5-Day Amazon River Luxury Cruise from Iquitos on the 'Zafiro'

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Day 1 - Saturday: NAUTA - SAN JOAQUÍN DE OMAGUAS - AMAZON RIVER
3 stops
1
You’ll be picked up at the airport and brought to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotels Iquitos where you’ll enjoy a delicious lunch before being transferred by private vehicle to Nauta to board the cruise ship.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
2
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.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
3
We’ll 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’ll be able to take in stunning views of the starry night sky while we start our journey to San Joaquín de Omaguas.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 2
Sunday: PACAYA SAMIRIA NATIONAL RESERVE -AMAZON RIVER -UCAYALI AND MARAÑÓN RIVER CONFLUENCE -MARAÑÓN RIVER -NAUTA CREEK
3 stops
4
Before breakfast, you can go out for a boating expedition on the Amazon River to explore the local flora and fauna. When you get back, you’ll enjoy our breakfast buffet, which offers a daily selection of traditional dishes, Peruvian specialties, freshly baked goods and freshly squeezed juices.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
5
After breakfast, we’ll hear a talk on the source of the Amazon River and later head out to see the confluence of the Ucayali y Marañón rivers. We’ll then take a walk to Puerto Prado to see the “Victoria Regias”, the largest water lily in the world. There, we’ll also see a market set up by women from the community to sell their handmade crafts.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
6
By midday, we’ll be back at the boat for some lunch and rest before heading out to Nauta Caño, where you’ll see the “Forrest of Mirrors”. This is the perfect place to spot toucans, parrots, macaws, iguanas, sloths and monkeys in the treetops. Before heading back on board, we’ll take a nighttime outing in search of caimans, tarantulas and other species that make an appearance only after the sun goes down. Dinner will then be served aboard the Zafiro.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 3
Day 3 - Monday: MARAÑÓN RIVER - YANAYACU OF PUCATE - SAN REGIS
1 stop
7
After having some breakfast, we’ll take a skiff out on the Yanayacu de Pucate River and do some piranha fishing using local techniques. We’ll then head back for lunch aboard the Zafiro. Before starting the afternoon activity, there will be a talk about the philosophy of the Amazon. Afterward, we’ll take a walk over hanging bridges, where you can admire the riches of the rainforest from the treetops. Once we’re back on the Zafiro, there will be time for resting and enjoying live music while we await the gala dinner with the captain.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Day 4 - Tuesday: MARAÑÓN RIVER - SAMIRIA RIVER - SAN REGIS
3 stops
8
In the morning, we’ll enjoy a nice picnic on the Samiria River, where you’ll be able to kayak and swim in the black waters. We’ll head back to the boat for lunch by midday.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
9
After resting, our guides will offer some information about the myths and legends of the Amazon, which will help during our afternoon activity: a visit to the local San Regis community, where we’ll learn about the local way of life and traditions. We’ll also learn about their ancestral traditions with a shaman. With our guides as interpreters, you’ll be able to ask questions about spiritual connections and healing the soul. We’ll then continue the ceremony by planting a tree as a positive contribution to the environment.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
10
Back on the Zafiro, you’ll have some time to relax and enjoy live music before the presentation by the crew and farewell dinner.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Wednesday: MARAÑÓN RIVER - NAUTA TOWN - DISEMBARK IN NAUTA - IQUITOS
4 stops
11
Before breakfast, we’ll visit Nauta, the secondlargest city in the region. Upon arriving, we’ll take a motorcycle taxi to the local market where you’ll see what business in the city is like firsthand.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
12
Later, we’ll visit the Sapi Sapi lagoon, where arapaima, the second-largest freshwater fish in the world, are raised. Discover a new habitat surrounded by fruit trees. We’ll also see Arrau turtles, butterflies and different species of birds and fish that call this lagoon home. After, we’ll head back to the Zafiro for breakfast.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
13
After breakfast, we’ll begin disembarking. On the way to the airport, we’ll stop by the Amazon Rescue Center (CREA), where biologists and volunteers take care of manatees – an endangered species – rescued by the authorities. We’ll see how the manatees are cared for and prepped for reinsertion into their natural habitat. We’ll also get to see other animals that have been rescued from attempts to turn them into pets and other dangerous situations.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
14
Afterward, you’ll be transferred to the airport.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• The itineraries are subject to change according to climatic conditions at certain times of the year. The excursions can be modified at the discretion of the Zafiro crew.

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