4-Day Delfin Amazon Cruise in Peru’s Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
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TripsPeruIquitos

4-Day Delfin Amazon Cruise in Peru’s Pacaya-Samiria Reserve

Iquitos
3 Nights·4 Days
PeruRiver CruisesFamily Adventures

Overview

The 4-day Delfin Amazon Cruise offers a unique and captivating journey into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. This expedition masterfully combines a luxurious floating structure with deep, authentic immersion in nature. Departing from Iquitos and navigating the Marañón River, the route takes you directly into the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. As one of the largest protected areas in the Amazon basin, the flooded forests provide a vast and scenic backdrop for an exclusive adventure.

The itinerary features activities carefully designed to connect guests with the surrounding environment. Guided excursions include wildlife observation from small skiffs, kayaking on the Yarapa River, and night safaris to spot nocturnal animals. Guests also explore Clavero Lake and engage in visits to local communities. The journey concludes with a stop at the Manatee Rescue Center to learn all about manatees and other endangered species.

Guests enjoy absolute comfort aboard elegant vessels featuring cabins with panoramic river views, leisure areas, and private terraces, while fine dining blends regional Peruvian and international flavors. With all-inclusive amenities and dedicated service, the crew ensures a relaxing rainforest getaway for an unforgettable trip.

  • Full itinerary: skiff excursions in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, river dolphin watching, birdwatching, a night wildlife outing, Clavero Lake, kayaking on the Yarapa River, a visit to the Puerto Miguel community and the Manatee Rescue Center.
  • Look for grey and pink river dolphins, monkeys, butterflies, and dozens of bird species from skiffs in small groups with a naturalist guide.
  • Paddle a two-person kayak on the Yarapa River, a quiet tributary where you hear the forest before you see it.
  • Visit Puerto Miguel, a riverside village with a schoolhouse and a women’s arts and crafts market.
  • Sleep in a suite with floor-to-ceiling river views on the four-suite Delfin I or the 22-suite Delfin III.
  • Activities guided by English- and Spanish-speaking naturalist guides, who rotate between groups so you hear several specialists.
  • All-inclusive experience: transfers from Iquitos airport on the recommended flights, 3 nights aboard, all meals and house drinks, every excursion and its equipment, the Pacaya-Samiria entrance fee, and naturalist guides.

  • Please note: The itinerary is a plan, not a promise. The guides adjust each day’s excursions for weather, river level, and wildlife activity, and brief you every evening on the next day.

Itinerary

Day 1

Iquitos Airport / Transfer to Nauta / Embarkation

  • ArrivalIquitos International Airport (IQT) · Recommended flight from Lima
  • TransferIquitos → Nauta port · ~95 km · ~1h30
  • EmbarkationDelfin I or Delfin III · Boarding at 3 PM, orientation, and guide briefing

Your Iquitos Amazon cruise begins at the airport, where the crew meets the recommended flight from Lima. A paved road leads about 95 km south to Nauta, Peru, a small riverside town on the Marañón River and the first city founded in the Loreto region.

At the port, your ship waits (Delfin I or Delfin III). Settle in, join the orientation, and meet the naturalist guide, who walks you through the route, the wildlife to look for, and the history of the region.

As the ship starts to sail, the bartender serves a welcome cocktail of regional fruits and pisco. Dinner is the first of your meals on board.

Meals included: Dinner

Aerial view of two Delfin Amazon cruise vessels anchored side by side on a wide Amazonian river, with dense flooded forest lining the far bank and dramatic storm clouds building over a blue sky
Backlit folk-art panel depicting a large scaled fish surrounded by smaller river fish in red, black, and green, displayed above a well-stocked bar on the Delfin Amazon cruise, with spirits including Campari, Kahlúa, and Martini lined up on the wooden shelf below
Live-edge wooden coffee table on the Delfin Amazon cruise lounge, styled with hand-carved ceramic spheres bearing leaf motifs, rustic clay bowls, and a blue sofa with patterned cushions and a yellow knit throw
A pan-seared fish fillet plated on a dark bowl with sautéed vegetables and chorizo, served on a woven orange placemat alongside a glass of white wine on the Delfin Amazon cruise
Elegantly set oval dining table with shell chandelier and panoramic river views through floor-to-ceiling windows aboard the Delfin Amazon cruise
Vivid red and orange sunset sky reflected on a calm river surface, with a dark silhouette of rainforest trees along the bank — the kind of evening sky you see on a Delfin Amazon cruise in Peru

