff to the Shiriyacu stream. There, we will find a good spot to do some piranha fishing using local techniques and equipment. Back on the boat, we will enjoy the stunning colors of the sunset.

Back on the Zafiro, you will have some time to relax and enjoy live music before the presentation by the crew and farewell dinner.

Before breakfast, we will visit Nauta, the second most important city in the region. Upon arriving, we will take a motorcycle taxi to the local market where we will see what business in the city is like firsthand.

Visit to the Sapi Sapi lagoon, an arapaima hatchery. This is the second-largest freshwater fish in the world. Discover a new habitat, surrounded by fruit trees. We will also see Arrau turtles, butterflies and different species of birds and fish that call this lagoon home.

After, we will head back to the Zafiro for breakfast.

After breakfast, we will begin disembarking. On the way to the airport, we will stop by the Amazon Rescue Center (CREA), where biologists and volunteers take care of manatees – an endangered species – rescued by the authorities. We will see how the manatees are cared for and prepped for reinsertion into their natural habitat. We will also get to see other animals that have been rescued from attempts to turn them into pets and other dangerous situations.

Afterward, you will be transferred to the airport.