Amazon Rainforest Cruise - Premium Adventure

Voyage into the largest river basin in the world and discover the Peruvian Amazon

The Amazon: one of the wildest and most remote corners of Earth. For those drawn to the natural beauty of our planet, a voyage along the mighty Amazon River in Peru offers the ultimate adventure. Come face to face with pink dolphins, playful monkeys, sleepy sloths, giant butterflies and a myriad of other rare creatures in the remote Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. Travel in high style aboard M/V Zafiro, the most luxurious ship on the river, enjoying all the comforts of a five-star hotel. Disembark for guided moonlight safaris, canoe excursions, nature walks and piranha fishing. Amazonian cultural encounters are aplenty in Ribereño villages – receive a blessing from a shaman and learn ancient customs from the local people. Drawing on insight from our native Amazon travel guides, we intentionally vary the villages and tributaries we visit, ensuring you get the most authentic experience possible.

With certified naturalist guides on board, an outdoor jacuzzi, cooking class, pre- and post-cruise hotel in Lima, internal flights and more, this expedition is as once-in-a-lifetime as it gets.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips which improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local guide who has expert knowledge in this remote area of the Peruvian Amazon means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural and social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally employed staff, and purchase of food supplies that are sourced locally to showcase the breadth of Peruvian cuisine.
• Guides will provide information about the lives of the Ribereño people as we visit some villages perched along the riverbanks as part of the expedition. This supports local enterprise and enables information sharing, such as understanding about medicinal plants or visiting a local shaman.
• Sustainable practices are in place on board the Zafiro, for example, use of eco-friendly cleaning products that do not affect the ecosystem.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• Wildlife and biodiversity conservation is supported through our time spend in the Pacaya Samiria Reserve as part of this expedition.
• All excursions will be accompanied by naturalist guides who are experts in the Peruvian Amazon, with specialist knowledge of local culture, ornithology, and the flora and fauna of this biodiverse region.
• All of the skiffs use silencers to avoid noise pollution and respect the natural habitat of the fauna in the area we navigate.
• Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices about wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
• Guides display respectful behaviour in the way they approach the fauna and flora observed during the excursions, for example, no-one is allowed to touch any animal and all guests will be kept at an appropriate distance.
• One of the included excursions features a ceremony hosted by a local shaman, where every traveller may plant their own tree and in this way they leave a positive footprint as part of their travels in the Amazon region.
• Our local team collaborate with NGO Manatees Rescue Center, which takes care of manatees and other animal species in danger of extinction.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for re-usable bottles.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Read about our climate action here including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
• Travelling through a remote region such as the Peruvian Amazon by boat ensures that our landing sites and visits are carefully controlled which ensures a culturally sensitive expedition.
• Our guides and local staff are natives to the area and understand how to protect and care for the region, enriching the experience for local people and guests.
• During every expedition there will be a tree planting ceremony, an important Amazon tradition.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own re-usable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided where tap water is not drinkable. Please also consider avoiding use of single-use toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Peru

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Peru. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/peru
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/peru
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/peru/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Peru.html

Vaccination

Peru

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, typhoid, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Additionally, Zika fever, a mosquito‐borne viral disease, is a known risk in Peru. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, so you should take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Please check all vaccination recommendations with your doctor or travel clinic.

Amazon: If you are travelling to the Tambopata reserve in the Amazon rainforest, the risk of malaria is slight, but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice. We also strongly recommend that you obtain a yellow fever vaccination. Additionally, dengue fever and chikungunya are known risks in the Amazon region. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, seven lunches and seven dinners are included.

Savour regional specialties and contemporary cuisine infused with flavours from the surrounding rainforest. The atmosphere is casual yet elegant as you sample Amazon fusion cuisine while enjoying spectacular views through panoramic windows. All meals are served buffet style – tea, coffee, water, natural juices, Peruvian cocktails, soft drinks, house wines and local beer are complimentary during meals.

While on the Zafiro, please bring a reusable water bottle to use at refill stations.

Weather

The Iquitos area, near where you will be exploring during your cruise, is a few degrees south of the equator and characterised by strong sun and rainforest. Average daytime temperatures range from 21C-27C (70F-81F) year-round. It can be cool on the river at night or on overcast days. There is very little seasonal variation between winter and summer temperatures. The average humidity ranges from 60 percent to 80 percent, and rainfall occurs approximately 250 days a year. Most showers occur in the late afternoon or evening but are short.

Is this trip for you?

Safari rating: 4

Cover more than 965km (600mi) on the Amazon and its tributaries as you travel deep into the protected Pacaya-Samiria Reserve and explore three different habitats, so you have the best chance of spotting rare wildlife.

On this Amazon River cruise, you enjoy unrivalled access to the most pristine areas of the Peruvian rainforest and the company of the most knowledgeable guides around. Your exciting daily excursions include birding at dawn, visits to local villages and even piranha fishing. Join us and discover a rainforest that pulsates with an unrivalled diversity of wildlife. On these Amazon River cruises, we look for monkeys, birds, sloths, pink and grey dolphins and so much more.

Please note, these departures are not exclusive to Exodus and groups may include clients from other tour operators.

Although this tour is not overly strenuous, you should be reasonably fit and capable of moderate exercise while searching for wildlife. On shore, you should be able to walk without assistance at a group pace. There are several walks along rugged trails with occasional inclines and rooted dirt trails. You will occasionally have to climb/descend stairs, often without handrails, and negotiate places where footing is uncertain. Some days on the Amazon voyage will include boat journeys that require sitting for long periods while searching for wildlife.

Booking Conditions:

This tour is excluded from our standard booking conditions; the following conditions apply instead:

Deposit: 25 percent
Balance: Due at 90 days
Cancellation within 90 days:

• 89 days to 71 days: We retain 50 percent of the trip costs
• 70 days of less: We retain 100percent of the trip costs

Nature-focused, small-group expedition travel is at the heart of an expedition cruise into the Amazon. Expert local naturalist guides accompany each Amazon voyage – if the boat has a full complement of 38 travellers, the Zafiro will have three guides, each rotating to lead smaller groups of 14, 12 and 12 passengers. Each day, these knowledgeable guides use their decades of learning and guiding experience to serve as lecturers, field guides and friends as you explore the rainforest.

Guides will join all excursions and activities, providing daily recaps and briefings, and are always available to answer questions. We can’t guarantee which guides will be available on individual departure dates. Please see the ‘experts’ tab on the website to see who is likely to be leading your Amazon adventure.

Please see our COVID Travel Guides for more information on current guidelines for travel in Peru.

Please note, proof of a Covid-19 vaccination is required to board the Zafiro, along with a negative test result. This can be an antigen test (taken within the 48 hours prior to boarding) or a PCR test (taken within the 72 hours prior boarding).

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.