Please note the tour price reflected on the brochure is subject to change. Due to seasonality, and taxes prices of the tour are subject to change without due notice. Please consult with the operator directly for the recent price.
Amazon Riverboat & Rainforest Lodge
Overview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Enjoy a close-up view of life in the canopy.
- See the plants and bright flowers attracting gorgeous birds and other creatures.
- Head out onto the Amazon River to Monkey Island
- See the Amazon River, rainforest, small villages, and narrow tributaries
- See the marsh birds green ibis and yellow-headed caracaras
- See the animal carvings, decorative blowguns, and a variety of necklaces, jewelry fashioned.
Short Description
No two bends in the Amazon River are the same, and IE’s new Amazon cruise & rainforest tour option offers explorers the quintessential opportunity to explore two very different parts of the legendary Amazon rainforest. Enjoy three nights on the river aboard the new La Estrella Amazonica with time at the distinct Ceiba Tops Lodge. Spend your days in the jungle canopy, on the forest floor and on an Amazon river cruise, learning about and exploring the culture and habitats that make the Amazon Basin one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth! From dawn until late into the tropical night, savor almost unlimited opportunities to experience two sides of the incredible Peruvian Amazon.
Ultimate Amazon Expedition Cruise
For three nights, enjoy the unparalleled charm and warmth of La Estrella Amazonica, our custom-built Amazon riverboat, where you can be spoiled by all the amenities of a major cruise ship with the exclusive intimacy of a private yacht. Aboard our custom-designed riverboat, you can enjoy daily discussions with our naturalists in the river’s only dedicated Lecture Room, relax on your cabin’s private balcony, and even stargaze from the Amazon’s largest Observation Deck.
Commotion in the Canopy
Experience life in the rainforest canopy as you ascend 120 feet into the trees for a true bird's-eye view of the jungle. IE conceived and funded the Canopy Walkway in 1992, and even used ropes and ladders imported from our home state of Alabama in the construction. The secret life of the canopy reveals itself on a rainforest tour like no other. Observe plants and bright flowers attracting strange insects or birds shimmering in bold primary colors - it is almost too much to absorb!
Destinations
PeruAttractions & Cities Visited
LimaActivities & Interests
Bird watching Educational/ learning Kayaking Nature Short Cruise Wildlife viewingItinerary
Day 1
Arrive Lima
Fly independently to Lima and overnight at the Costa del Sol Wyndham or similar Lima hotel. (Meals Aloft)
Day 2
Fly to Iquitos and visit the Manatee Rescue Center, where biologists and volunteers care for endangered Amazon manatees that conservation authorities have rescued. Learn about efforts to help these endearing mammals. See how the manatees are cared for and prepared for reintroduction into their natural habitat. Head out onto the Amazon River to Monkey Island. Monkey Island is a private reserve whose free-roaming inhabitants include wooly, saki and titi monkeys as well as tamarins and marmosets. Tonight, board La Estrella Amazonica, our home for three nights. (B, L, D)
amazon riverboat la Estrella Amazonia
Day 3
Amazon River & Tributaries
Awake on the Amazon River, seeing a panorama of rainforest, small villages, and narrow tributaries. A morning excursion is a chance to watch for marsh birds such as green ibis and yellow-headed caracaras. Enjoy a look at life along the river during a guided village visits. Stroll through gardens learning about medicinal plants and folklore, visit a school or join in a game of soccer. After an afternoon siesta and naturalist-led discussion on wildlife, try your hand at piranha fishing. IE’s chef will even prepare the day’s catch for a Happy Hour snack! This evening after dinner we have an excursion by boat to search for nocturnal animals and to listen to the sounds of the rainforest at night. (B, L, D)
Day 4
Amazon Medical Clinic / Amazon Library
Awake to the sounds of the forest, joining your naturalist for an early morning excursion by small boat looking for birds and animals that are found along the banks of the Amazon and its tributaries. After a hearty breakfast, visit a Yagua village. Yagua people live scattered throughout the Amazon Basin, supporting their communities with small-scale agriculture, fishing, and light hunting. Additionally, the Yagua are known for their craft-making skills, and you have ample opportunity to purchase wooden animal carvings, decorative blowguns, and a variety of necklaces, bracelets, and jewelry fashioned from natural materials such as seeds and fibers. This afternoon we visit the Amazon Medical Clinic. Former IE traveler, Dr. Linnea Smith, gave up her medical practice in Wisconsin to start this clinic serving the people of this remote area. Enjoy kayaking for an up-close view of the riverbanks. Time permitting, stop at the Amazon Library located near the clinic. The library has an average weekly attendance of over 100 adults and children and offers a Reading Club — students who read 100 storybooks receive a book of their very own — usually the only book they have ever owned. (B,L,D)
Yagua village visit
Day 5
Canopy Walkway / Ceiba Tops
We say goodbye to La Estrella and the crew early this morning at a local market where we see the interesting rainforest fruits, vegetables, live animals and household products that are traded among people from different villages. We then board small motor powered tuk-tuks and are driven across the Indiana isthmus to a place on the Napo River where boats are waiting for us. The Napo is one of the world’s largest rivers but is overshadowed by the Amazon which it flows into. Travel a short distance on the Napo where we disembark and walk the trail to the Canopy Walkway. In conjunction with Amazon Explorama Lodges, IE conceived and funded the building of this system of suspended pathways and platforms in 1992. We gradually ascend the walkway to a height of more than ten stories, emerging above the seemingly endless canopy. Enjoy a close-up view of life in the canopy: plants and bright flowers attracting gorgeous birds and other creatures. After lunch at the Napo lodge, visit an Enthnobotanical Garden, where over 240 medicinal plants are cultivated by a local shaman who will explain the nature of Amazonian natural healing and the uses of some of the plants. In the afternoon we set out for the beautiful and comfortable Ceiba Tops Lodge, our home for the night. Ceiba Tops is in a spectacular rainforest garden setting overlooking the Amazon. The cottages are air conditioned and very tastefully decorated. Before dinner you have time to enjoy the pool, explore the gardens or walk a short distance on a trail to see the largest Ceiba tree in this part of the rainforest. (B, L, D)
Day 6
Ceiba Tops / Iquitos / Lima
We return by boat to Iquitos early this morning and transfer to the airport for our morning flight to Lima. After lunch and a glimpse at this coastal city, continue to the Costa del Sol (or similar) for dayroom use. This evening we are transferred to the airport for international flight.(B, L)
amazon rainforest aracari
Day 7
Arrive Home
Meet your connecting flights. (Meals Aloft)
Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with International Expeditions.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click
"Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for
the final trip price.
6 International Expeditions Travel Reviews & Ratings
Amazon Riverboat & Rainforest Lodge
Company Reviews
IE puts on a show on 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!
Amazon River Cruise
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.
Outstanding!
Have done three trips with IE
This company is good for trips on the Amazon river
Amazing glimpse into real Cuban life
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.
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
All internal ground transport
Group Size
Intimate Group - 12 max
Trip ID#:
AmaRivRaiLodIntExp
We respect your privacy and take great care to protect your information. By clicking «Send my questions» you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. An account will be created for you to track your submission and a temporary password will be emailed to you.
×You can access members-only savings of up to $700 on over 6,000 Travelstride Select trips.
Sign in to see trip eligibility
With your FREE membership you get to:
- Save up to $700 per person!*
- Access private deals and offers
- See personalized trip recommendations
- Save favorite trips
We respect your privacy and take great care to protect your information. By joining you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
You could save $ 600 per person on this trip!
