Discover Amazon & Machu Picchu Adventure

Day 1: Lima, Peru

Arrive in Lima and transfer to our hotel near the airport.

Day 2: Cusco

Fly to Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire until Spanish conquistadors destroyed the civilization in their 16th-century colonial quest. We tour the city and visit the ruins at Sacsayhuman, where we see the most impressive example of Inca walls in the Sacred Valley. We stay at the opulent Hotel Libertador, a restored colonial palace.

Day 3: Sacred Valley of the Incas

The treasures of the Sacred Valley are unveiled today as we follow the Urubamba River past farms, villages and Inca ruins. At Pisac, we visit the lively market where Quechua Indians dressed in vivid attire sell handicrafts. Overnight in a former 18th-century colonial-style monastery at Posada Yucay.

Day 4: Machu Picchu

This morning we board the train for Aguas Calientes, where we disembark and continue by bus a short distance to Machu Picchu. Above the jungle-cloaked cloud forest the "Lost City of the Incas" rises like a vision into the sky, surrounded by vertical green ramparts. Our local guide interprets all we see as we explore the labyrinth of 15th-century granite walls, temples and cisterns. Archaeologists believe Machu Picchu was an important site for religious ceremonies, based on its sacred geography and astronomical orientation. We stay tonight in private casitas at Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, a luxury retreat on the river where 300 species of native orchids bloom.

Day 5: Machu Picchu and Cusco

This morning is free to return to the ruins, explore the trails around the hotel, or soak in the hot springs. This afternoon we return to Cusco by train and bus.

Day 6: Cusco to Lima / Iquitos

Fly to Lima, where we enjoy lunch in the city before boarding our flight to Iquitos. Crossing the spine of the Andes, we arrive early this evening in this remote city Iquitos was once a booming rubber town, is isolated in a vast tract of jungle and can only be reached by air or water. On arrival we transfer to the wharf where we board the M/V Aqua, the upper Amazon’s first luxury cruise vessel. We settle into our oversized suites and soon, our ship is gliding into the broad expanse of the Amazon River, turbid with silt and the color of milk chocolate. In the days ahead, we will sail up the two largest tributaries of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Marañón, as well as various smaller side rivers and creeks. After a briefing by our cruise director and guides, we sit down to an elegant dinner with the mighty river in view outside the picture windows. The ship’s chef is schooled in the creative preparation of Peruvian cuisine accented with a European touch, and each meal is a memorable new discovery.

Day 7: Amazon/Tahuayo River/Charo Lake/Yacapana Island

We rise early this morning for a skiff excursion on the river, listening to the symphony of birds as the sun rises over the green world of Amazonia. Then, after a lavish breakfast buffet back aboard the Aqua, we take to the skiffs again to explore the Tahuayo black water river, a tributary of the great mother river itself. The river, while clear, is the color of dark tea, an effect of the tannins deposited by the rich vegetation along the banks. Life jackets, ponchos, rubber boots and plenty of cold potable water are provided. As we float with the lazy current, our senses are immersed in the layers of life encompassing us. Fishermen glide by, paddling dugout canoes. Birds squawk and swoop overhead, and we may see terns, orioles and black-collared hawks. Monkeys rattle the trees as they swing raucously through the branches. If we look closely, we may even see a sloth hanging there. At every turn, our guides reveal the secrets of the rainforest. At Charo Lake we have a chance to fish for piranha, its sharp teeth no impediment to the local people who value it highly for food. After a siesta, a magical excursion awaits late this afternoon as we board the skiffs to cruise through the Yacapana Islands. “Yacapana” in the local language means “iguana,” and these gentle reptiles are everywhere here, crawling over the ground and resting in the treetops. As the sun sets we may see both gray and pink freshwater dolphins. Indigenous people believe that these dolphins turn into humans to steal handsome men or pretty women from their villages during celebrations. With dusk descending, we experience the transformation of our environs. In the remaining daylight we may spot squirrel monkeys, tiger herons, snowy egrets and horned screamers. As night falls, an entirely different side of the jungle emerges. An orchestra of sounds evolves as nocturnal creatures awaken, with crickets and night birds providing a percussive song. In the darkness, our guides use spotlights to search for wildlife: frogs, opposums, nighthawks and caimans are frequently spotted along the narrow river’s banks. The biodiversity, masked by the cloak of the night sky, is amazing. Back aboard our ship we return to a more refined world, in time to enjoy a cocktail beneath the stars on the upper deck before dinner is served. As we sleep, the Aqua continues upstream toward the birthplace of the Amazon: the dramatic point at which the Ucayali and Marañón rivers unite in a rush to form the mother river itself.

