Upon arrival to Lima International airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Iquitos.
Flight to Iquitos should be programmed to arrive before midday.
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. Box lunch on route.
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 will enjoy the personal attention and your own private decks. Your suites will be the epitome of luxury while cruising; you will enjoy a variety of environmentally friendly amenities for your ultimate indulgence.
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.
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 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.
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 multitalented staff will entertain you with a little live music.
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 those who 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 will encounter local medicinal plants and identify 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.
03:30 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 biodiversity will be outstanding. 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.
06:30 PM Back to the vessel. We will continue our navigation to our next destination.
08:00 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.
09:30 PM Lazy time at 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 constellation.
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 will 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 Deflin 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 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, lagoons, 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 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.
AMAZON HEADWATERS & CAÑO PIRAÑA / SAN FRANCISCO HIKE AND LOCAL VILLAGE
(BREAKFAST – LUNCH)
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 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 spot.
We will visit San Francisco Village, a local community; you will stroll around their community, their houses and will have the chance to meet how simple their 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.
We will disembark at our port in Nauta, where a bus will be waiting to take you back to Iquitos airport for your flight back to Lima.
Flight to Lima should be programmed to depart after 2pm.
Lunch on your account.
Transfer to your hotel in Lima.
Rest of the day at leisure.
In the morning, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Arequipa.
Upon arrival to Arequipa, you will be met and driven to your hotel. The mountains and valleys surrounding the city are quite breathtaking.
In the afternoon, you will embark in a tour of Peru’s ‘White City’, including visits to the Santa Catalina Convent, Plaza de Armas, the former cloisters of the Jesuite Orders, and the picturesque suburbs of Yanahuara and Chilina, with their magnificent views of the Misti Volcano.
This morning you will be met by your guide to continue by private vehicle on a scenic drive to Colca, approximately five hours outside Arequipa. A winding road leaves the city finally arriving at one of the most beautiful places on earth: the Colca Canyon. Local geologists claim that Colca, with chasms that can measure up to 11,000 feet top to bottom, is the world’s deepest canyon. The valley has beautiful pre-Columbian terraces that are still farmed by native collaguas. The terraces might remind you of Asian terraced farming. Lunch is included.
Rest of the afternoon, free to enjoy the hotel facilities and excursions included in your stay.
Unearth the secrets of Valle Colca with hotel selection of fully customisable journeys. Experiences include high altitude trekking, delving into ancient plant wisdom with a natural herbalist, soaking in the thermal baths of Uyo Uyo, visiting some of the best textile weavers in the Andes, and more. Ranging from a few hours to full-day guided explorations, no two journeys to Valle Colca are the same.
This morning, you will be transferred by car to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Stops en route to enjoy the beautiful land scape. En route, visit the mysterious ‘chullpas’ or burial chambers of the Sillustani.
Today you have a full day excursion on Lake Titicaca. At 3820m, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. At over 170km long, it is also the largest lake in South America. Its altitude means the air is unusually clear and the azure waters particularly striking.
Sightseeing on the islands of Uros and Taquile are followed by lunch. The floating islands of the Uros, a small tribe (now intermarried, however, so pure-blooded Uros no longer exist), is an interesting excursion. The islands themselves are constructed from the totora reed found in abundance in Lake Titicaca. The Uros' homes and boats are also made of totora, and their entire lives revolve around their famed reed-weaving.
On the island of Taquile inhabitants dress in homemade traditional colorful clothing - men in elegant waistcoats and floppy knit caps; women in layered skirts and embroidered blouses. Quechua is their language and they maintain a proud and independent lifestyle. This beautiful island setting holds several terraced hillsides of Inca ruins which you are free to explore.
In the afternoon, return to your hotel in Puno
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima.
Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel.
This aftenoon, you will embark on a guided city tour of Lima’s historic downtown, beginning with a visit to the Main Plaza and the surrounding monuments: the Cathedral, built in 1534 and an architectural masterpiece; the Presidential Palace, where the soldiers guarding the palace offer an excellent photo opportunity; the Archbishop’s Palace, City Hall, the Desamparados train station, and the Moorish-style houses and balconies along Lima’s old streets.
Early morning, transfer to Paracas by private transportation.
Lunch at Hacienda San Jose. A gorgeous XVI century Hacienda, located an hour from Paracas, this boutique property lets you feel how things were a few centuries ago, in colonial times, it is history being relived. You will also have the chance to visit the property, the tour will include the catacombs, the network of underground tunnels and rooms and the "punishment room" dating from slavery times which is very interesting.
Then, you will continue your trip to Paracas.
Upon arrival to the hotel, you will check-in and have the rest of the afternoon at your leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities.
This morning, we will explore one of this region’s most beautiful natural attractions, the Ballestas Islands. Often referred to as “Peru’s Small Galapagos,” the volcanic islands are home to an array of wildlife and dramatic scenery. We begin with a drive to a private pier, where we embark on a 2-hour boat trip to the islands. Keep your eyes peeled for the birds and sea mammals that call this area home as we cruise around the islands.
A short stop is made to admire “El Candelabro,” a candelabra-like sketch in the sand on the Paracas hills. On arrival at the islands the pace is slowed and numerous fantastic photo opportunities present themselves as seals, sea lions and penguins circle the boat in great numbers, while boobies, frigate birds and pelicans fly above. This excursion offers an enjoyable wildlife interlude where close encounters are an everyday occurrence.
Return to the hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the desert oasis of Huacachina in Ica for a unique experience, you will climb into a 4-wheel-drive dune buggy driven by a professional driver. Half the tour is riding in the dune buggy, up and down the dunes at fast speeds, and the other half of the tour is a chance to try the adventure sport of “sandboarding”. This is just like snowboarding, but instead of snow you will be boarding on the fine-grained sand of the desert.
A tour into the desert feels like an “out of this world” experience, almost like visiting the surface of another planet. Return to the hotel.
Breakfast in your hotel.
Morning at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities.
After lunch on your account, you will be transfer back to Lima's airport by private transportation.
International departure (at night).
