Delfin II: Luxurious Peruvian Amazon Riverboat Cruising

Day 1     Wednesday     Arrive to Iquitos / Begin the Cruise

Upon arrival to the Iquitos International Airport, you will be met by the Delfin II’s guides and transported by bus to the city of Nauta, where you will board the ship to start your cruise. After check-in, you will have dinner, meet the crew and your fellow passengers, and have time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Day 2     Thursday     Belluda Caño / Dorado River

Today will start with an early gourmet breakfast, after which you will prepare for your first excursion in the Pacaya Simiria National Reserve. During the wet season (Dec – May), you will explore Belluda Stream by skiff, from which you are likely to spot parrots, macaws and monkeys. You may also see Morpho butterflies, and various species of hawks, including the noisy “laughing falcon,” named for its loud falsetto call. During the dry Season (Jun – Nov), you will have the chance to do some hiking at Belluda Caño, where you can explore two different kinds of ecosystems: “flooded forest” and “terra firme” forest. Here you may see snail kites, black-tailed ant birds, manikins, tanagers, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, nun birds, orioles, blackbirds, and pygmy marmosets. Your hike will take you to a lagoon filled with endangered and unique fresh water fish, where you will explore the waters in a dugout canoe. After your excursion you will return to the Delfin II for lunch. In the afternoon you will head to Dorado River in the skiffs, with a good chance of seeing gray and pink river dolphins and possibly swimming with them. You may also spot snail kites, festive parrots, endangered scarlet macaws, olive-spotted hummingbirds, Amazonian parrotlets, iguanas, squirrel monkeys, and wood creepers.

Day 3     Friday     Atun Poza Lake / Rio Pacaya

After breakfast you will head out for your morning excursion. During the wet season (Dec – May), you will explore Atun Poza by skiff, where you are likely to see egrets, herons, hawks, long-legged neo-tropical cormorants, loud horned screamers. You will also have a chance to explore other black water lagoons linked to this huge lake, where wattled jacanas can be found along with a variety of spiders, grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, and beetles living along the freshwater swamps and marshes. You may also see social spiders and how their webs embrace huge parts of a tree. During the dry Season (Jun – Nov), you will go hiking at Atun Poza, passing through tropical rainforest with emergent trees and canopy trees reaching up to 55 meters in height. You may see giant otters, and this is an excellent location for spotting birds such as the bluish-fronted jacamar, collared trogons, and red capped cardinals. After lunch back aboard the Delfin II, you will continue up the Puinahua River towards the Pacaya River, in the heart of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, for further exploration of the largest protected wetland reserve in the world. Aboard the skiffs, you will explore the spectacular rainforest wilderness while searching for different species of monkeys, such as small family groups of red howler monkeys. You will be able to watch the sunset over the river, and once darkness falls you will start your night safari in search of night herons, pauraques, spectacled owls, fish bats, and the spectacled and black caimans that live in the water.

Day 4     Saturday     Caro Curahuayte Lagoon / Jungle Hike

This morning you will board the skiffs and head to Caro Curahuayte Lake. During the wet season you will be able to do some fishing, mainly for piranhas. During the rainy season the forest is flooded and many trees flower and bear fruit, tempting the piranhas and other fish to enter and eat. During the dry season you will explore in the skiffs and search for shore-birds. When the river is very low, broad white sandy beaches emerge and river islands form, creating a special ecosystem that harbors sandpipers, terns, black skimmers, egrets, jabirus, wood storks, and kingfishers. During lunch back aboard the ship, the Delfin II will navigate back down the Puinahua River toward Iquitos. In the afternoon your will visit the Yanallpa Community, a chance to interact with local villagers, observe their unique way of life, and learn about the local fruit trees and how they are harvested. Back aboard the ship in the late afternoon, you will continue down the Puinahua River toward the Ucayali River. Tonight you will have a farewell dinner and live music performed by the Delfin II staff and crew.

Day 5     Sunday     Puerto Miguel Community / Manatee Rescue Center / Return to Lima

This morning after breakfast you will board the skiffs and head to the village of Puerto Miguel to meet local villagers and learn about their culture, traditions and folklore. After lunch back aboard the ship, you will disembark at Nauta, where a bus will be waiting to take you back to Iquitos. En route you will stop at the Manatee Rescue Center for a brief visit before continuing on to the airport for your flight back to Lima.

Day 1     Sunday     Arrive to Iquitos / Begin the Cruise

Upon arrival to the Iquitos International Airport, you will be met by the Delfin II’s guides and transported by bus to the city of Nauta, where you will board the ship to start your cruise. After check-in, you will have dinner, meet the crew and your fellow passengers, and have time to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Day 2     Monday     Belluda Caño or Yanallpa / Dorado River

Today will start with an early gourmet breakfast, after which you will prepare for your first excursion in the Pacaya Simiria National Reserve. During the wet season (Dec – May), you will explore Belluda Stream by skiff, from which you are likely to spot parrots, macaws and monkeys. You may also see Morpho butterflies, and various species of hawks, including the noisy “laughing falcon,” named for its loud falsetto call. During the dry Season (Jun – Nov), you will have the chance to do some hiking at Belluda Caño, where you can explore two different kinds of ecosystems: “flooded forest” and “terra firme” forest. Here you may see snail kites, black-tailed ant birds, manikins, tanagers, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, nun birds, orioles, blackbirds, and pygmy marmosets. Your hike will take you to a lagoon filled with endangered and unique fresh water fish, where you will explore the waters in a dugout canoe. After your excursion you will return to the Delfin II for lunch. In the afternoon you will head to Dorado River in the skiffs, with a good chance of seeing gray and pink river dolphins and possibly swimming with them. You may also spot snail kites, festive parrots, endangered scarlet macaws, olive-spotted hummingbirds, Amazonian parrotlets, iguanas, squirrel monkeys, and wood creepers.

Day 3     Tuesday     Rio Pacaya / Atun Poza Lake

This morning will start early, and breakfast will be served onboard the skiffs as you head into the heart of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve for further exploration of the largest protected wetland reserve in the world. The wildlife tends to be very active in the early morning, and you are likely to see parrots, macaws, toucans, kingfishers, black collared hawks, southern swallows, white winged swallows, and manikins, plus troops of squirrel monkeys and small family groups of red howler monkeys. As the sun starts to heat up, you will continue along the shores of the Pacaya River, and breakfast will be served as you float amidst a favored dolphin feeding spot. After breakfast, you can jump in the water for a refreshing morning swim. Back aboard the Delfin II, you will enjoy another gourmet lunch as the ship navigates back down the Puinahua River toward Nauta. In the afternoon you will explore Atun Poza. During the wet season (Dec – May), you will explore Atun Poza by skiff, where you are likely to see egrets, herons, hawks, long-legged neo-tropical cormorants, loud horned screamers. You will also have a chance to explore other black water lagoons linked to this huge lake, where wattled jacanas can be found along with a variety of spiders, grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, and beetles living along the freshwater swamps and marshes. You may also see social spiders and how their webs embrace huge parts of a tree. During the dry Season (Jun – Nov), you will go hiking at Atun Poza, passing through tropical rainforest with emergent trees and canopy trees reaching up to 55 meters in height. You may see giant otters, and this is an excellent location for spotting birds such as the bluish-fronted jacamar, collared trogons, and red capped cardinals. Back aboard the ship, you will have a farewell dinner and live music performed by the Delfin II staff and crew.