Not a cruise with excursions, but an expedition with a comfortable ship attached: skiffs into flooded forest at dawn, pink river dolphins, and a week inside one of the largest protected flooded forests on Earth.
The route at a glance
Roundtrip from Lima, ten to eleven days, year-round. The classic package is Uniworld's Peruvian Rivers and Rainforest Discovery: two nights in a Lima hotel with city touring, a flight to Iquitos, then seven nights aboard the Aria Amazon (32 guests) from Nauta. Days are spent on the Ucayali and Marañón rivers - the two streams whose meeting forms the Amazon proper - and inside the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. Twice-daily skiff excursions look for sloths, monkeys, macaws and pink dolphins; there are village visits, a night-time stargazing skiff, and a visit to the birthplace of the Amazon at the confluence. High-water season (roughly December to May) lets skiffs go deeper into the forest; low water (June to November) adds jungle walks.
Who this route suits
Best for wildlife-first travelers, photographers, birders, and anyone who has done South America's highlights and wants its wild interior. The ship is all-suite with floor-to-ceiling windows, naturalist guides lead every outing, and the group is small. Less ideal for travelers with limited mobility - boarding a skiff from a moving riverboat in 90% humidity is a genuine physical ask - and for anyone expecting a floating resort. There is no casino, no theatre and no pool deck scene; the show is outside the window.
What it costs
Amazon packages are sold as bundles, not bare fares. The ten-night Lima-roundtrip package with the seven-night Aria Amazon sailing lists from £12,099 per person for a September 2027 departure, including international flights from the UK, the Lima hotel nights, transfers, all excursions, drinks and gratuities. Booking cruise-only saves little once you price the Iquitos flights and logistics. The fare is high per night but almost everything is inside it.
The five-minute version
- Ten to eleven days, roundtrip Lima; seven nights on the river.
- Ucayali and Marañón rivers, Pacaya-Samiria reserve, twice-daily skiff outings.
- 32-guest all-suite ship, naturalist-led, almost everything included.
- Packages from about £12,100 with flights and hotels; cruise-only saves little.
- Want the other great South American expedition? See the Galápagos in ten days.
