Pacaya Samiria National Reserve / Disembark in Iquitos / City Tour / Flight to Lima
Rise early and take in Amazon views over coffee as the MV Aqua skirts the edge of the vast Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, a flooded forest spread across the headwaters of the Amazon basin. You’ll be rewarded for your early start with a front-row view of one of the greatest spectacles of the Southern Hemisphere: the sun rising over the origins of the world’s largest river. Here, two major tributaries – the Ucayali and the Marañon – collide to create one of the greatest waterfalls in the world. To see the cascade bathed in the warm morning light is to see nature at its most captivating. Adding to the atmosphere will be the accompanying birdsong soundtrack; large-billed terns, laughing falcons, short-tailored parrots and dozens of other radiantly hued birds sing and flit about the skies. Bring your cameras and snap a few family photos in front of this magnificent backdrop.
Continuing by boat, we’ll reach a native community located along the Marañon River, where you will have the chance to meet local villagers and learn about their traditions and folklore. A naturalist guide will get you up to speed on how Aqua Expeditions work with these communities to improve their natural resource management, while a local shaman will reveal the secrets of their spiritual healing rituals, which have been passed down from generation to generation. Handicrafts and keepsakes can also be purchased direct from the artisans who made them.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Manatee Rescue Center, an animal orphanage where these beguiling Amazonian creatures are rescued and brought back to health before being released back into the wild.
Afterwards, your guide will bring you to Iquitos airport for your return flight to Lima. In Lima, you will be met by a Kuoda host, who will check you into your lovely hotel and help you with arrangements for your international flight home.
Want to combine adventure and luxury during your Amazon luxury family cruise? Reach out to a Kuoda travel consultant and we’ll help you design your exclusive private family vacation to Peru so that the whole family finds something to get excited about.