Amazon Rainforest expedition cruise
Description of Amazon Rainforest expedition cruise
Very few holidays carry the promise of adventure so much as an expedition cruise along the Amazon River. They take you deep into a labyrinth, a dark and mysterious rainforest home to an incredible breadth of wildlife as well as communities that depend on and protect the mighty river, and who welcome visitors interested in learning about their traditional ways of life.
Reaching Iquitos, gateway to the rainforest, via a breathtaking flight over the Andes from Lima, youll set sail aboard a premium riverboat, one of the most luxurious vessels on the Amazon. After meeting your fellow passengers and crew youll settle into a cabin fitted with 100% Peruvian cotton sheets, air conditioning and most importantly of all floor to ceiling windows for incomparable views.
The next seven nights are spent exploring the Amazon and its many tributaries routes are varied on every sailing to ensure that as many riverside communities benefit from tourism as possible. Every Amazon rainforest expedition cruise is accompanied by expert naturalists, able to identify species of birds, fish, primates and reptiles as you pass them. While the trees shroud much of the wildlife in secrecy it is common to see everything from playful monkeys and sleepy sloths among the branches to colourful butterflies, and even pink river dolphins.
Daily excursions are varied and thrilling. You might slip into smaller boats to explore narrow channels overhung with creepers, take a village tour with a shaman to learn about medicinal plants, or a fascinating night walk to immerse yourselves in the sounds of the rainforest after darkness falls. Local guides drawn from Amazon communities will meet up with you at various points too, offering enriching insights into life by the river.
This is one of the most precious environments on earth, and one of the most threatened. There are no illusions here that tourism is a financial alternative to the logging and farming industries that are decimating the Amazon at an alarming rate. But responsible small ship cruises in the Amazon provide a vital income to the people that live here. They ensure that the Amazons flora and fauna are treated with the greatest respect. And they will likely mean you return home a full-blooded ambassador for protecting this incredible river and the rainforest that surrounds it.
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Responsible Travel
Planet
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 ABTAs industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices about wildlife viewing.
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.
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.
People
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 Ribereρo 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.
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