Amatista Amazon Cruise

Amatista Amazon Cruise BY ADVENTURESMITH EXPLORATIONS www.adventuresmithexplorations.com

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UPDATED 3 weeks ago DURATION 9 Days SEASON January - December RATES USD 2,499.00 per person EXPIRES Dec 31, 2017
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The Amatista Amazon Cruise journey begins in Lima, Peru where you will take a private transfer to Iquitos to board your boat on the banks of the Amazon River. Then hop aboard a riverboat and experience the Amazon in style. Led by an Amazon Reserve naturalist guide, your cruise will include daily excursions by motorized skiff designed to reveal the exotic wildlife that calls the rainforest home – with any luck you’ll spot sloths, toucans or pink dolphins! And, with two full days for exploration in Pacaya–Samiria National Reserve, you'll have the chance to experience the jungle up close. The cuisine onboard is regional and provides a unique and delicious window into local culture. Gain a rare glimpse of how life "on the river" is lived and experience the magic of the Amazon on this once-in-a-lifetime riverboat adventure.

The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is one of the last accessible tropical rainforest in the world. Two thirds of the world’s plants and animal species make their home in this region, as well as many more that are yet to be discovered. The Reserve has an area of 2.08 million hectares, which represents a 1.5 percent of the total land area of the country and is the largest of Peru’s protected natural areas.

Exact routes and activities vary by season: High Water Season typically runs December through May, and Low Water Season June through November.

The Low Water/Dry Season, despite its name, still gets some heavy rains. These months allow for trail walks through the rainforest to explore deep in the jungle and experience the flora and fauna up close. During these months you are likely to catch a piranha and enjoy the dozens of migratory birds in flight.

The High Water/Flooded Season brings navigable rivers, creeks and lakes. You will get to explore more of the waterways of the Amazonia, and will have access to isolated corners of the reserve onboard speed boats. The rivers are 23 feet higher, so travelers get much closer to the jungle canopy, where monkeys play and beautiful Amazon birds like to roost. You are very likely to see many more mammals during the flooded season.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Sat - Lima

Arrive at any time and have a private transfer to your hotel. Take the time to explore the nation's capital and largest city. In the early evening, meet your group and review the details of your trip. Then head back out and try the local cuisine at one of the trendy fusion restaurants.

ACCOMMODATIONS: San Agustin Exclusive or similar

MEALS: n/a

Day 2: Sun - Lima & Río Marañon

Early flight to Iquitos where you will have a city orientation tour to explore its unique architecture, which is a 19th-century vestige of the era when European commercial barons held sway over life and culture here. Discover quiet places and shaded retreats amid the hustle and bustle of daily life in this jungle port city. Then visit and feed manatees at the Amazonian Manatee Rescue Center, an organization focused on rescuing orphaned manatees that were the victims of poaching.

Transfer to your home for next seven days aboard the Amazon river. Once on board the ship, relax and soak in the natural beauty of the wild rainforest. Step out on deck to watch the riverbanks go by, and keep eyes peeled for wildlife such as gray and pink dolphins. The ship casts off and makes its way to the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Amatista

MEALS: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 3: Mon - Río Marañon & Río Ucayali

Take an excursion by motorized skiff down the Amazon River and some of its tributaries to see the wonders of the rainforest. Keep an eye out for monkeys, sloths, and a variety of birds while exploring.

After lunch, enjoy a presentation on the Amazon River. Over the course of the next few days, the skiff and land excursions will be in the morning and late afternoon, when wildlife is at its liveliest. During the hotter hours of midday, expedition staff will present enthralling lectures on everything from the history and culture of the region to the Amazon’s prolific flora and fauna. There will be plenty of time to relax and enjoy the comfort of Amatista's observation deck.

