Peru: Amazon Cruise

We have partnered with International Expeditions to bring you this incredible 7-night birding & wildlife exploration of Peru’s Amazonian wilderness. From our base aboard the elegant Zafiro, an 18-cabin luxury vessel, we will venture out several times a day via smaller skiffs up tributaries, and into oxbow lakes and reserves looking for a variety of birds & other wildlife.

Beginning in Lima, we take a morning flight to Iquitos, where we board the Zafiro and begin working our way upstream. We eventually will go beyond the confluence of the Ucayali & Marañon Rivers, which marks the beginning of the Amazon, all the way to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, a 5-million acre labyrinth of flooded forests, lagoons, and peaceful creeks, and the farthest point we reach. We then backtrack to the start of the Amazon, and turn up the Marañon, where we spend a day exploring before heading back to Iquitos. Each morning the view out of our rooms will be different, and birding from the upper observation deck will introduce us to some of the Amazon’s most common birds – Black-collared Hawk, Yellow-headed Caracara, Oriole Blackbird, Russet-backed Oropendola, and Masked Crimson Tanager, to name a few, while field trips can yield encounters with more localized species, such as the prehistoric Hoatzin, Festive Parrot, and Amazonian Streaked-Antwren. We can expect to see 4 species of macaw (Scarlet, Blue and Yellow, Chestnut-fronted, and Red-bellied), the incredible Jabiru, and the beautiful Plum-throated Cotinga and so much more. Encounters with Pink & Gray River Dolphins can happen at any time, and 6-8 species of monkeys are possible as well.

This unique experience serves not only to introduce participants to the creatures of the Amazon, but also to its habitats, peoples & cultures. After outings and between delicious onboard meals, lectures with the ship’s naturalists and guides (many grew up in local villages) are offered on a number of fascinating topics, from the ‘Headwaters of the Amazon’ to ‘Amazonian Myths & Legends.’ Visits to local villages, a school, and markets are included, and we’ll also have the opportunity to fish for piranha (with a bamboo pole) or learn how to make a traditional Peruvian dish with the onboard chef. Each evening we’ll enjoy happy hour, complete with cocktails, snacks, and live, Peruvian music prior to dinner, and afterwards there’s always the option for stargazing, which can be spectacular in this remote part of the world!
Join us for this immersive experience in one of nature’s greatest wildernesses – the incredible Amazon!

Itinerary in Brief

Some of the Wildlife we Hope to Encounter

Birds: Hoatzin, Undulated Tinamou, Horned Screamer, Muscovy Duck (the real, wild ones!), Jabiru; Black-collared, Crane, Slate-colored, and Zone-tailed Hawks; Great Black Hawk, Sungrebe, Large-billed & Yellow-billed Terns, Common & Great Potoos, Sand-colored Nighthawk, Black-tailed Trogon, Spot-breasted & Cream-colored Woodpeckers, Black & Yellow-headed Caracaras; Blue-and-yellow, Scarlet, Chestnut-fronted, and Red-bellied Macaws; Plum-throated Cotinga; Amazonian Umbrellabird, Black-capped Donacobius and so much more.

Mammals: Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Pygmy Marmoset, Saddle-backed Tamarin, Night Monkey, Dusky Titi Monkey, Common Squirrel Monkey, Bolivian Squirrel Monkey, Brown Capuchin, Red Howler Monkey, Woolly Monkey, South American Coati, Kinkajou, Neotropical River Otter, Giant River Otter, Pink River Dolphin, Gray River Dolphin, Capybara, and more.