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Rates include: 3 nights at the Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima, a private Lima City Tour with lunch at one of the best restaurants in Miraflores, private Larco Museum Tour, Lima-Iquitos-Lima air, 4 nights in a Master Suite aboard the M/V Aqua with daily guided excursions, all airport transfers, and meals as indicated.

Not included: tips, items of a personal nature and anything else not specified.

Day 1 (Sunday), Lima, Peru:

Upon your evening arrival into the Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, you will be met by our guide who will assist you with your luggage and escort you to the van. Our chauffeur will drive you from the airport for 35 minutes across the city to the the upscale suburb of Miraflores. Miraflores is one of the most exclusive residential and commercial districts of Lima ("The City of Kings") and represents an eclectic mix of the modern and the historic.

Peru's capital is one of the most interesting cities in South America - a potent mix of colonial architecture, superb museums, Inca gold and antiquities, and glamorous shops.

The Miraflores Park Hotel is located in the Malécon de la Reserva, in an exclusive residential area.  The Miraflores Park Hotel, with its 82 rooms, is a small boutique hotel, set in a park on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea and affording almost all of the rooms with stunning sea views. The hotel provides easy access for all that's best about the city and is renowned for its setting beside the Pacific Ocean.

You will have the morning to enjoy an exquisite brunch at the hotel and to relax and enjoy the hotel's facilities for the rest of the morning. Our guide and chauffeur will pick you up from the Miraflores Park Hotel in the early afternoon for an afternoon tour of "The City of Kings". We will visit the Plaza Mayor (Main Square), founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru, Government Palace, City Hall, Cathedral and House of 'El Oidor'. Continuing our tour, we will see other Colonial architectural jewels, such as Torre Tagle Palace, and Osambela House. We will drop you off at the hotel in late afternoon. You will be on your own to dine this evening in one of the fine restaurants in the hotel or elsewhere in Miraflores.

We will pick you up from the hotel after breakfast for a morning visit to the Larco Herrara Museum. Founded in 1926, the Larco Museum showcases remarkable chronological galleries providing an excellent overview of 3,000 years of development of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. Located in a unique vice-royal mansion of the 18th century built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid, is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous erotic archaeological collection, one of the most visited Peruvian tourist attractions. For an unforgettable experience, Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can also choose to enter the storage area with its 45,000 classified archaeological objects. Its masterpieces are considered worldwide icons of Pre-Columbian art, after being exhibited in the world's leading museums. After your visit to the Larco Museum we will escort you to one of Miraflores best restaurants (La Rosa Nautica, La Huaca Pucllana or the Brujas de Cachiche) before continuing to the airport for your flight to Iquitos.

Upon your arrival in Iquitos, your guide from the M/V Aqua will meet you and escort you to our  first-class air conditioned bus for the one and a half hour drive through the Peruvian countryside to the small port town of Nauta where the M/V Aqua lies at anchor awaiting your arrival.

Upon arrival aboard the Aqua, take a few moments to settle into your over-sized Master Suite and freshen-up before dinner. Over the next four days, you will sail along several tributaries of the Amazon, as well as on the mighty river itself. You are embarking on a spectacular adventure, to a place visited by only a few of even the most experienced world travelers.

Aqua itinerary for cruises June through November (low water season)
Aqua itinerary for cruises December through May (high water season)
 

For these three days you will be cruising along the Maranon and Ucayali rivers. As your ship docks along the river, knowledgeable and experienced naturalists will take you, via small launches, into remote estuaries in the Peruvian rain forest and the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. As you explore these pristine wilderness areas teeming with wildlife, you will also encounter local people living in villages as they have for centuries. And when the day's sightseeing is over, the comforts of your luxurious floating hotel will await you. On Friday night, you will enjoy a special farewell dinner.

