Departures: Tuesday
Day 1: Iquitos – Amazon River
In the afternoon, arrival to Iquitos international airport. Then, you will board a bus and transfer to Iquitos’ main wharf.
Journey toward the Yanayacu River, deep in the heart of Amazonas.
In the evening, brief orientation about life on board, where you will go and what you will see on your Amazon journey.
Welcome dinner. Overnight. (D).
Breackfast: not included Lunch: not Included Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 2: Amazon & Tahuayo Rivers and Charo Lake
Early in the morning, breakfast.
Then, Tahuayo River exploration and fishing trip at Charo Lake.
You will travel from the Amazon through the Huaysi short-cut canal to explore the Tahuayo black water river. Life jackets, ponchos, rubber boots and plenty of cold potable water will always be available for you on board. Keep your binoculars ready to spot a vast variety of wildlife: terns, orioles, blackbirds, black collared hawks, monkeys, and sloth share this wonderful environment with us. Upon arrival at Charo Lake, you can try to catch one of Amazon’s fearsome piranhas (and other fish as well). As you fish, trained naturalist guides will also tell you the story of the lake and its inhabitants. Return. Lunch.
Then, exploration of Yacapana Islands and Dolphin Sighting. Locals call the Yacapana Islands the “Iguana Islands”, because of the huge population of these reptiles crawling over the ground and resting in the tree tops. As the sun sets, oportunity to see and photograph both gray and pink freshwater dolphins.
Late afterning, journey upstream, toward the headwaters of the Amazon River, where the Ucayali, Marañon and the Amazon Rivers merge.
Dinner. Overnight. (B-L-D).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: Agency Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 3: Marañon River – Pacaya – Samiria National Reserve (Nauta Caño and Yanayacu-Pucate)
Early in the morning, breakfast.
Today you can choose between two options:
Option 1: Full day excursion with a picnic lunch at Ranger Station No. 2.
In the morning, journey from Yanayacu Creek all the way to remote Chingana, a small creek where giant river otter usually nest. These animals were killed in great numbers for their pelts, and are now threatened with extinction. On this excursion, you will also see howler and capuchin monkeys, the squirrel-sized monkeys called tamarins, pink and gray river dolphins, and a vast variety of birds. You will also be taken deep into the jungle, where you will encounter wildlife and learn first-hand about the important medical value of jungle plants. You will be able to appreciate the famous Kapok Trees (ceiba pentandra), the tallest trees in the Amazon Basin. Enjoy a generous picnic lunch at the park Ranger Station No. 2, before beginning the journey back to the vessel.
Option 2: Guided Jungle Walk / Monkey and Dolphin Expedition
In the morning, guided jungle walk at Ranger Station No. 1. You will learn about sustainable resource management projects in the Amazon. You will visit one of the projects, where villagers are planting palms to obtain oil. Return and lunch. Time to rest.
Then, monkey and dolphin expedition. You will observe two different kinds of freshwater dolphins —including the unusual pink— found in the Amazon, as well as several species of monkeys resident in the National Park and more than 200 species of birds.
Return and dinner. Overnight.
Optional night excursion to search of caimans, tree boas, tarantulas, and frogs. (B-L-D).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: Agency Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 4: Birthplace of the Amazon – Puerto Miguel Village and Marayali River
Early in the morning, visit to the birthplace of the Amazon. Journey along the edges of the vast Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, a flooded forest covering five million acres at the headwaters of the Amazon basin. Opportunity to appreciate one of the great spectacles of the Southern Hemisphere: the sun rising over the birthplace of the Amazon River. You will appreciate the union of two major tributaries, the Ucayali and the Marañon. Your dawn excursion will be accompanied by abundant bird song, as you glide in small boats past river banks populated by large-billed terns, laughing falcons, gray tanagers, sandpipers, five kinds of parakeets, the exotic short-tailed parrot, and dozens of other birds.
Breakfast.
Visit to Puerto Miguel native village, where you can meet and interact with local villagers from this most remote part of the world, and can learn about their culture, traditions and folklore. Return and lunch.
In the afternoon, Ucayali River and Yucuruche Lake. You will travel along the Ucayali River to Yucuruche Lake and walk into the jungle to see the world’s largest aquatic plant, the giant water lilies or “Victoria Regias”. Return and dinner.
Overnight. (B-L-D).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: agency Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 5: Ucayali River – Yanallpa Area
Breakfast and jungle walk to Yanallpa Lake. This morning you will go in search of the bizarre-looking birds called “hoatzins,” which live in huge colonies. Return and lunch.
In the afternoon, Ucayali exploration and discovery tour. You will cruise the majestic Ucayali River, giving you a chance to see and meet native balseros, or fishermen, who will demonstrate their skill. You will also find a “banana balsero” raft, loaded with hundreds of clusters of bananas, drifting down the river to market. Return and dinner.
Night trip at Sapote River. You will observe several types of caiman, members of the alligator family, along the fish-rich Sapote River. Return.
Overnight. (B-L-D).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: Agency Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 6: Puinahua River – Hatum Posa Lake and Pacaya River
Breakfast.
Jungle walk near Hatum Posa village. On this walk, you will be introduced to native people doing subsistence farming and learn how they learned to cultivate wild plants and trees to earn farm income. Deep in the primary forest, opportunity to observe fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle. Return and lunch.
In the afternoon, Pacaya River exploration and night trip from Range Station No. 1 to Yanayacu Lake. Journey along the Pacaya River, from Ranger Station No. 1 toward Yanayacu Lake, where you can appreciate the abundant life that is hidden in the deep rainforest. You may see saki monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and the easy-to-spot heavy howler monkeys. As the sun sets, you will hear the loud, ferocious sounding warning signals made by howler monkeys marking their territories. When night falls, you will hear the second movement of the Amazon rainforest symphony, as other nocturnal animals send their shrill calls across the tree tops. Opportunity to observe night creatures, including huge caimans.
Return and dinner. (B-L-D).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: Agency Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 7: Puinahua – Pacaya and Sapote Rivers
Early in the morning, Pacaya Exploration. Opportunity to observe parrots, macaws, toucans, and many different types of monkeys. You will also go to the dolphin feeding spots along Yanayacu Lake, where you will be delightfully surrounded by these creatures. Breakfast on board. Return and lunch.
In the afternoon, Sapote River Fishing Trip. Opportunity to observe more than 3,000 species of tropical fish that live in the Amazon basin, including piranhas. Return.
Farewell dinner. Overnight. (B-L-D).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: Agency Dinner: Agency Overnight: hotel
Day 8: Arrival to Iquitos city and Disembark at the main wharf – City tour and transfer to the airport
Breakfast.
Optional journey along the majestic Amazon and last chance to photograph the wildlife of the jungle. Return and light lunch.
In the afternoon, disembarkation – city tour and transfer to the airport.
You will see a house built by Gustave Eiffel, which once was a rich centre of the rubber industry. After the city tour, you will make a stop at San Juan Amazonian Indians’ Market for some last-minute shopping.
Arrival to Iquitos International Airport. (B-L).
Breackfast: Agency Lunch: Agency Dinner: not included Overnight: hotel
INCLUDED
- Excursions as described, transportation, entrances, specialised tour guide.
- Meals where stated (B=Breakfast/ L=Lunch/ D=Dinner).
- Transfer in / out Iquitos
NOT INCLUDED
- Services not specified in the programme, extras and tips.
- National flights to & from Iquitos
