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Sail into the Amazon’s cathedral of green
There’s a pulse to the Amazon, an undercurrent. Inky waters backed by layers of green forest. Wild bird calls fill the air. A leafy branch shakes to reveal a troop of clamoring monkeys. The river water levels can rise by feet overnight, creating new networks of tributaries in what used to be only forest. With nimble, custom-made skiffs we explore this flooded forest, venturing into places no human has seen. With the exquisite Delfin II as your base camp, you’ll discover the pristine upper reaches of the legendary Amazon in style.
Spend a full day exploring the fabled Machu Picchu archaeological site with hand-picked guides
Discover the cobbled lanes and monuments of Cusco, imperial capital of the Inca
Journey to Iquitos and the Amazon for a five-day voyage aboard the 28-guest Delfin II riverboat, venturing out daily in nimble skiffs and kayaks to explore tributaries brimming with wildlife
Peru’s Pacaya-Samiria Reserve is the largest protected seasonal flood forest in South America. The legendary river provides sustenance and utility for the communities who live along the banks and fosters a staggering level of biodiversity. The exquisite 28-guest Delfin II is perfect for our daily explorations; it'sdesigned for the river environment and to keep you connected to it.
Delfin II is a most gracious and lovely river ship. Spacious and clad in gleaming hardwood, she is both modern and authentically of the Amazon. Her public spaces are beautifully appointed—with tropical flowers and native handicraft decorative details.
The Best Time to Visit the Amazon: High Season Vs. Low Season
The Amazon, the “King of All Rivers,” supports the world’s most biodiverse rainforest. All life along it adapts to its seasonal fluctuations. What are these river fluctuations in this seasonally flooded forest, and when should you go?
When you explore the Upper Amazon aboard Delfin II, you'll experience spectacular wildlife, top-notch accommodations, and unparalleled expertise from our team of naturalists.
6 Fascinating Birds to Find on an Amazon River Expedition
Exploring the Amazon’s Pacaya Samiria Natural Reserve has an uncanny way of inspiring travelers who’ve never gone bird-watching before to start scanning the trees and the sky for the most stunning, elusive, eccentric birds. Here are a few to look out for on your adventure.
Sail in tropical style & comfort with a small band of explorers. Delfin II accommodates just 28 guests in 14 beautifully appointed outside suites. This stately riverboat redefines modern elegance. Airy open spaces are detailed with clean lines in tropical hardwoods.
Any given visit to the many small and medium-sized streams, known locally as 'caños,' is simply fascinating! This morning we spotted many colorful bird species: woodpeckers, tanagers, cotingas, jacamars, and kingfishers.
Carlos Romero, Expedition Leader, January 27, 2022
See, do, and learn more by going with engaging experts who have been exploring this region for decades. Go with an expedition leader, naturalists, and local experts on birding, history, and more.
Expedition Leader
Veteran expedition leaders are the conductors of your experience. Many have advanced degrees and have conducted research or taught for years. They have achieved expedition leader status because they possess the skills, the experience, and the depth of knowledge necessary to continually craft the best expedition experience for our guests.
Every Amazon expedition offers an exclusive service—a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic certified photo instructor. This naturalist is specially trained to offer assistance with camera settings and the basics of composition to help you become a better, more confident photographer.
Most of the naturalists were born in towns along the riverbanks and educated in schools in Iquitos. Each hand-picked guide is specially trained before joining the Lindblad expedition team. All are fluent in English, and their personal knowledge, gained from village elders, along with their scientific training makes for fascinating storytelling, as authentic as it is well informed.
Colombian filmmaker and photographer Federico Pardo specializes in natural history, environmental, and human stories. He received a National Geographic grant in 2019 for his Vanishing Primates project, and garnered two Emmy awards—one with National Geographic's “Untamed Americas” and another with Univision's “The Amazon: A Paradise for Sale.”
Wildlife photojournalist, filmmaker, and field biologist Tim Laman uses his cameras as tools for telling the stories of rare and endangered wildlife and revealing some of Earth's wildest places. He has published more than 20 feature stories in National Geographic magazine and worked on films for the National Geographic Channel, BBC, and Netflix. Tim's work has garnered numerous awards, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016.
Ami Vitale is a National Geographic Explorer, photographer and filmmaker, as well as an ambassador for Nikon. She is also the founder and executive director of the women-led nonprofit Vital Impacts, which supports humanitarian projects around the world.
Praises to the chef and his crew for the best Lindblad foods so far. Wow! I loved the use of local fruits, etc., and special sauces. Keep the chef. He is excellent and we are foodies.
Kay G.
