Greatest Amazon Experience (2008)

Itinerary

Day 1: U.S. / Lima, Peru

Fly to Lima, Peru, the nation’s capital and largest city, and transfer to your hotel for the night.

Day 2: Iquitos / Embarkation

Fly over the Andes Mountains to Iquitos, where time permitting you take a brief city tour before boarding your riverboat, home for the coming week.

Day 3: Amazon River / Río Ucayali

You awake this morning on the Amazon, seeing some of the ever-changing panorama of jungle life as the boat continues upriver. Small villages dot the shoreline, and channels weaving through island mazes provide close-up views of a variety of marsh birds. The confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón Rivers is famous as the beginning of the Amazon River. Amazingly, you are about 2,400 miles from where the river flows into the Atlantic. The river drops only about 350 feet the entire way! You turn into the Río Ucayali, where you’re apt to find gray river dolphins and Amazon pink dolphins cavorting near the boat and along the shoreline. Later, you take an excursion into the surrounding rainforest in search of giant water lilies and elusive wildlife such as monkeys and sloths. As dusk approaches, fishing bats begin their night’s foraging.

Day 4: Río Ucayali / Pacaya-Samiria Reserve

You explore a small tributary of the Ucayali in search of piranha, which are very common in the slower-moving water. With luck, you may catch red-breasted, white or black piranha, and feast on your catch this evening. You look for animals including primates, sloths and an enormous variety of birds. Your 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. You explore Caro Lake, connected to the river by way of a very small stream, where you may find flocks of greater ani, often seen following monkeys in search of insects disturbed by the monkeys’ foraging. Enjoy a nighttime boat excursion for a chance to find caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs and other nocturnal wildlife.

Day 5: Pacaya-Samiria Reserve

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. You’ll watch for giant river otters, which have become increasingly rare but still may be found within the reserve. You may also see massive black caimans and manatees. You enter a varzea (seasonally flooded forest), where plant life is very different from what you see along the main course of the Amazon, and walk through the forest.

Day 6: Pacaya-Samiria Reserve

After an early breakfast, you board the excursion boats for access even further into the heart of these vast wetlands. Along the narrow waterways you’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. Arrive at a ranger station, where you may take a short hike to explore the forest. After a picnic lunch, you gradually make your way back to the riverboat through the maze of waterways.

Day 7: Río Ucayali & Tributaries

This morning, you head back downriver, with a morning wildlife or other activity. This afternoon, if conditions permit you explore the narrow Tapiche River and look for wildlife. After dark you’ll go out in the excursion boats to listen to the sounds of the rainforest and look for nocturnal wildlife.

Day 8: Río Río Ucayali / Amazon River

This morning you visit a village along the river, with the chance to learn about the lives of the "Ribereño" people who live there. You continue downriver towards Iquitos, with time to complete our checklists, and enjoy a farewell dinner.

Days 9-10: Iquitos / Lima / U.S.

In the morning, you disembark in Iquitos and fly to Lima. You tour Lima, seeing the Cathedral and Plaza Mayor, then enjoy lunch at a distinctive Peruvian restaurant. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure, with dayrooms reserved at our hotel, before you transfer to the airport for your flight to the U.S. Arrive Sunday and connect with flights home.

Trip Details

Ship	La Amatista
Just Released Offer	Members of ExpeditionTrips.com save $500 per person ($1,000 per cabin) on regular cruise rates. Offer based on availability.Applicable Dates: 8/1/2008, 8/15/2008Per Person Discounted Rates:Main Deck: $2,548Upper Deck: $2,648Per Person Regular Rate:Main Deck: $3,048Upper Deck: $3,148
Highlights	Elegant riverboat, Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, exotic birds and wildlife, village visits
Trip Notes	Itinerary may vary based on wildlife sightings, changes in the river, navigability and air schedules, but every trip adheres closely to the itinerary presented. Included: Cabin accommodations; all meals except B/L on day 1 and D on day 9; all transfers in Lima and Iquitos between airport and hotel; one night in Lima, including breakfast; all excursions while on board led by highly trained naturalist guides; all port charges and portage costs; airport tax in Iquitos ($10); Lima city tour and lunch on Day 9; day room in a fine Lima hotel on Day 9.Not Included: Airfare Lima/Iquitos/Lima ($350, subject to change); International airfares; airport taxes in Lima ($28); health insurance and personal travel insurance; extended trips; beverages and liquors; passport and visa expenses; gratuities to ship crew and hotel staff are left to the discretion of the passenger.
Departure Notes	Departs Fridays
Payment Policy	A deposit of $600 per person is required to confirm your reservation. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Payment Methods: Credit cards are accepted for both deposit and final payments (VISA, MC, AMEX, Discover).

When can I go?

Start Date	Finish Date	Places Available
2008-09-05	2008-09-14	+
2008-09-12	2008-09-21	+
2008-09-26	2008-10-05	+
2008-10-03	2008-10-12	+
2008-10-17	2008-10-26	+
2008-10-24	2008-11-02	+
2008-10-31	2008-11-09	+
2008-11-07	2008-11-16	+
2008-11-21	2008-11-30	+
2008-12-19	2008-12-28	+

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