Amazon Voyage

Iquitos to Iquitos

River/Canal Cruising | 9 Nights | Nature & Wildlife

The Greatest Voyage In Natural History

Top▲Highlights

The Amazon River, surrounding nearly half of the territory of Peru, is the mightiest river in the world, flanked by vast stretches of pristine rainforest. International Expeditions has been exploring the Amazon for all of our 29 years of existence, and we continue to be amazed at all we find on our 10-day Amazon Cruise.

The rainforest canopy shelters the richest and most diverse ecosystem on Earth, making it the perfect place for an Amazon River cruise. We begin our Amazon River tour in Iquitos, the world’s furthest inland seaport. The Amazon Cruise travels upstream along the Amazon’s tributaries, going deep into the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve — the largest wetland reserve in the world.

On our exclusive Amazon itinerary, you go deeper into the reserve and as a result, you see much more. On our Amazon Voyage, we’ll look for the Amazon’s myriad forms of wildlife — monkeys, birds, sloths and other mammals, pink and gray dolphins and many more. You might even spot the endangered giant otter or the rare harpy eagle on our Amazon Cruise.

Expert local naturalist guides and an expedition leader will accompany you on your Amazon travel expeditions. Many have worked with us for more than a decade. They are extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about the Amazon, with the uncanny ability to find wildlife and the desire to share their knowledge.

We hope you’ll join us on an Amazon Voyage — “the Greatest Voyage in Natural History”.

Top▲Itinerary

NOTE: All itineraries on the website are constantly being updated. This itinerary may not be the most current, so please check with one of the Specialty Cruise Advisors on the left to ensure that this is the most current one.

Top▲Dates & Prices

Seasonality

January to December

Note: Because conditions at the time of our visit and new opportunities always determine what is possible on the Amazon, our itinerary is flexible. The itinerary shown is a guide to what we may do, but it’s always subject to change.

All costs are per person based on double occupancy.

Single accommodations are limited and are available on the Lower Deck only.

Plus In-Country Airfare:
Lima / Iquitos / Lima $300, subject to change
Must be purchased through International Expeditions.

2009 Sailings:
Kids 7-16 receive a $150 discount off double occupancy rate.

This example may be available on other dates or with different itineraries. We will gladly research other options for you! Special savings may be available for groups of 6 or more. Prices shown are per person, based on double occupancy, for standard and/or inside stateroom unless stated otherwise, are capacity controlled and are subject to availability. Fare is shown in US dollars unless otherwise stated. Government Fees and Taxes are additional. Refer to appropriate supplier brochure for terms and conditions. Pricing for Singles, 3rd, 4th or 5th guests if available, will be provided upon request and is subject to stateroom category availability. Unless specified, airfare is not included. Full details of airfare offers will be provided upon request and may vary by departure location. Prices vary by date of travel, were available when written, but are subject to restrictions and availability when booked, and may be withdrawn at any time. Offer not combinable with other promotions or discount offers. FST #ST37451 / CST #2092247-50 / WST #602-708-936

Top▲What's Included

• Services of International Expeditions for complete pre-departure information to help you get the most out of your expedition.
• All scheduled transportation during the expedition unless otherwise specified.
• The services of experienced English-speaking local guides.
• All accommodations.
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners as specified by B, L and D respectively in the itineraries.
• All transfers and luggage handling when taking the group flights.

Shore Excursions and Activities (Included)   Show All Details    Hide All Details

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  Day 2 - Enjoy a Brief City Tour (Iquitos)

  Time permitting.

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  Day 3 - Enjoy an Excursion to a Rainforest by the Ucayali River (Ucayali River)

  Take an excursion into the surrounding rainforest in search of giant water lilies and elusive wildlife such as monkeys and sloths.

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  Day 4 - Visit the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Explore Caro Lake and Take a Nightime Boat Excursion (Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve)

  Our ship continues upriver to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. This afternoon, an excursion into this largest wetland reserve in the world provides the opportunity to see primates, including monk sakis, red howler, saddle-backed tamarin and squirrel monkeys. We explore Caro Lake, connected to the river by way of a very small stream, where we may find flocks of greater ani, often seen following monkeys in search of insects disturbed by the monkeys’ foraging. We enjoy a nighttime boat excursion for a chance to find caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs and other nocturnal wildlife.

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  Day 5 - Spend the Day Exploring Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve (Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve)

  All Day:

  We spend the day exploring this flooded realm, seeing wading birds such as herons, wattled jacanas and horned screamers. Parrots are common, including the endangered scarlet macaw. We’ll watch for giant river otters, which have become increasingly rare but still may be found within the reserve. We may also see massive black caimans and manatees. We enter an igapo (seasonally flooded forest), where plant life is very different from what we see along the main course of the Amazon, and walk through the forest.