Making a Difference
Lindblad Expeditions supports stewardship efforts in the places we explore, and one way we do that is through the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund. Traveler contributions to the LEX-NG Fund in the Amazon currently support our regional partner, Minga Peru, in its efforts to promote sustainable change for indigenous women and their communities.
We began our day exploring Iricahua Creek just before breakfast. The clear skies of the morning allowed us to enjoy all the sightings that nature had to offer us. The flooded forest was covered with lush vegetation and our naturalists explained the capabilities many plants have to survive the six months of high waters. For our afternoon activity, we visited the Amazona Community. The friendly inhabitants had prepared an interesting presentation of their daily life for us. The extraction of sugar cane juice, their local cooking methods, and the preparation of the chambira palm fiber were some of the daily activities about which we learned. We all gathered in the main house, called maloca. Here a group of teenagers shared their experience on how the NGO Minga Peru had supported them in becoming young entrepreneurs. It was a life changing experience for all of us. What a lovely way to finish our expedition through the Upper Amazon.
We went out this morning for another adventure on our skiffs exploring the rivers of Pacaya and Magdalena, tributaries of the mighty Amazon. We left Delfin II even earlier, so eager we are to go experience it all. As always, the Amazon didn’t disappoint. We took breakfast with us, and halfway through the morning we found a nice shaded spot under the trees by the river to eat in our skiffs. Not just some snacks, but a full breakfast with full silverware, hot coffee, tea, eggs, pastries and more — Delfin II style! The mornings are so great here! The air is nice and fresh, and the golden light is fantastic for photography. The clear blue sky contrasts nicely with the dark, mirror-like, tannin-rich water. We enjoyed a great symphony of sounds of the forest awakening, with the strange loud calls of distant horned screamers and troops of red howler monkeys. What a combination — howlers and screamers! The highlight, though, was not only to hear them but to see them very well too. The large horned screamers were flying with their slow wingbeats side-by-side to our speeding skiffs; a family of also large howler monkeys (the biggest monkey species here) moved rapidly through the canopy of the trees on the water’s edge, very close to our skiffs. Another magical moment in a magical place.
Today our guests had the opportunity to explore Belluda Creek, which flows inside the Ucayali River. It’s a narrow creek that can be explored by kayak and skiff. Right after breakfast, we all geared up and left to explore this well-known creek. We were excited to discover many different species of mammals and birds. Our naturalists explained to us the important role that each of these animals has in the conservation of the forest. Our afternoon activities were concentrated in Dorado River. We loaded our skiffs and went out to explore the river until sunset. With spotlights in hand, our naturalists began to point out the nocturnal wildlife that was waking up to search for their meals. We had a great day exploring this part of the reserve.
Last night we had a peaceful night’s sleep as Delfin II was tied to a tree on the edge of the river (Anchors are useless here in the Amazon, as they would only drag along the bottom of the river with nothing to grab.) Early morning we eagerly awoke for another adventure. In the tropical rainforest it makes a lot of sense to do exactly what the wildlife does, to start early when it’s cooler, waking up hungry and active. Luckily, we can afford the time to enjoy a wonderful breakfast onboard Delfin II before going out… And so we did! Today we explored much further into the tributaries of the Amazon, into Clavero Lake and Supay Creek. We had great skiff explorations with wonderful sightings of many of the interesting animals of the Amazon basin, including the iconic pink dolphins which accompanied us everywhere, and titi and saki monkeys. The highlight of the day was no doubt the smallest but the hardest of all to see… seven inches of monkey, the smallest primate in the world! We spied tiny pigmy marmoset, and indeed we saw them running up and down the branches of the trees by the water, not far from our skiffs. It was an exceptional sighting in an exceptional place. Just another day in the Amazon!
Right after sunrise, we went on a skiff exploration through a small creek called Pahuachiro. The different birds’ songs filled the air as we cruised on the calm water of the creek. The sightings of lovely red-capped cardinals and different species of tanagers were enjoyed by our guests. Among the floating vegetation, lots of spiders and amphibians were the main attraction. After breakfast, we had the opportunity to hike in a forest on higher ground. We had locals from the community of Casual looking for wildlife together with our naturalists. Interesting reptiles and amphibians were spotted and shown to our guests. A skiff exploration along the Yarapa River was offered for our afternoon activity. The sighting of a family of wooly monkeys mesmerized our guests. The cruise through the flooded forest was a great treat for them, too. They were also impressed when the saw the giant water lilies blooming. A lovely sunset was a great finale for another wonderful day exploring the Pacaya Samiria Wildlife Reserve in the Upper Amazon.
FAQs
FAQs and key information
From climate conditions, to electrical outlets, to packing the right footwear, find answers to the questions Expedition Specialists get most often.