Visiting the great Amazon River is on the to-do list of many South American travelers and it’s not all that hard to combine this epic experience with a visit to other spots in Peru. You have two choices on how to see the area: staying in a high-end jungle lodge or moving from place to place on one of the luxury Amazon River cruises in Peru.
We’ve published detailed reviews and tour stories about exploring the Amazon jungle region of Peru while staying at a jungle lodge, with Inkaterra or Rainforest Expeditions, and it’s a special experience to sleep in the rainforest surrounded by wild animals. Many high-end travelers would prefer to cruise down the river and its tributaries on a boat instead.
These are small, intimate ships where you can get to know all the other passengers, but with fine dining and comfortable cabins, plus outdoor space for enjoying the views. Then the ships will stop in places where you can go exploring the wildlife regions with an experienced nature guide from the Amazon Jungle region. You generally board these near where you fly in, so no hours of boating and going overland to get to the action.
Here are the top Amazon River cruise ships operating in the area. In some cases you can book direct–especially if you’re going to charter the whole thing for your groups–but otherwise you can book them through a tour company or travel agency.
Delfin I, II, and III
The Delfin company operates three ships offering luxury Amazon river cruises, making them the largest and most experienced operator in the area. We have a whole feature story about what it’s like on their ship if you follow this link: A Luxury Amazon Delfin Cruise in Peru.
Our correspondent summed up the experience on the three different ships in that article and they vary quite a bit in their offerings. The largest is 22 cabins, with a spa and gift shop, while the smallest (Delfin I) is a different story altogether:
The Delfín I is the most luxurious of the three boats so choose this one if you want one of the most upscale experiences possible in the Peruvian Amazon region. It has only four suites, making this the perfect boat for a family or group of friends who want a truly exclusive Amazonian cruise. The top deck has a bar, lounge, and entertainment center, while the two decks below are occupied by the suites.
The Delfin II has 14 cabins, four of them Master Suites. Our writer stayed in the larger III ship, where the cabin was about half the size of the ones on the I ship.
She was pleasantly surprised by both the level of service on the ship and the amount of wildlife they spotted when on tours with the guides off the ship. Delfin Amazon Cruises is part of the Relais & Chateaux brand, so you can expect to eat well while you’ve moving along the great river.
Aria Amazon and Aqua Nera
A company called Aqua Expeditions, which also runs river cruises in Asia, has been operating in the Peruvian Amazon for close to two decades. They are known as a pampering, top-tier option for discerning guests while also getting passengers into remote areas with plenty of animals to see.
They operate two ships that ply the waters. The Aria Amazon has 16 suites, plus a crew of 29, which means close to a 1:1 staff-to-guest ratio. The suites have floor-to-ceiling windows, there’s a whirlpool on the deck, and there’s always a view with the restaurant being on the top level.
The Aqua Nera has a crew of 40 for the 40 guests in 20 cabins with king beds or two twins. It features an enclosed restaurant, a lounge, a billiards table, and a small pool to cool off in. See more at the official website.
Zafiro River Cruise Ship
We wrote about the Zafiro ship earlier when we were partnering with a big tour company that eventually got bought up by another. They used to book the Zafiro exclusively, but now you’ll see this experience on offer from several companies operating in Peru.
The Zafiro has 19 cabins with a view, all with floor-to-ceiling windows and in the case of the upper deck units, a furnished balcony as well. The Zafiro Suite pictured above just might be the most luxurious cabin you’ll find on any ship with 19 rooms.
The ship has a whirlpool, exercise room with yoga mats, and a massage room.
Cattleya Riverboat
The Cattleya is more of a classic riverboat than a luxury cruiser, but with just four cabins and a smaller size to get into most any tributary, this is a good one to charter if you can fill it up. You’ve got outdoor decks, an indoor lounge, and an enclosed dining room. The cabins have a sofa bed that can sleep a child, so this is a better family option than some of the others.
Whichever ship you choose for your journey, you’ll get to explore one of the most biodiverse areas in the world and learn a lot about nature, from medicinal plants to deadly fish to sloths and monkeys in the trees.
See more about what it’s like on Amazon River cruises in these past articles on the blog:
Article by Timothy
Timothy Scott is the founder and editor of Luxury Latin America and has been covering the region as a travel journalist since the mid-2000s. He has visited each country we cover multiple times and is based in a UNESCO World Heritage city in central Mexico, where he owns a home. See contact information here.
