AMAZON IQUITOS CRUISE DELFIN I

5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS

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DAY 1 ARRIVE IN IQUITOS (DINNER)
It will become clear that you are traveling where few have gone before. In fact, you are part of a select group of seasoned world travelers who will visit remote Pacaya Samiria Reserve, five million acres of protected, flooded forest, roughly the size of a small Central American country. A world of flora and fauna awaits you.

05:00 pm. Arrive in Iquitos
After arriving at Iquitos International Airport, you will be assisted by our guides and transported by bus for about 1 ½ hours, heading northwest toward Nauta (the oldest city in the department of Loreto). Nauta lies between Iquitos and the Marañon River, where the DELFIN I is waiting for you.

07:30 pm. Arrive in Nauta and board the DELFIN I
Upon arriving at the port of Nauta, you will board the DELFIN I, the most unique and small river vessel in the Amazon River. You´ll enjoy the personal attention and your own private decks. Your immense suites will be the epitome of luxury while cruising; you´ll enjoy a variety of environmentally friendly amenities for your ultimate indulgence.

08:00 pm. Happy hour
Just before dusk, as the DELFIN I starts its journey into the rainforest, our barman and staff will provide you with Peru’s finest and most famous cocktail, the pisco sour, made of Pisco, a Peruvian grape brandy. Fine regional cigars will also be available.

08:30 pm. Dinner
Dinner is served in our cozy dining room located at the back of the ship’s second deck. Because of its cultural diversity, Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world’s finest, making the country an attractive culinary destination. Aside from providing you with your first rainforest adventure, the Delfin I is also a unique culinary experience, offering the best of Amazonian-Peruvian cuisine in a cosmopolitan gourmet setting. Our chef prides himself in serving dishes in different styles and seasoned with a wide variety of herbs and spices, as well as exotic fruits.

09:30 pm. Briefing and time to relax
On the top observation deck, our guides will use charts and short videos displayed on our flat LCD screen to conduct a brief orientation, outlining details of your journey, including the places you will visit, the wildlife you will see, as well as a summary of the history and geography of the Amazon basin.
Finally, under the beauty of an Amazonian night filled with hundreds of stars or perhaps a full moon, and wafted by the gentle breeze of the rainforest, our multi-talented staff will entertain you with a little live music.

DAY 2  SAN ISIDRO FLOODED FOREST HIKE & YANAYACU/PUCATE RIVER

(BREAKFAST – LUNCH – DINNER)
On your first morning with us we will recommend and early activity to explore one of the most important zones of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Early rising is always rewarding and wildlife is abundant and very active. We will offer an early morning bird watching experience just before breakfast for those who will like to get up with sunrise.
Wake up call will be at 5:30 only for the ones that dare.

07:00 am. Breakfast – Buffet
08:00 am. Hiking at San Isidro:
Today we will hike through this pristine and unique flooded ecosystem, passing through a classic tropical rainforest with emergent trees and canopy trees reaching up to 55 meters in height. Many trees have buttress roots which often extend high up the trunks while palms are abundant and many of them have stilt roots. Biologically, this kind of forest is probably one of the richest habitats on earth, supporting the most species of plants and animals per unit area. Our target is the giant ceiba or kapok tree with its large diameter. We also find local medicinal plants and encounter them while hiking.
This forest is also very good for spotting birds such as the bluish-fronted jacamar seen in pairs in middle and lower parts of forest edges, or collared trogons, red capped cardinals, etc.

11:00 am. Back aboard the Delfin I
We will continue upstream towards our next destination.
12:30 pm. Lunch
After emerging from the depths of the forest, you will be treated to a world-class gourmet meal.

3:30 pm. YanaYacu excursion (protected area within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve)
Never does nature seem more beautiful than in the tropics. In this opportunity you will have the chance to explore one of our main cores of the National Reserve. Wild life will be the one to greet you and the biodiversity will be outstanding. Make sure to charge your camera battery! On board of our aluminum skiff we will have the chance to get deep into the rainforest and its fantastic diversity of flora and fauna. You will have the chance to enjoy some of the myriad bird species, colorful butterflies and other diverse insects, noisy monkey troops and active pink and grey river dolphins. Enjoy the black river waters and discover this mysterious and bountiful destination.

