M/V Aqua Expeditions Cruise – 4 Nights - Peru

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Address:

Calle Huallaga 215 (Operational Headquarters)
Iquitos - Amazonas
Peru

Luxury Hotels

M/V Aqua Expeditions Cruise – 4 Nights
The new M/V Aqua, Aqua Expedition’s flagship, will be the first true luxury vessel ever to cruise the northern Amazon.
Its 12 over sized guest suites, including four 180° panoramic master suites, feature en suite sitting areas and generous outward-facing panoramic windows.
Each of the handsomely decorated, air-conditioned suites measures between 230 to 240 square feet and is designed by noted Peruvian architect Jordi Puig.
Four suites can be interconnected to cater to families. You can socialize in the dining room, indoor lounge, on the observation deck, and in the outdoor lounge. The ship also has a small boutique.

Suites:
All of the M/V Aqua's over sized suites measure a spacious 230 square feet, with a comfortable en suite seating area and extra-large windows that enable you to get the "big picture" of the rivers and their banks from the comfort of your air-conditioned room. All suites are decorated to create the feeling of a luxury lodge on the Amazon River, complete with Amazon photography by French photographer Jean Claude Constant. Sheet and bedspreads are 100% Peruvian cotton, with at least a 280-thread count.

Master Suites:
For the ultimate luxury aboard the M/V Aqua, book one of spacious master suites, measuring a generous 240 square feet and including a separate, intimate seating area for optimum privacy. These four fully air-conditioned suites, 105, 106, 205, and 206, face outward at the very front of the vessel, and are wrapped in panoramic glass windows. Open the curtain at the foot of your California king-sized (or separate singles) bed at night and count the constellations in a sky filled with brilliant stars.
The Master Suites, like all of the luxury suites, contain a private bath, complete with all necessities, plus a shower that has hot water around the clock, a hairdryer, and a basket of luxury toiletries.

M/V Aqua Expedition Cruise offers the following services:
*Dining Room / Indoor Lounge / Observation Deck / Outdoor Lounge / Boutique.

4 NIGHTS AMAZON PROGRAM – DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
DRY SEASON (June-November)
Day 1: Tuesday
ARRIVAL/NAUTA/EMBARKATION/MARANON RIVER
5:00 p.m. Arrival
Your guides await you, as your flight from Lima glides in for landing at Iquitos International Airport. After you’ve claimed your luggage, you will board an air-conditioned bus for a scenic one-and-a-half hour drive through the Peruvian countryside to the small village of Nauta, where the M/V Aqua lies at anchor, awaiting your arrival.

7:30 p.m. Check-In
Take a few moments to settle into your over-sized suite before dinner. Over the next four days, you will sail along several tributaries of the Amazon, as well as on the mighty river itself. You are embarking on a spectacular adventure, to a place visited by only a few of even the most experienced world travelers.

8:00 p.m. Safety Drill and Briefing on the Top Deck
Before dinner we will perform a routine safety drill. Following that, your Cruise Director and Guides will give a brief orientation talk about life on board, where you will go and what you will see on your Amazon journey.

8:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world's best. Here it is presented with a touch of European flair, and a vegetarian dish is always available. Raise a glass of fine South American wine to toast the beginning of a beautiful journey, then look out the window and watch the river go by as you experience your first wonderful meal aboard the M/V Aqua.
Perhaps enjoy a nightcap on the Upper Deck, under the stars, before retiring.

DAY 2: Wednesday
UCAYALI RIVER/YANALLPA AREA
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
The sumptuous daily breakfast buffet features a broad choice of traditional breakfast egg dishes, plus Peruvian specialties and fresh-squeezed juices.

8:00 a.m. Jungle Walk to Yanallpa Lake
This morning we will go in search of the bizarre-looking birds called “hoatzins”, which live in huge colonies in a very strange Jurassic Park-like lake. As we hike, your guides will teach you orientation techniques used in the deep jungle.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua

12:30 p.m. Lunch
Enjoy lighter mid-day fare in the air-conditioned dining room.

4:00 p.m. Ucayali Exploration and Discovery Tour
This afternoon we will cruise the majestic Ucayali River, giving you a chance to see and meet native balseros, or fishermen, who will demonstrate their skill and let you see their catch—including a type of “armored” catfish with a shell-like skin—which they are taking to the market in the small village of Requena. We will also find a “banana balsero” raft, loaded with hundreds of clusters of bananas, drifting down the river to market.
6:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
7:30 p.m. Dinner

8:30 p.m. Night Trip at Sapote River
Your guides will show you several types of caiman, members of the alligator family, along the fish-rich Sapote River.
Chances are good that we will surprise other night-dwelling creatures as well.

10:00 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua to sail upstream on the Puinahua River.