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  Day 6 - Explore the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve by Excursion Boats (Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve)

  Board our excursion boats for access even further into the heart of these vast wetlands. Along the narrow waterways we’ll find birds such as canary-winged parakeets and spectacular blue-and-gold and scarlet macaws. Primates also are fairly common, including noisy squirrel monkeys. We arrive at a ranger station, where we may take a short hike to explore the forest.

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  Day 7 - After dark we’ll go out in our excursion boats to listen to the sounds of the rainforest and look for nocturnal wildlife (Ucayali River)

  Evening:

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  Day 8 - Visit a Village along the Amazon River (Ucayali River)

  Morning:

  This morning we visit a village along the river, with the chance to learn about the lives of the “Ribereño” people who live there.

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  Day 9 - Tour Lima and see the Cathedral and Plaza de Armas (Lima)

  Morning:

Top▲What's NOT Included

• All airfares, including in-country airfares, unless otherwise specified.
• Transfers and luggage handling unless taking the group flights.
• Travel Protection Plan.
• Fees for passports and visas.
• U.S. and foreign airport departure taxes, Chilean reciprocity tax and domestic air tax.
• GST taxes and security tax, any new value added taxes or GST taxes added to program costs by foreign governments.
• Tips to drivers, guides and ship’s crew.
• Items of a personal nature, such as equipment rental (e.g. snorkeling), laundry, phone calls, alcoholic beverages, camera fees, etc.
• Ticketing fees for air tickets.
• Ship and air fuel surcharges. (If applicable, ship and air fuel surcharges may be assessed prior to final payment.)

Top▲Optional Add-ons

Shore Excursions and Activities (Optional)   Show All Details    Hide All Details

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  Local Tour: 5-Day Machu Picchu & Cusco Extension

  $2498 (US Dollar)

  Double Occupancy: $2,498
  Single Occupancy: $3,296

  Plus $300 in-country airfare, subject to change
  Must be purchased through International Expeditions

  A visit to Machu Picchu, the grandest of all the Inca sites, must stand out as a highlight of anyone’s travels. It has the most dramatic of settings, atop an Andean mountain surrounded by other peaks. For all its extent — Machu Picchu has some 200 structures, along with brilliant stone masonry — it was almost forgotten until its rediscovery in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. But there is a great deal more to see, and we’ve included a variety of experiences in the great city of Cusco and in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This extension is the perfect complement to your Amazon journey.

  Day 1 • Saturday
  Iquitos / Lima
  Fly to Lima and transfer to our hotel for the night. (B,L)

  Day 2 • Sunday
  Lima / Cusco / Urubamba Valley
  This morning, we fly to Cusco — the heart of the Inca Empire and the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere. Upon arrival, we meet our guide and leave for the historic Urubamba Valley. Along the way, we stop at the Chincheros Indian Market to browse and shop for the best of Andean handicrafts. We enjoy lunch in the Urubamba Valley, and explore the mighty archaeological wonder of Ollantaytambo, where ancient temples and fortresses were built to protect the Sacred Valley. We spend tonight at the Sonesta Posada Yucay*. (B,L,D)

  Day 3 • Monday
  Machu Picchu
  This morning take a short ride to the Ollanta train station, where we board the train to Machu Picchu. A bus takes us up the mountain to Machu Picchu. We spend the afternoon exploring the ruins with our guide before returning to the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel*, our home for two nights. (B,L,D)

  Day 4 • Tuesday
  Machu Picchu
  We have some wonderful choices today: to return to the ruins, perhaps to climb the neighboring peak on Huayna Picchu for a stunning view; or to explore the area surrounding the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, visitng the extensive orchid garden. The hotel grounds are home to exquisite birds including 16 species of hummingbirds and the Andean cock-of-the-rock, the national bird of Peru. (B,L,D)

  Day 5 • Wednesday
  Cusco / Sacsayhuamán
  After breakfast, we leave Machu Picchu by train, then ascend the mountains surrounding Cusco where the Inca built Sacsayhuamán — a huge fortress of massive stones which zigzags across the side of the mountain. We also stop at the amphitheater of Kenko, a rare example of curvilinear construction in Inca architecture. We enjoy a guided tour of the city of Cusco and a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the Hotel Libertador. (B,L,D)

  Day 6 • Thursday
  Cusco / Lima
  We return to Lima this morning. After a visit to one of Lima’s finest museums, we have the rest of the afternoon to relax. (B)

  Day 7 • Friday
  Lima / U.S.
  This morning, we transfer to the airport for your flight home. (Meals Aloft)

  *Please Note: For 2009, guests will stay at the Acqua Hotel in the Urubamba Valley and at the Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel in Machu Picchu.