For the ultimate luxury aboard the M/V Aqua, we book one of the spacious master suites, measuring a generous 240 square feet and including a separate, intimate seating area for optimum privacy. These four fully air-conditioned suites, 105, 106, 205, and 206, face outward at the very front of the vessel, and are wrapped in panoramic glass windows. Open the curtain at the foot of your California king-sized (or separate singles) bed at night and count the constellations in a sky filled with brilliant stars. The Master Suites, like all of our luxury suites, contain a private bath, complete with all necessities, plus a shower that has hot water around the clock, a hairdryer, and a basket of luxury toiletries.

During your cruise, you will have many opportunities for observing a variety of unique wildlife including monkeys, sloths, macaws, parrots, caiman, river dolphins, and have an opportunity to fish for piranha.

Gaze out at the great wilderness from the elegant comfort of the ship's dining room. Fine china and crystal and superb service are part of the experience, matching what you would expect from a fine dining restaurant in Lima. Choose to dine á deux, or at a table accommodating your whole family or your new friends. Fine dining, deep in the Amazon jungle, may sound like unlikely - yet you will find it aboard the M/V Aqua. Executive chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, one of Lima's culinary stars, has created a menu that draws on both Peruvian and European influence. Wine is included with meals, giving you the opportunity to experience a range of the finest South American vintages.

Relax between Amazon adventures, or enjoy a pre- or post-dinner cocktail, in our air-conditioned Indoor Bar, a soothing oasis in an exotic location. The atmosphere is casual, the music is soft, and the conversation is good. Drinks and light snacks are available in our Outdoor Lounge, perfect any time, but especially lovely at night, when you can see stars glistening brighter than you have ever seen before.

After breakfast, you will have the option of taking one last trip from the Aqua in the launch before lunch to see what wildlife we might be able to spot along the river. Your afternoon in the remote city of Iquitos, accessible only by river or air, will not disappoint. This bustling town, complete with a house built by Gustave Eiffel, was once a rich center of the rubber industry. En route to the airport, we will visit the Manatee Rescue Center, where biologists and volunteers care for endangered Amazon manatees that conservation authorities have seized from local people and fishermen. Biologists will give a presentation about the project and its efforts to help these helpless mammals. You will also see how the manatees are cared for and are prepared for re-introduction into their natural habitat. Finally, we will stop at the San Juan Amazonian Indian Market, for a last chance to shop for local crafts. We will assist you with your check-in at the Iquitos airport for your 5:30 flight to Lima. Upon your arrival in Lima, our guide will meet you and escort you to the van for the drive to the Miraflores Park Hotel for your last night in Lima.

We will pick you up from the hotel and escort you to the airport for your flight home or to one of other luxury tours...

More on the M/V Aqua...

Seasons
Raven Expeditions operates Amazon Luxury Travel year-round, and every voyage is uniquely appealing, based on the changing seasons. During the wet season (December to May), the river and estuaries grow, allowing launch boats to venture deeper into the flooded forest. During the dry season (June to November), the river recedes and beautiful sandy river beaches form.

Safety
Every effort is made to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard The M/V Aqua. The vessel is equipped with backup radio communication equipment, utilizing a separate battery pack and satellite telephone service. It is also fully outfitted with lifejackets, flares and signals, fire extinguishers, and smoke detectors in each cabin. There is also energy lighting and emergency signs in the passage ways. Its three aluminum launch boats, which can double as life boats in an emergency, are equipped with four-stroke low emission engines, and can remain in constant communication with the main vessel. Each launch boat can accommodate 8-10 passengers. Guides and certain crew members are first-aid trained. A crew member is assigned to keep watch around the clock, whether the vessel is sailing or docked.

Medical and Health
Guests should be in good physical health in order to be able to make the most of their Amazon Cruise. Visiting the area involves the use of small motorized skiffs and at times may include some possible wet landings. The daily nature excursions may include walking on irregular terrain, and getting in and out of the skiffs occasionally requires some physical effort. Walking excursions may last up to one hour. Malaria and yellow fever vaccinations are not required for travelers coming into the region, but are recommended.

Wildlife
See photographs of Pacaya-Samiria taken on a trip aboard the Aqua from the private collection of Jeff Waugh...