Day 8: Maranon River / Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

Two choices are offered for today’s activities.
Option 1 is a full-day excursion deep into the jungle by skiff and on foot. We travel up Yanayacu Creek to remote Chingana, a smaller creek where giant river otters nest. Once abundant, these handsome animals were nearly wiped out for their pelts and are now threatened with extinction. Along the way we keep a sharp eye out for howler and capuchin monkeys, tamarins, pink and gray river dolphins, and a vast display of birds. We’ll learn about the important medical value of jungle plants, and crane our necks as we peer up the convoluted trunks of the massive Kapok trees, the tallest in the Amazon Basin. Our outing includes a picnic lunch at the park ranger station.
Option 2 is a morning jungle walk and afternoon expedition in search of river dolphins and monkeys. On our guided excursion, a park ranger tells us about a host of sustainable resource management projects in Amazonia, and we visit one such project where villagers are planting palms for oil. Lunch is served back aboard the M/V Aqua, with time afterward to relax. In the late afternoon we set out in search of freshwater dolphins, including the distinctive pink ones frequently seen in this region. Alligators are often visible along the banks, too. Then, we aim our gaze high into the treetops, looking for the 13 species of monkeys that reside in the park. We might glimpse tamarins, dusky titis, pygmy marmosets and howler monkeys, whose eerie wail resounds throughout the forest like a gale wind. A frenzy of tropical birds also camps among the canopy – more than 200 species in all – so we keep our binoculars close at hand. After dinner, an optional night skiff excursion provides a chance to look for caiman, fishing bats, tree boas and tarantulas.

Day 9: Birthplace of the Amazon / Puerto Prado / Lima / Flights Home

As day breaks, the M/V Aqua arrives at the edge of the vast Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, a flooded forest covering nearly 8000 square miles at the headwaters of the Amazon. We wake early to view a moving natural spectacle: the sun rising over the genesis of the Amazon River. Here at the confluence of two major tributaries, the Ucayali and the Marañón, the world’s greatest water artery is born. Our dawn outing is accompanied by abundant bird song, as we glide in small boats past large-billed terns, laughing falcons, gray tanagers, sandpipers, short-tailed parrots, five kinds of parakeets, and a host of other birds. After a hearty breakfast, we set out for Puerto Prado, a native village where we have the opportunity to meet the local people, learn about their culture and customs, and purchase traditional handicrafts. On the way back to the Aqua we will navigate a small connector canal between the Ucayali and Marañon rivers, where we have a chance to see giant water lilies, also called “Victoria Regias,” the world's largest aquatic plant. The pure white flowers, a foot in diameter, bloom at night, gracing the six-foot-wide spiny green platters on which they rest. After lunch aboard, we disembark the Aqua. En route to the airport we visit the Manatee Rescue Center, where biologists and volunteers care for endangered Amazon manatees that conservation authorities have seized from local people and fishermen. Biologists will give a presentation about the project and its efforts to help these vulnerable mammals, including how they are prepared for re-introduction into their natural habitat. Late this afternoon we check in for our return flight to Lima. On arrival, we enjoy a farewell dinner together before transferring to the airport for late-night flights home.