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  Local Tour: 2-Day Nazca Lines & Ballestas Islands Pre-Extension

  $998 (US Dollar)

  Double Occupancy: $998
  Single Occupancy: $1,246

  The Nazca Lines are among the most astonishing early human creations — a series of large geometric shapes and depictions of animals, humans and plants carved out of the desert by a civilization that lived here between 200 BC and 600 AD. Their purpose has been the subject of intensive scientific investigation as well as all kinds of speculation. Since the Nazca Lines are best seen from the air, we have arranged a flightseeing excursion to observe them. We’ll also go by boat to the Ballestas Islands to see an incredible spectacle, with tens of thousands of roosting seabirds and colonies of sea lions patrolling the beaches. This extension adds two days to the length of your journey.

  Day 1 • Wednesday
  U.S. / Lima
  Our expedition begins with our flight to Lima. On arrival, we meet our guide and transfer to our hotel for the night. (Meals Aloft)

  Day 2 • Thursday
  Lima / Ica / Nazca
  We depart Lima early this morning and drive south to the town of Ica, where we board a small plane for our flight over the Nazca Lines. Among the many figures we see are the “hummingbird,” “monkey” and “dog,” along with some of the many lines that run through the desert. Returning to Ica, we visit the outstanding regional museum, which has fine textiles and pre-Inca pottery. Later we also visit the Huacachina Lagoon, surrounded by sand dunes hundreds of feet tall. We overnight at the Las Dunas Hotel. (B,L,D)

  Day 3 • Friday
  Ballestas / Lima
  This morning we take a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands to see its thousands of seabirds: Humboldt penguins, Inca terns, two kinds of boobies and three kinds of cormorants. More than 200 species have been recorded here. Noisy sea lions also inhabit the beaches and waters. We continue on for more wildlife viewing, including Chilean flamingos. After our boat ride, we return to Lima. We have the evening to relax at our hotel. The rest of our group arrives this evening. (B)

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  Local Tour: 1-Day Lima Pre-Extension

  $208 (US Dollar)

  Double Occupancy: $208 (2008); $248 (2009)
  Single Occupancy: $326 (2008); $406 (2009)

  The colonial city of Lima hosts an amazing array of museums and interesting sites, and our pre-extension is a wonderful opportunity to take in one of the city’s finest museums and explore on your own. With approximately 55,000 pieces of pre-Columbian pottery on display, our visit to the Larco Herrera Museum will allow us to learn about ancient Peruvian religion, agriculture, dance and music through their ceramic designs and shapes.

  Day 1 • Thursday
  U.S. / Lima
  Depart the U.S. this evening on your international flight to Lima, Peru, where you are met and transferred to our hotel. (Meals Aloft)

  Day 2 • Friday
  Lima
  This morning we visit the Larco Herrera Museum, where we can view 3,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. The afternoon is free to relax at our hotel, or to explore on your own. The group arrives this evening. (B)

Top▲Onboard Activities

Entertainment	Live music and entertainment by the ship’s crew on the open-air top deck.
Other	Briefings by our naturalists on a variety of topics including regional history, geography & cooking

Top▲Vessel Information

La Amatista

Motor Ship (Riverboat) | 28 Passengers | Operated by International Expeditions,

Intimate and classically styled, La Amatista offers incredible wildlife viewing from a spacious open-air observation deck, with a direct line to the captain's bridge. You can relax here and quietly savor the easy pace as the rainforest reveals itself to you. Or, you can enjoy the camaraderie of new friends as you discuss the wonders of the day's excursions or the adventures that await you tomorrow. In the evening, sip coffee in solitude under the expansive opal skies and watch the sun disappear behind yet another limitless expanse of vibrant rainforest.

When not aboard the 14-passenger skiffs on one of our frequent daily excursions, guests can gather for briefings by our naturalists on a variety of topics, including regional history, geography and cooking. Or relax with fellow guests for live music and entertainment by the ship’s crew on the open-air top deck. A spacious observation deck with a panoramic view and partial awning allows for all-weather viewing, and is perfect for stargazing.

The Amazon was the river of discovery to early explorers, and for those who want to float along the narrow streams and wide channels of this sprawling basin to see the rainforest as it existed centuries ago, La Amatista provides the ideal vessel for in-depth discovery.

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