Home ::: Amazon & Andes ::: Amazon Jungle Cruise Amazon Jungle Cruise © Your Itinerary - Your Ship - Trip Extensions Your riverboat, the M/V Rio Amazonas, takes you 325 miles down river from Iquitos, Peru, stopping along the way for shore excursions, and ultimately reaching Tres Fronteras, where the borders of Peru, Colombia and Brazil meet. There you will have the opportunity to explore the frontier river towns of Leticia, Columbia and Tabatinga, Brazil. From there, the M/V Rio Amazonas heads back up river and different shore excursions and activities are made on the return trip back to Iquitos. Since the ship travels at night and during lunches, you will witness new sights and wonders daily! Jungle nature walks take you deep into the rainforest where knowledgeable, naturalist guides will explain native uses for the various plants, identify wildlife, and reveal fascinating secrets of Amazon lore. You will also visit villages of the Yagua, Bora and Huitoto tribes and learn of their indigenous cultures. Visits with the various peoples along the river will give you insight into man's relationship to the greatest ecosystem on earth and the fate of the Amazon rainforest. The experience of cruising on the Amazon River is unique in the world of travel. Cruise itineraries (see sample itinerary inside) take advantage of changing conditions along the river; no two cruises will be exactly alike, but each cruise promises moments which will be forever etched in your memory. You will voyage by night up uncharted tributaries, deep into the jungle to listen to the mysterious sounds of the rainforest and perhaps spot the eyes of a caiman glowing in the dark. You will travel to remote backwater lakes to fish for the legendary piranha and stroll the streets of Pevas, the oldest town on the Peruvian Amazon, and much more! Back to top Your Itinerary DAY 1, Saturday: Upon arrival in Lima, Peru, you are met at the airport by local staff personnel who will assist with your luggage and then transfer you into town to a nice hotel in the upscale suburb of Miraflores for the overnight stay. DAY 2, Sunday: After breakfast, a morning flight to Iquitos takes you from the urban jungle to the rainforest jungle and your first look at the world's largest river, the Amazon! After the airport reception in Iquitos you have a quick look at this unique rainforest city as you are transferred downtown to the local office and dock for the midday boarding of the M/V Rio Amazonas in time for lunch. After checking your luggage and cabin assignments, as the ship departs downriver, you can absorb the dramatic scenery of the town's waterfront as vestiges of industrialization quickly give way to native thatched houses along the shore. During the buffet lunch, the local guide provides an orientation about the ship. Before sunset, lectures and discussions about the Amazon ecosystem and native cultures help prepare you for the week's upcoming activities. The evening is free so you may relax and absorb the beauty of the world's largest rainforest. Sunsets are a special time in Amazonia as they can provide an unbelievable myriad of colors. Later, the dark Amazon sky becomes nature's own planetarium with its open expanse of brilliant stars, providing hours of delight, as you look for the Southern Cross, shooting stars, and the band of the Milky Way as the ship continues down the Amazon River. (B/L/D) DAY 3, Monday: A morning excursion in an open air motor-launch for birdwatching and nature viewing introduces you to the sights, sounds and smells of the Amazon rainforest. Later in the morning is a visit to local Bora and Huitoto Indian villages to learn of their indigenous cultures, including native dance demonstrations and a bit of bartering for handicrafts. You can even try your skill with a blowgun! After lunch (and time for siesta) is a walking excursion in the Shishita River area on jungle trails through the dense forest. After dinner, a nighttime boating expedition up a small tributary into the jungle for exploration and the opportunity to hear the mysterious sounds of the rainforest after dark. (B/L/D) DAY 4, Tuesday: The morning begins with a combination of boating and a short jungle walk to see the giant Victoria Regia water lilies, followed by a piranha fishing expedition on a small backwater lake. Cane fishing poles are provided and, if successful, you may have your catch for dinner! (Keep in mind that more people eat piranha than piranha eat people, and even if you are not successful catching them, you will not go hungry!) After lunch, the afternoon activity is a visit to the missionary village at Lake Caballococha to see how people along the river live and have adapted to this unique environment. After sunset, a boat trip across the lake to look for Amazon caiman in the reedy shallows along the shore. Their eyes glow red when spotted by the guide's flashlight! (B/L/D) DAY 5, Wednesday: Early arrival in Tres Fronteras opposite Leticia, Colombia, and Tabatinga, Brazil, and a transfer by launch to these neighboring towns. The morning is free for personal exploration of these isolated frontier towns, wither it be visiting the local ethnography museum, markets, shopping, or just relaxing in a street-side cantina/restaurant. (An option upon arrival is a city tour including the local zoo which is small but recommended.) After lunch, the M/V Rio Amazonas begins its journey back up river. A late