Aqua Nera, Amazon River Expedition (High Water) ex Iquitos Return

7 Night Cruise sailing from Iquitos roundtrip aboard Aqua Nera.

Day 1 Peru Iquitos – Amazon River
Settle into your generously sized suite as you begin one of life’s greatest adventures. Following an introduction from our naturalist guides and a routine safety drill, gather at the restaurant for the first of many Amazonian cuisine experiences created by Aqua Nera's renowned consulting chef, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.

Day 2 Peru Yarapa River – Clavero River
Aboard our comfortable skiffs, we set sail from the Amazon River to the Yarapa River. Ready your binoculars for tropical songbirds, black collared hawks and sloths. Line-fish for Amazon’s notoriously ferocious piranhas as our naturalist guides share stories of Lake Moringo.

In the afternoon, we sail on to Lake Clavero where villagers rely on traditional dugout canoes to get around. Swim in the lake’s calm waters or visit native residents of Amazonia who welcome you to their community with open arms.

Day 3 Peru Yanallpa River – Dorado River
We explore the black water tributaries of the Yanallpa River by skiff, disembarking to walk deep into the wildlife-rich Amazonian rainforest. Later, we board the skiffs again to cruise along the El Dorado River for a dusk excursion in search of exotic nocturnal creatures.

Day 4 Peru Nauta Town – Village Visit – Birthplace of the amazon
In the morning, take a guided visit to the local market and marvel at the regional produce of the Peruvian Amazon, and sample exotic snacks if you wish.

In the afternoon, witness one of the great spectacles of the Southern Hemisphere, the birthplace of the Amazon River. By nightfall, you will meet the new passengers who signed on for the four-night trip, as we start our journey together along the Marañon River.

Day 5 Peru Yanayacu – Pucate River – Lisboa Town
Rise with the sun for an early morning birdwatching session along the Marañon River. After breakfast, explore the black waters Nauta Caño River on a morning wildlife excursion where you might be able to see sloths, great egrets, parrots, and Taricaya turtles. Learn about the region from our expert naturalist guides and go fishing for Amazonia’s notorious piranhas. At dusk, go out in search of nocturnal wildlife.

Day 6 Peru Samiria River
The rewards for our early start today are plentiful: a full day excursion including a picnic lunch accompanied by the jungle symphony and fishing on the black water of the Samiria River. On the way back to the Marañon River after lunch, we venture out by skiffs alongside the banana boats transporting jungle products, keeping an eye out for pink river dolphins.

Day 7 Peru Nauta Caño River – Jungle Walk In Casual
As the day begins, embark on a morning wildlife excursion on the extraordinary black water Nauta Caño River. If you wish, embark on a bike ride from Puerto Prado Village to Santa Cruz Village along the riverbank.

In the afternoon, take a jungle walk while looking for flora and fauna which may include medicinal trees, insects, and poison dart frogs. Learn more about the different rainforest strata and ecosystems. Before dinner, meet the incredible crew who’ve been working behind the scenes to ensure your exceptional experience aboard Aqua Nera.

Day 8 Peru Arrival In Iquitos – Manatee Rescue Center – Transfer To The Airport
In the morning, take a guided visit to the local market and marvel at the regional produce of the Peruvian Amazon, and sample exotic snacks if you wish.

Return to the Aqua Nera for breakfast before disembarkation. En route to the airport, visit the Manatee Rescue Center, where orphaned Amazonian manatees rehabilitate before they are released back into the wild.

Setting a new standard for luxury river cruising on the Amazon, Aqua Nera draws design inspiration from the Peruvian Amazon’s mystical blackwater lagoons and bears the hallmarks of contemporary style and generous interiors that Aqua Expeditions cruise ships are known for.

Aboard the Aqua Nera, award-winning architects Noor Design crafts every space to perfection. The vessel’s 20 spacious Design Suites convey a sense of Amazon tranquility, while the social spaces showcase refined elegance with a touch of drama. Tastefully woven into the design are accents and details from the rubber boom era and the colorful cultures of Portugal, Spain and Peru.

Aqua Nera operates alongside the Aria Amazon, taking guests into the depths of the Peruvian Amazon in the comfort of luxury and featuring cuisine by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, one of Peru’s finest chefs, known for creating refined cuisine from native Amazonian produce. Expert naturalist guides conduct small group excursions that reward guests with up-close wildlife encounters in the world’s most biodiverse rainforest.

Aqua Expeditions was launched in 2007 by founder and CEO, Francesco Galli Zugaro, to fulfill his dream of bringing unparalleled travel experiences, in the utmost comfort, to modern-day adventurers cruising the world’s greatest rivers.

Beginning with the Peruvian section of the Amazon River, one of the world’s last great unexplored regions, Galli Zugaro commissioned the custom design of the Aqua Amazon, the first cruiseship to set sail on this stretch of the Amazon.

Increased demand for Aqua Expeditions uniquely intimate, life enriching river safari led to the launch of a second custom designed vessel, the Aria Amazon in 2011, with 16 suites designed by Puig with a similar five-star boutique hotel sophistication, and cruising the same captivating stretch of the Peruvian Amazon amidst equally thoughtful comforts and fascinating wildlife. With hand-crafted Amazon River itineraries from and to the remote Amazonian city of Iquitos, the Aria Amazon carries travelers to the source of the Amazon and the remote Pacaya Samiria Reserve. Expert professional naturalist guides lead guests in small groups by skiff up Amazon River tributaries to first-hand encounters with Amazon wildlife from pink dolphins and piranha, to capuchin monkeys and three toed sloth hiding in the rainforest canopy, and hoatzin, toucans and macaws gliding seemingly effortlessly across the cloudless, cerulean sky.

Success on one of the world’s great rivers encouraged Galli Zugaro to set off across the continents in search of the next once-in-a-lifetime luxury river experience for Aqua Expeditions. On the Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam, he found that elusive journey, one that would capture imaginations as profoundly as did the Peruvian Amazon. In October 2014, Aqua Expeditions launched a third luxury vessel, the 20-suite Aqua Mekong on the historic Mekong River between Siem Reap, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Floor to ceiling picture windows aboard Aqua Mekong allow guests to enjoy captivating panoramas of emerald flooded forests, colonial churches and stilt villages in the privacy of their suite. Guided shore excursions include enlightening visits to remote Buddhist temples and onto Cambodia’s vast Tonle Sap Lake before continuing on to Angkor Wat.