6:30 pm. Back aboard the Delfin I
We will continue our navigation to our next destination.

8:00 pm. Dinner
We will calm your appetite, serving dinner at our cozy dining room; there you will continue enjoying our special food service and unique recipes.

9:30 pm. Lazy time on our third Deck
Tonight far from civilization, the stargazing opportunities are unique. While enjoying the sweet breeze of the Amazonian night, the wonderful symphony of the jungle, you can see stars of the Northern and Southern constellations.

DAY 3 CANOPY WALK/ PRIMARY FOREST HIKE, TAWAMPA LAKE /NAUTA CAÑO EXPLORATION
(BREAKFAST – LUNCH – DINNER)

07:00 am. Breakfast – Buffet
You will get used to our wonderful breakfast festival, with all natural juices and really exotic fresh food that our kitchen personnel will point you, we are sure that you have never tasted some of them.

08:00 am. Private Reserve “La Posada” canopy walk.
This is a unique opportunity; you will get to the only Canopy Walkway in this area, an experience unequaled in the rainforest! At a height of over 25 meters (85 feet) and extending for 500 meters (one-third of a mile), the Canopy Walkway provides a view of the rainforest from the treetops, the best vantage point for observing Amazon wildlife and vegetation. The Canopy Walkway is accessible to all and requires no special skills or equipment. The suspended walkway is spread between 14 of the area's largest rainforest trees and is one of the longest canopy walkways in the world. You´ll enjoy “terra firma” forest and you will be able to see the differences between your previous
hike and this one.
We will be canoeing back through the Tawampa Lake where you will possibly be able to observe giant arapaima, the largest fresh water fish in the world.

10:30 am. Back aboard the Delfin I
We will continue our upstream navigation towards the formation of the Amazon River.

01:00 pm Lunch
To continue with your unique adventure, our creative chef will continue to amaze you with the innovative creations he has designed for you. While explaining every detail of the local food, you will learn more and more about life in this pristine and unique area.

04:00 pm Nauta Caño Exploration, fishing experience & night safari
At this time we will have the chance to explore this small creek, its lagoons, and its wonderful dynamic and stunning panoramas. Cruising is the best way to experience the diversity of the wildlife that populates the rivers and their neighboring habitats. We will sail quietly near shore, exploring marshes, streams and oxbows.

On board our excursion skiffs, we will head to a beautiful lake for a spectacular fishing spot, where we expect to catch some fish; the target again, will be “piranhas”. During the rainier season, river flood and low forest have more than 1 meter (3 ft.) of water standing at the base of the trees. Flowering and fruiting time coincide with this flooding, fish including piranhas swim in among the base of the trees to devour the fruit or chew at their outer coverings. So the undeserved “super-carnivore” reputation of piranhas as a bloody thirsty fish is really exaggerated. There are 25 different species of piranha in the Amazon basin, black, white, red bellied. They are so smart and fun to catch.
Once it is dark, you will hear the second installment of the jungle symphony. Armed with powerful spot lights, we will start our night safari in search of night herons, pauraques, spectacled owls, up to a dozen species of croaking from the river’s edge, and fish bats flying over the water scooping up fish.

Spectacled and black caimans are found in these pristine waters, and our guides will point them out to you. Stargazing at this time is unique while fireflies light up the jungle around us.

07:00 pm. Back aboard the Delfin I
We will continue to our next destination.
 

08:00 pm. Dinner
We will continue to surprise you with the variety of our menu.

DAY 4 AMAZON HEADWATERS & CAÑO PIRAÑA / YUCURUCHI LAGOON (GIANT WATER LILIES)
(BREAKFAST – LUNCH – DINNER)

07:00 am. Breakfast – Buffet
You will get used to our wonderful breakfast festival, with all natural juices and really exotic fresh food that our kitchen personnel will point out to you, we are sure that you have never tasted some of them.