Day 3: Thursday
PUINAHUA RIVER/HATUM POSA LAKE AND PACAYA RIVER
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Jungle Walk Near Hatum Posa Village
On this walk, your guides will introduce you to native people doing subsistence farming, and will tell you how they learned to cultivate wild plants and trees to earn farm income. Deep in the primary forest, your guides will also show you the wealth of fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch

4:00 p.m. Pacaya River Exploration, Plus Night Trip from Ranger Station No. 1 to Yanayacu Lake
In the late afternoon, we will take the skiffs along the Pacaya River, journeying from Ranger Station No. 1 toward Yanayacu Lake, where you can view the abundant life that is hidden in the deep rain forest. 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 rain forest symphony, as other nocturnal animals send their shrill calls across the tree tops. We will use our special spotlight torches to locate night creatures, including, perhaps, huge caimans.

7:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua.
Tonight the vessel will be docked by the No. 1 Ranger Station in Pacaya Samiria National Park.
8:00 p.m. Dinner.

Day 4: Friday
PUINAHUA/PACAYA RIVERS AND CAROCURAHUAYTE LAKE
6:30 a.m. Pacaya Exploration; Breakfast on the Skiffs
In the bright morning light, your guides will show you parrots, macaws, toucans, and many different types of monkeys. We will also go to the dolphin feeding spots along Yanayacu Lake, where you will be delightfully surrounded by these creatures while enjoying a light breakfast and fresh juice.

11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
We will begin the homeward journey, sailing toward Iquitos.
12:30 p.m. Lunch.

3:30 p.m. Sapote River Fishing Trip
Armed with poles and bait, we will take you to a special place on this fish-rich river, where you will catch some of the more than 3,000 species of tropical fish that live in the Amazon Basin. The key target will be piranhas, the small carnivorous fish with a fearsome reputation—considered a good food source by the locals.

6:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
We will sail downstream all night, as we make the way to Iquitos, and your onward flight.

8:00 p.m. Farewell Dinner
Just minutes after being in the wilderness, surrounded by monkeys and birds, and the other wildlife of the rain forest, you will find yourself sitting down to a final gourmet feast in the ship's dining room.

9:00 p.m. Crew Presentation
Tonight, the guides will introduce some of the crew members you haven't yet met on the trip, but who have worked behind the scenes to give you an unforgettable experience.

Day 5: Saturday
ARRIVE IN IQUITOS CITY/CHECK-OUT AND DISEMBARK AT THE MAIN WHARF/CITY TOUR AND TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Last Skiff Trip (optional)
A brief skiff trip along the majestic Amazon will give you a last chance to photograph the wildlife of the jungle.

10:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
You have time to pack and prepare for the next stage of your journey.

12:00 p.m. Light Lunch
Please leave your packed luggage in your cabins, to be transferred to the bus, before coming to the dining room for a light lunch.

12:40 p.m. Disembarkation/City Tour and Transfer to the Airport
Your afternoon in the remote city of Iquitos, accessible only by river or air, will not disappoint. This bustling town, complete with a house built by Gustave Eiffel, was once a rich center of the rubber industry. After a city tour, we will make a stop at San Juan Amazonian Indians' Market for some last-minute shopping.

4:00 p.m. Arrive at Iquitos International Airport, where your guides will help you check-in and will wait with you until you flight departs.
5:30 p.m. Flight Departs for Lima.

4 NIGHTS AMAZON PROGRAM – DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
FLOODED SEASON (December - May)
Day 1: Tuesday
ARRIVAL/NAUTA/EMBARKATION/MARANON RIVER
5:00 p.m. Arrival
Your guides await you, as your flight from Lima glides in for landing at Iquitos International Airport. After you’ve claimed your luggage, you will board an air-conditioned bus for a scenic one-and-a-half hour drive through the Peruvian countryside to the small village of Nauta, where the M/V Aqua lies at anchor, awaiting your arrival.

8:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner
Meet your fellow travelers at your first on board dinner.
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world's best. Here it is presented with a touch of European flair, and a vegetarian dish is always available. Raise a glass of fine South American wine to toast the beginning of a beautiful journey, then look out the window and watch the river go by as you experience your first wonderful meal aboard the M/V Aqua.
Perhaps enjoy a nightcap on the Upper Deck, under the stars, before retiring.

