International Expeditions

My wife and I just returned from a wet season trip with International Expeditions (IE) to Lima and the Amazon.
It was tremendous:
1. The diversity of wildlife is extreme and up close and personal.
2. The vastness of it all approaches infinity.
3. The staff and guides were top drawer professionals.
The IE mother ship (Zafiro) is in great condition and very comfortable, clean and welcoming. The staff is friendly, helpful, supportive, knowledgeable. The naturalists/guides are the best. Experts in the wildlife and flora and good-natured and personable.
Yes, it is hot and humid, but very bearable. Yes, there are mosquitoes at night, but again very manageable. (We've all experienced much much worse in the US.)
In the wet season (50 feet higher water than in dry season) you don't get to walk as much as you do in dry season because terra firma is so much further into the rain forest than you can reach in a boat. But we did get to visit villages and walk in the rain forest.
We swam. We went out every morning and afternoon in the skiffs to explore smaller rivers and lakes. Sloths, monkeys, iguana, boa, anaconda, caiman, tarantula, piranha, frogs, toads, and more bird types than you can count.
Wow - What a Show!

This was our second time coming to Peru but first time with International Expeditions and it was amazing.

Staff and guides are very friendly and accommodating. If you have food allergies and any sort of problem they take the time to ensure you have a great trip and will help you any way that they can. The river cruise itself was very comfortable clean sheets, beds are nice and rooms are pretty spacious overall for a river cruise.

We always had daily activities to participate in or could choose to stay behind. But I wouldn't recommend that as you get to see so much just within the first couple of days that you're in Pacaya-Samiria Reserve!

The wildlife was incredible and included sightings of monkeys, birds, snakes, a sloth, spiders and beautiful frogs that you get to see during the night boat tour. I loved going into a local village and learning about cultural traditions that have been passed on from generation to generation. We even participated in a spiritual ritual that's supposed to cleanse your body; a very interesting experience! I'd recommend bringing and using insect repellent daily especially during summer peak season, it is the Amazon after all. If you love wildlife and are looking for a great authentic but comfortable experience in nature, I highly recommend this trip.

Have done three trips with IE (Belize, Machu Picchu and Galapagos, and just returned from Cuba), and ALL were outstanding!

Have done three trips with IE (Belize, Machu Picchu and Galapagos, and just returned from Cuba), and ALL were outstanding!

This company is good for trips on the Amazon river

I traveled with International Expeditions to Cuba on one of their licensed 'people to people' tours. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience. Our guide, Gustavo, was a great guy and made everyone in our group satisfied. He knew tons on Cuban history, culture, politics, etc. Although it was an organized trip with scheduled activities, we still had some free time to explore Havana and even got to spend some time on the beach.

The hotels were old with ornate lobbies but rooms were not so nice. Food was decent and not as bad as people make it out to be.

All in all, I am thrilled to have traveled there before it opens up to everyone else.