08:00 am. Amazon Headwaters & San Francisco Village
We will wake up at this important and historic place, were the Ucayali & Marañon Rivers merge and give birth to the mighty Amazon River. We will be in the formation of the Amazon River; the two powerful tributaries of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Marañon River. In this spot, we will search for the most elusive and exotic fresh water pink river dolphin, medium sized, long snout and little or no dorsal fin you will see that they are really pink, they love this place, because is one of their favorite feeding spots.
We will visit San Francisco Village, a local community; where you will stroll around their community, their houses and will have the chance to see how simple their daily life is. We will be greeted by lots of children who take you to their school to let you know all about it. The local teacher will be around.
They will show you their arts and craft market that will be displayed for you to appreciate their work.

10:30 am. Back aboard the Delfin I
This is also the time to gather all of your things pack your bags and check out.

01:00 pm. Lunch
As usual, you will enjoy the diversity of our culinary choices. Our kitchen staff will be there for any special requests.

04:00 pm Yucuruchi Jungle trail
This afternoon we will have a 35 minute hike; during this opportunity we will closely study termites in their natural habitat. They are the oldest of all social insects and have one of the most complex societies in the insect world. Our guides will point you about de different sized and shapes of each individuals within a single species.

Our main target will be the giant Amazonian water lilies called “Victoria’s Amazonicas”, this beautiful flower grows in small lagoons, swamps, cochas, or small creeks and you will be amazed by them. On this trail you will also get to know all about caciques and oropendolas birds, bees and wasps nests are their special hiding place; as these birds use to build their nests, apparently the birds benefit from this close association.

05:30 pm. Back aboard the Delfin I
We will continue to our next destination.

08:00 pm. Dinner
We will continue to surprise you with the variety of our menu.

DAY 5 YARAPA RIVER, AMAZON HEADWATERS, NAUTA AND IQUITOS AIRPORT
(BREAKFAST – LUNCH)

06:30 am. Breakfast on board while on the Yarapa River
We will start exploring this narrow river to let you experience the abundant and spectacular deep rainforest wilderness including squirrel and capuchin monkeys, herons, egrets. You will have the chance to see green iguanas with prominent head crest and throat fan, extremely long, mostly arboreal and just laying still on a tree branch. At around 8 o’clock breakfast will be served on the skiffs surrounded by tropical rain forest and with monkeys strolling around us, natural juice & Fruits, sandwiches, coffee and tea will be a nice treat in this morning. We will get to a beautiful lagoon called “Uvos” a very special fruit that grows wild in the shores of this lagoon; you will be
surprised also because of the presence of lots of pink dolphins that love to go there in search of breakfast.

09:30 am. Back aboard the Delfin I
Please take note we will be disembarking after Lunch in Iquitos so take the time to gather and pack your things. Possibly take a nap or enjoy the time left aboard the Delfin I on your private terrace or on the upper deck.

12:30 pm. Lunch
As usual, you will enjoy the diversity of our culinary choices. Our kitchen staff will be there for any special requests.

01:00 pm. Disembark at Nauta
We will disembark at our port in Nauta, where a bus will be waiting to take you back to Iquitos.

02:40 pm. Visit the Manatees Rescue Center
In our way to the Iquitos Airport we will visit the Rescue & Rehabilitation Center of River Mammals were you will have the chance to meet baby manatees and learn about this pacific and wonderful creatures and why they are in the endangered species list. You are most welcome to help this extraordinary program!

pm. Arrive at Iquitos Airport
Our land personnel will give your boarding passes and help you check in. Please check with your Naturalist about the weather conditions regarding the  usage of Kayaks. If the water level and forecast is permitting, you will be able to sign up for optional Kayaking sessions. These sessions will be conducted in calmed waters, where catch & release fishing and relaxing paddling are ideal.
Our kayaks are good for two passengers and your group will always be in the company of your experienced Naturalist.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

*The weather in Iquitos is warm and humid with average annual maximum temperature of 33°C (95°F) and minimum of 21°C (70°C).
*The dry season is from May to November.
*The wet season is from December to April.
*The seasons feature differences in the plant and animal life as well as in the climate.

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