World Wildlife Fund

Amazon River Voyage

Aboard La Amatista

$3,798 (main deck) or $3,998 (upper deck). Both are per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $1,649 (main deck only)

Trip Overview

We also invite you to check out our Amazon & Machu Picchu Adventure tour, which runs June 13 -21, 2011.

From the sky, the Amazon looks like a lush, green blanket stretching as far as the eye can see, with silver ribbons snaking across it. But on the ground, the world’s largest rain forest and its rivers comprise a complex realm where even the teeniest insect, seemingly invasive vine and inhibited bird all serve important roles. See first hand how all species in the Amazon contribute to perhaps the most dynamic tropical ecosystem in the world.

Trip Itinerary

Friday, March 18, 2011: U.S. / Lima, Peru
Fly to Lima, the nation’s capital. Transfer to our hotel to spend the night. Swissotel (D aloft)

Saturday, March 19: Lima / Iquitos / Nauta / Embark
Tour historic Lima, seeing the cathedral and Plaza Mayor. Fly over the Andes Mountains to Iquitos and drive to the port city of Nauta to board La Amatista. Enjoy a welcome dinner as we start a slow cruise up the mighty Amazon. (B,L,D)

Sunday, March 20: Marañón River / Amazon River / Ucayali River
The ship continues upriver, passing small villages and channels that wind around small islands. Look for such marsh birds as oriole black birds, white-necked herons and yellow-headed caracaras. Through your binoculars you may even spot three-toed sloths hanging high in the canopy or green iguanas clinging to trunks. Come upon the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón rivers – a well-known spot considered the beginning of the Amazon River and approximately 2,400 miles from the meeting of the Amazon and the Atlantic Ocean. Stop at a village along the river and meet the Ribereño people and schoolchildren who live there. On the Ucayali River, look for gray and pink dolphins cavorting near the riverboat. Later, take your first outing into the rain forest to see the giant water lilies that float atop oxbow lakes and look for monkeys and sloths. As dusk approaches, sac-winged bats begin foraging. (B,L,D)

Monday, March 21: Ucayali River / Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
Explore a small tributary in search of piranha, which are common in slow-moving water. Look for monkeys, sloths and an enormous variety of birds. Continue upriver to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, the largest wetland reserve in the world. Monk sakis, squirrel monkeys and saddle-backed tamarins are often seen here. A nighttime boat outing may reveal capybaras, common potoos and other nocturnal wildlife. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, March 22: Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
Spend the day exploring the flooded realm, looking for such wading birds as herons, wattled jacanas and horned screamers. Parrots – including festive, yellow-headed and orange-winged – are common too. Enter an igapó (seasonally flooded forest), where plants differ from those along the main course of the Amazon. A forest walk is a possibility. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, March 23: Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
Board the motorboats and head even deeper into the heart of the vast wetlands. Look for such birds as canary-winged and dusky-headed parakeets and scarlet macaws. Squirrel monkeys are common throughout this region as well. At a ranger station, go on a short hike to explore the forest (conditions permitting). After a picnic lunch, venture back to the riverboat through a maze of interconnected waterways. (B,L,D)

Thursday, March 24: Ucayali River / Marañón River
Head downriver this morning, with opportunities to go on wildlife excursions, including a special nocturnal outing. In the darkness, with spotlights leading the way, listen to the sounds of the rain forest and look for nocturnal animals at their most active. Caimans are often seen, and with any luck, you might spot a colorful poison dart frog. (B,L,D)

Friday, March 25: Marañón River
Journey into the forest today. Large trees festooned with epiphytes, palms and woody vines and covered with a vaulted canopy add to the shadowed mystery of the tropical rain forest. (B,L,D)

Saturday, March 26: Nauta / Iquitos / Lima / Depart
Disembark in Nauta and drive to Iquitos to board a flight to Lima. Enjoy lunch at a distinctive restaurant popular with locals. The rest of the afternoon is free, with dayrooms available and dinner on your own before returning to the airport for overnight flights to the United States. Dayrooms at the Swissotel (B,L)

Sunday, March 27: U.S.
Arrive in the United States and connect with flights home. (Meals aloft)

Optional Extension

Cusco and Machu Picchu
March 26 – April 1, 2011

Saturday, March 26: Lima / Cusco / Urubamba Valley
Following lunch in Lima, fly to Cusco — the heart of the Inca Empire. Upon arrival, meet your guide and leave for the historic Urubamba Valley, dotted with Andean markets and Inca ruins. Aranwa Hotel (B,L,D)

Sunday, March 27: Urubamba / Machu Picchu
After breakfast, explore Ollantaytambo, where ancient temples and fortresses were built to protect the Sacred Valley. Take a train to Machu Picchu, known as the “Lost City of the Incas,” and spend the afternoon. Machu Picchu’s existence was virtually forgotten until its rediscovery by Hiram Bingham in 1911. Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (B,L,D)

Monday, March 28: Machu Picchu
Return to Machu Picchu in the early morning to exploring the complex, perhaps climbing to the Sun Gate. Return later to the hotel to enjoy its nature trails, waterfalls, tea plantation and large orchid garden. Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (B,L,D)

Tuesday, March 29: Cusco / Sacsayhuamán
After breakfast, travel back to Cusco via train and bus. Go to the remote Willoq community, virtually unchanged from pre-Inca times. In the Sacred Valley, enjoy a traditional pachamanca lunch before a show by Paso Fino horses. Explore Sacsayhuamán — a fortress of massive stones that zigzag across the side of the mountain. Arrive in Cusco before dinner. Hotel Libertador (B,L,D)

Wednesday, March 30: Cusco
Stroll the streets of Cusco, visiting the sacred temple, cathedral and convent at Koricancha. After lunch, the afternoon is free to explore on your own before a farewell dinner. Hotel Libertador (B,L,D)

Thursday, March 31: Cusco / Lima / Depart
Fly to Lima. Enjoy a group lunch and the afternoon at leisure before transferring to the airport later for flights home. Dayrooms at Swissotel (B,L)

Friday, April 1: U.S.
Arrive in the United States and connect with flights home. (Meals aloft)

Extension cost: $2,578 per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $798. (Airfare is additional.)