afternoon rainforest excursion is planned in the Cayaru area to look for pink dolphins and wildlife viewing. (B/L/D) DAY 6, Thursday: The morning begins with a excursion up the Ataquari River for nature viewing and fishing. An afternoon stop at the remote leper hospital of San Pablo, will give you time to learn of this unique jungle clinic, famous throughout South America in years of old and also browse in the primitive "gift shop" which sells handicrafts made by the patients and . After dinner is a nighttime cruise on the Mayaruna River to look for caiman and listen to the nocturnal wildlife as you drift quietly along the banks. (B/L/D) DAY 7, Friday: After a short stop at Pijuayal, a Peruvian checkpoint, the M/V Rio Amazonas continues up river to Pevas, the oldest Peruvian town on the Amazon River. A visit with a nearby group of Yagua natives allows for trading of manufactured goods for their handicrafts made from local materials. Once only a small Yagua Indian village, Pevas is now a small town with 2,000 inhabitants, a plaza, church, school and a 6-team soccer league. Founded in 1735, Pevas is also home to Francisco Grippa, a famous Peruvian artist, who welcomes visitors to his home and studio. His gallery of unique paintings provides another chance to take home a colorful memory of the Amazon rainforest. (B/L/D) DAY 8, Saturday: After breakfast and arrival in Iquitos (for those connecting through Lima for the return home and not overnighting extra days), you have some free time to explore, relax or shop in this unique town of the rubber boom era. Iquitos and its markets are full of activity and interesting sights. Motorized rickshaws are the principal means of transportation in town and a ride on one is well worth the inexpensive price! The local staff personnel will assist with the transfer to the airport and check-in for the midday flight to Lima. You are then met at the Lima airport and for the holdover (until the night flights back to the USA for those not overnighting extra days) and we will transfer you into Miraflores to the hotel previously stayed in for the first night, where we will have a day room available to store luggage, etc. In the evening, the local personnel will transfer back to the airport those with night flights out. During the afternoon you have free time to walk around, shop, relax, etc., or you can arrange independent optional explorations, activities, museum visits, etc., with the local personnel. Those returning to the USA will be assisted with their night connecting flights, which arrive in the USA early on Sunday morning, allowing for morning connections back to their home city. (For an additional $75, you may choose to overnight in Lima on this Saturday night and fly out either the next morning or next night - hotel and transfers included.) As you can see with this standard schedule, a great variety of activities are planned for your enjoyment and education on the culture and nature of Amazonia. You can take advantage of all at your own pace and interests. Just as nature is in a constant state of change, the daily schedule will be responsive to the current weather, water levels, plant and animal cycles, and cultural events. Back to top Your Ship The M/V Rio Amazonas is one of the most popular riverboats on the Amazon River. Having an excellent natural history program and top naturalist guides, our Amazon Jungle Cruise provides one of the world's best adventure travel values! The 146 feet long M/V Rio Amazonas has been designed as an informal cruise ship which enables the international traveler to explore remote regions of the upper Amazon in basic comfort. Acting as a "mother ship," the M/V Rio Amazonas has its own shore boats for the varied daily excursions that provide an insightful look at life along the Amazon. The ship's design provides plenty of space on its three decks and has 21 passenger cabins, all on the upper decks. Each private cabin is air conditioned, has two lower berth, twin beds with reading lamps, its own private bath/shower, and a small writing desk and chair. Picture windows in each cabin provide for a perfect view of the river. Water for the showers is filtered on the ship's top observation deck and though it is not heated (except by the sun), it is not exactly cold either - a great way to get refreshed after a jungle excursion. The dining room, where delicious buffet style meals are served, is air conditioned as well. The ship's bar is well stocked with cold drinks and there is ample deck area, covered and uncovered, with comfortable deck chairs and hammocks, for a leisurely look at life on the river. The ship is connected by radio with the main office in Iquitos. Back to top Explorations Inc. is licensed and registered with the State of Florida as a Seller of Travel. The phone number for the Florida Department of Commerce is 904-488-2221 and our SOT registration number is 15176. We are also registered in California as Seller of Travel #2021110-40. We are also an TSI Member of IATAN (International Airlines Travel Agent Network). An escrow account for trip payments is available - call for details and account number. Additional professional and client references are available upon request. Click here to contact us. Click here to go to our Photo Gallery. Explorations Inc. 27655 Kent Rd Bonita Springs, FL 34135 Phone: 1-239-992-9660 or toll free 1-800-446-9660 (in USA, Canada, P.R.) Back to top