Moment 01
Into the flooded forest
Skiff excursions deep among the trees for dolphins, monkeys, sloths and brilliant birdlife.
The Amazon.
Peru & Brazil · The Living River
The Amazon is less a river than a living world: the largest rainforest on earth, threaded by a waterway so vast it holds a fifth of all the fresh water on the planet. The only way to truly enter it is by ship, slipping into channels no road will ever reach.
Aboard an intimate riverboat, days unfold by skiff and on foot: gliding into the flooded forest in search of pink river dolphins, sloths and macaws, fishing for piranha, and walking jungle trails with expert naturalist guides. Evenings bring a sky thick with stars and the constant chorus of the rainforest, all from the comfort of a beautifully appointed small ship.
Most voyages explore the Peruvian headwaters around Iquitos and the Pacaya-Samiria reserve, and pair naturally with Machu Picchu and the Andes. We arrange the river sailing, the South American flights and the land add-ons so the whole journey flows as easily as the current.
- The region
- Peru & Brazil Amazon
- Classic sailing
- 4–7 nights
- The ship
- Riverboat & skiffs
- Season
- Year-round
What you'll remember
Moments along the way.
Moment 02
Naturalist-led days
Expert guides read the rainforest, finding the wildlife an untrained eye would walk straight past.
Moment 03
Pair with the Andes
Combine the river with Machu Picchu and Cusco for the full sweep of Peru.
Moment 04
Pink river dolphins
The rosy dolphins of the Amazon surfacing alongside the skiff at dawn.
Moment 05
Birds of the canopy
Macaws, toucans and hundreds of species blazing through the rainforest treetops.
Moment 06
Life on the river
The ribereño villages and floating markets that live by the river's rhythms.
The route
A sample sailing.
5 stops · Iquitos to Ucayali River
Tap a stop to jump to that day · drag to explore
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1 Day 1Iquitos
Board near the largest city on earth unreachable by road, where the Amazon truly begins.
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2 Day 2Nauta & the Marañón
Where the Marañón and Ucayali meet to form the Amazon, with the first skiff outings into the flooded forest.
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3 Day 3Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
Deep into Peru's largest protected rainforest for pink dolphins, monkeys and brilliant birdlife.
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4 Day 4Flooded-forest channels
Glide by skiff through drowned treetops, fish for piranha, and walk jungle trails with naturalists.
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5 Days 5-6Riverside villages
Meet the ribereño communities who live by the river's rhythms, then turn back toward Iquitos.
Every sailing we book is tailored: this is a starting point, not a package.
When to go
The best time to sail.
The Amazon runs every month of the year; what changes is the water, and with it the whole character of the trip. High water from roughly December to May floods the forest, and you navigate by skiff among the canopy itself. Low water from about June to November pulls back to expose beaches and trails, so you walk the jungle and find the wildlife concentrated on the banks. Two rivers, one current.
December–May
High-water season: glide by skiff deep into the flooded forest, closer to the canopy and its wildlife.
June–November
Low-water season: beaches and trails emerge for jungle walks, with fish and birds concentrated along the river.
Good to know
The Amazon cruise questions.
How long is an Amazon cruise?+
River sailings run 3 to 7 nights. We usually pair the Amazon with Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Sacred Valley for a complete Peru journey.
High water or low water?+
Both are rewarding. High water from December to May means more skiff exploration in the flooded forest; low water from June to November opens trails and beaches for walking.
What wildlife will we see?+
Pink and gray river dolphins, monkeys, sloths, macaws and hundreds of bird species, sought out by skiff and on foot with expert naturalists.
What are the ships like?+
Intimate, beautifully appointed riverboats of a few dozen guests, with en-suite cabins, fine Peruvian cuisine, and skiffs for daily excursions.
From the journal
Reading on The Amazon.
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The Amazon?
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