In the late afternoon, walk along the banks of the Ucayali River to explore the Yucuruchi region of the Amazon, and to have the opportunity to see the Victoria Regia water lily — a gigantic aquatic plant with leaves that measure up to 10 ft (3m) in diameter. Keep a watch out for the Amazon River dolphin, giant otter, and the Amazonian manatee, which all make their home in Ucayali’s waters.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Amatista

MEALS: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4: Tue - Río Ucayali & Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

Take a morning skiff excursion into the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Peru's largest national park and home to more than 200 bird species and 10 primate species. Have the chance to view cocoi and striated herons, macaws, squirrel and woolly monkeys, caimans, and sloths. Follow a route that crosses the tributary waters of the Marañon. Return to the boat for lunch and afternoon lecture on Shamanism.

In the afternoon, you will be treated with a rare meeting of a practicing shaman in a river village and gain firsthand insight into Shamanism. Be introduced to his spiritual healing craft and learn about rainforest plants that indigenous peoples have, for untold centuries, held to possess curative properties.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Amatista

MEALS: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 5: Wed - Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

Go on an early morning excursion to watch for iguanas, river turtles, cormorants, or wattled jacana. Then you will be welcomed into the home of a local Indian family. Share conversation over a midday meal, and be introduced to their culture and way of life.

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure and rest for a nighttime boat ride in the rainforest. Be on the lookout for bats, capybaras, black caimans, poison frogs, and a vast number of other species. See if your flashlights will reflect the ‘red eye shine’ of the black caiman or show the glowing yellow eyes of a jaguar!

ACCOMMODATIONS: Amatista

MEALS: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6: Thu - Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

Rise early and set out to explore the impressive biodiversity of the area's unusual ecosystem. Look for a quiet spot to enjoy a picnic breakfast, followed by a trip to explore Choroyacu. Ride up the Nahuapa River for piranha fishing. Piranhas are a dietary staple for many of the Amazon rainforest’s indigenous people and regarded as some of the best tasting fish in South America. After, visit Choroyacu Creek to have the opportunity to climb in a dugout canoe and explore this scenic area with the locals. Take a plunge into the river for a swim, perhaps sharing the water with some pink or grey river dolphins – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not to be missed.

Return to the riverboat to relax and opt to enjoy a video about the flooded forest. Witness the nocturnal life of the rainforest after dinner this evening, and venture out in small boats onto the Marañon River.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Amatista

MEALS: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7: Fri - Pacaya Samiria National Reserve & Iquitos

During the day, the ship returns to its home port of Iquitos. Before docking, there are a few more unique experiences to look forward to.

Pay a visit to the jungle town of Nauta, where the Ucayali and the Marañon — the major headstreams of the Amazon — join together. Ride the local motorcars and browse the local market to pick up some souvenirs. Visit the Sapisapi River and keep a look out for turtles along the way!

During the evening, celebrate with a farewell dinner and party with live music aboard the ship.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Amatista

MEALS: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 8: Sat - Iquitos & Lima

Disembark at Iquitos. Transfer to the airport for the flight back to Lima to meet your representative for a transfer to the hotel. Spend the afternoon and evening at your leisure in the City of Kings. Sip on a Pisco Sour or try some Peruvian ceviche in the lively city.

ACCOMMODATIONS: San Agustin Exclusive or similar

MEALS: breakfast

Day 9: Sun - Lima

Depart Lima at anytime.

ACCOMMODATIONS: n/a

MEALS: breakfast

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• flights between Lima and Iquitos
• arrival transfers from airport
• two nights comfort hotel in Lima including breakfast
• six nights aboard the M/V Amatista with breakfast, lunch and dinner including bottled water and non-alcoholic house beverages
• 2 Certified Amazon Reserve naturalist guides
• excursions as described in itinerary

NOTES

Alternative Itinerary: There is also a 7-day itinerary that sails every other week beginning in April 2017 that spends two fewer days cruising and arrives by transfer coach on Day 3 if you are short on time. Please inquire for pricing and details.

Use the itinerary as a guide only. Itineraries may be altered due to weather, wildlife, National Park regulation or at the captain's discretion. Exact routes and activities vary by season.

Activities include ecological walks at a moderate pace within the Natural Reserves, boat rides, piranha fishing, as well as night tours. Daily excursions to the Amazon rainforest may include walking on uneven ground and occasionally getting in or out of the boats may require some physical effort. The walks can last up to an hour. Some of the activities/excursions may require physical demands and long walks.