Day 2

Belluda Caño Creek / Dorado River / Night Wildlife Outing

  • Early startDawn skiff outing in the Pacaya-Samiria reserve
  • Dolphin watchingGrey and pink river dolphins · birdwatching
  • Night outingNocturnal wildlife after dark

The ship sails through the night, and you wake inside the Pacaya-Samiria reserve. The first skiff outing of the day follows the Belluda Caño Creek, a tributary where grey and pink river dolphins often feed and the morning birds are at their most active.

In the afternoon, the skiffs explore the Dorado River. Look for troops of monkeys, colorful butterflies, and the many bird species of the flooded forest. After dark, a night outing shows a different side of the Amazon, when nocturnal animals start to move.

Walks inside the reserve go at a slow pace for up to 1 hour, always with a guide and following the park’s rules.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Two travellers stand at the massive buttress roots of a giant rainforest tree during a delfin amazon cruise excursion, gazing up into the canopy while the rest of the group walks deeper into the forest
A channel-billed toucan perched on bare branches against a green forest backdrop, its large black bill edged with yellow-green and blue, spotted during a delfin amazon cruise wildlife excursion
A woman stands on the bow of a small skiff scanning the rainforest canopy with binoculars on a Delfin Amazon cruise, surrounded by tall flooded-forest trees lining a dark jungle river
A pink river dolphin surfaces close to the camera during a delfin amazon cruise, its rosy skin and open mouth clearly visible as water splashes around its head
Large circular giant water lily pads with red-tipped edges covering a dark river surface on the Delfin Amazon cruise, with a single white flower blooming and reflecting in the still water between them, and a small young pad unfurling below
A naturalist guide on the Delfin Amazon cruise points to illustrations in a bird field guide while two guests in sun hats lean in to look, as other travelers scan the river with binoculars from the long wooden skiff
A man raises binoculars to scan the rainforest canopy from a small skiff during a Delfin Amazon cruise wildlife excursion, while fellow guests lean forward to look toward the densely forested bank
A group of travellers on a wooden skiff glides along a dark river on a Delfin Amazon cruise, a bright full moon rising above the forest canopy under a deep blue twilight sky
A juvenile caiman rests on a muddy riverbank at night during a delfin amazon cruise night safari, its yellow-scaled belly and alert golden eye caught in a torch beam
Silhouette of a naturalist guide holding a spotlight aboard a skiff during a delfin amazon cruise night safari, with a deep blue and amber sunset sky behind him

Day 3

Clavero Lake / Kayaking on the Yarapa River / Puerto Miguel Village

  • Skiff and kayakClavero Lake · Yarapa River in two-person kayaks
  • Village visitPuerto Miguel community · Schoolhouse
  • Crafts marketHandicrafts made by the women of the village

After breakfast, the skiffs head to Clavero Lake, deep in the forest, for a closer look at its plants and wildlife. Next comes the Yarapa River, where you can switch to a two-person kayak and paddle quietly along the bank.

In the afternoon, visit Puerto Miguel, a community whose families have lived on the river for generations. You can step into the schoolhouse, where the children welcome visitors, and browse the arts and crafts market run by the village women. Bring some Peruvian soles for small purchases.

This is the fullest day of the Delfin cruise in Peru, with excursions from morning to sunset.

Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Two travelers paddle a tandem kayak along a calm black-water river channel lined with dense Amazon rainforest canopy on a Delfin Amazon cruise excursion
A smiling traveler holding a Nikon DSLR camera shows the camera screen to a group of excited indigenous children during a delfin amazon cruise village visit in Peru
A three-toed sloth clinging to leafy branches and a wooden vine in a dense rainforest, spotted during a delfin amazon cruise wildlife excursion
Aerial view of two small expedition boats navigating a brown-water river flanked by dense rainforest canopy and low morning mist on a Delfin Amazon cruise
A smiling young girl and a female visitor look at colorful woven handicrafts — frogs, flowers, and small animals — displayed on a table at a community crafts market during a delfin amazon cruise stop at a riverside village, under a thatched-roof open-air pavilion.
Aerial top-down view of a small passenger boat navigating a narrow dark-water channel lined with dense green wetland vegetation on a Delfin Amazon cruise in Peru
A kingfisher with vivid teal and orange plumage bursting out of the water mid-dive on a delfin amazon cruise wildlife excursion, wings fanned wide and water droplets flying in all directions
Close-up of a child's hands holding a handmade crocheted flower in red and turquoise yarn, part of the handicrafts made by the women of Puerto Miguel village during the Delfin Amazon cruise stop
Hundreds of white egrets in flight over a golden-lit river at sunset, silhouetted against a deep yellow sky above dark tree canopy on a delfin amazon cruise
Three guests on a Delfin Amazon cruise skiff raise binoculars and a camera to scan the forest canopy from a wooden boat, smiling as they spot wildlife along a jungle waterway

Day 4

Disembarkation in Nauta / Manatee Rescue Center / Iquitos Airport

  • DisembarkationNauta port · 08:30 AM, after breakfast
  • Manatee Rescue CenterOrphaned Amazonian manatees in rehabilitation
  • DepartureIquitos airport · Recommended flight to Lima

After breakfast, leave the ship at Nauta, where the ground crew drives you back toward Iquitos on the paved road.

On the way, stop at a rescue and rehabilitation center for river mammals, where you meet baby Amazonian manatees, learn why the species is endangered, and see other animals rescued from the pet trade. Donations to the center are welcome.

Your Delfin Amazon Cruise ends at Iquitos airport, where the crew helps with luggage and check-in for the flight to Lima.

Meals included: Breakfast

Aerial top-down view of the delfin amazon cruise sun deck, featuring a circular turquoise pool set in warm teak decking, with a guest in a white hat wading at the edge and dark Amazonian water visible beyond the railing
A nearly full moon visible in a clear blue sky, framed by the blurred trunks and green canopy of tall trees on a Delfin Amazon cruise excursion
Aerial view of the Delfin Amazon cruise ship moored along a dense rainforest riverbank under a clear blue sky, with a small skiff departing from its stern on the brown-watered river
Pink and blue twilight sky reflected perfectly on the still dark waters of an Amazon river channel, with silhouetted rainforest trees lining both banks on a delfin amazon cruise

What is Included

  • Round-trip transfer (Iquitos airport ⇌ Nauta port), when you fly on the recommended flights
  • 3-night stay aboard the Delfin I or the Delfin III, in the suite category of your choice
  • Meals (full board, from a box lunch on Day 1 to a box lunch on Day 4)
  • House drinks (natural juices, soft drinks, coffee, tea, water, domestic beer, a selection of spirits, and house wine)
  • Bottled water in the suite and on excursions, with refill stations on board
  • Entrance fee to the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve
  • Rubber boots and hooded rain ponchos
  • Onboard lectures and evening entertainment
  • Porters at the airport and at Nauta port
  • Guided tours (skiff excursions, dolphin and bird watching, a night wildlife outing, kayaking, a village visit, and the Manatee Rescue Center), with all equipment
  • English- and Spanish-speaking naturalist guides, shared with the other guests on board (small groups)

Not included

  • Flight tickets (Lima ⇌ Iquitos and international)
  • Transfers from an Iquitos hotel or a private transfer to Nauta if you arrive off the recommended flight
  • Drinks beyond the house selection
  • Spa treatments and boutique purchases
  • Tips for guides and crew
  • Personal travel insurance, including medical evacuation
  • Visas and airport departure taxes
  • Laundry service (free in the Delfin III Corner Suites)
  • Satellite phone calls
  • Excess baggage charges
  • Extra nights caused by flight cancellations

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From

$ 4,200/ per person