Day 2: Wednesday
CAYALI/YANALLPA/DORADO RIVERS/PACAYA SAMIRIA NATIONAL RESERVE
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Yanallpa River Expedition
This morning we will board the skiffs to explore this amazing black water stream, part of the vast Amazon flooded forest. Your guides will tell you about the rain forest and its dynamic life, as we explore what scientists call a “gallery forest”, because of its narrow vegetation, creating a tunnel of leaves. As we float through this tunnel, it is easy to spot parrots, macaws, and fluffy monk saki monkeys, very close to the skiff.
10:30 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch

4:00 p.m. Dorado River Exploration and Night Excursion
This afternoon we will take a magical journey through the “Mirrored Forest,” seeing towering trees reflected in the black water river, while spotting dozens of enchanting parrots, blue-yellow macaws, and a great variety of primates and sloths enjoying nature unperturbed by our presence. As we make the way back to the vessel, you will also have the chance to see caimans and frogs and fishing bats.
7:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
8:00 p.m. Dinner.

Day 3: Thurday
PUINAHUA RIVER/HATUM POSA LAKE/PACAYA RIVER
6:00 a.m. Hatum Posa Lake Expedition
This morning we will rise early to cruise this beautiful and intricate ox-bow lake. As we follow its shore, we will almost certainly surprise several kinds of monkeys and many types of birds, including terns, neo-tropic cormorants, egrets, herons, hawks, and our favorite horned screamers. We will also take the skiff into other black water lakes linked to this huge lake in the flooded forest.
8:00 a.m. Breakfast.

9:00 a.m. Jungle Walk Near Hatum Posa Village
On this walk, your guides will introduce you to native people doing subsistence farming, and will tell you how they learned to cultivate wild plants and trees to earn farm income. Deep in the primary forest, your guides will also show you the wealth of fruit trees and medicinal plants hidden in the jungle.
11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
12:30 p.m. Lunch.

4:00 p.m. Pacaya River Exploration, Plus Night Trip from Ranger Station N°1 to Yanayacu Lake
In the late afternoon, we will take the skiffs along the Pacaya River, journeying from Ranger Station No. 1 toward Yanayacu Lake, where you can see the abundant life that is hidden in the deep rain forest. We have chosen this time of day to give you the chance to see the late afternoon activity of the rainforest animals, including fluffy monk saki monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and the large, easy-to-spot howler monkeys.
As the sun sets, listen for 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 rain forest symphony, as other nocturnal animals send their shrill calls across the tree tops.
As we take the skiffs back to the M/V Aqua, we will use the special spotlight torches to locate night creatures, including, perhaps, huge caimans.
7:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
8:00 p.m. Dinner.

Day 4: Friday
PUINAHUA/PACAYA RIVERS AND CAROCURAHUAYTE LAKE
6:30 a.m. Pacaya Exploration and Breakfast Aboard the Skiffs
Back on the river as the sun rises, you will see a treasure trove of wildlife, including parrots, macaws, toucans, and many kinds of monkeys—as well as some “surprise” species that you have never seen before.
Enjoy a “bag breakfast” of light sandwiches and fresh juice. Since we will stop near a popular dolphin feeding spot, you will see quite a show as you enjoy your meal.

11:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
From this point, we will start sailing down river, toward Iquitos.
12:30 p.m. Lunch

3:30 p.m. Carocurahuayte Lake/Fishing Trip
This afternoon, we will travel to this splendid “hot spot” lake, where you will be certain to catch some of the more than 3,000 species of tropical fish that live in the Amazon basin.
The key focus will be on piranhas, those small, carnivorous fish with a big reputation for being scary.

6:30 p.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
Once we are back on board, the ship will continue its journey down stream, sailing toward Iquitos through the night.

8:00 p.m. Farewell Dinner
Leaving the peace and beauty of the jungle behind, we will enjoy our final dinner together, swapping stories about the wonderful experiences shared on the river.

9:00 p.m. Crew Presentation
After dinner, your Guides will introduce some of the crew members that you have not yet met, but who have been busy with the “behind the scenes” work that has helped to create a seamless experience.

Day 5: Saturday
ARRIVAL IN IQUITOS/CHECK OUT AND DISEMBARK AT THE MAIN WHARF/CITY TOUR/TRANSFER TO THE AIRPORT
7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Last Skiff Trip (optional)
For those who want some last moments on the Amazon, your guides will take you out on the skiffs to grab some special, last-minute photos of the wildlife that you have seen along the river.

10:00 a.m. Return to the M/V Aqua
Sadly, it's time to finish packing. Please leave your packed suitcases in your suite for pickup before going to lunch.
12.00 p.m. Light Lunch.

12:40 p.m. Disembarkation/City Tour/Transfer to the Airport
This afternoon, we will take you on a tour of Iquitos, once a glorious city in the days of the rubber boom. Later, we will stop at the San Juan Amazonian Indian Market, for a last chance to shop for local crafts.

4:00 p.m. Check-in at Iquitos International Airport
Your guides will help you with check-in, and will stay with you until you have boarded your flight back to Lima.
5:30 p.m. Your Flight Departs for Lima.

Note: All itineraries are subject to change, due to weather and other conditions. All times indicated are approximate, and are also subject to change.

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