Best Luxury Machu Picchu and Amazon River Cruise 2024

What is the Best Luxury Machu Picchu and Peru Amazon Cruise for 2024?

At Totally Latin America each trip starts with a pencil and blank paper. Why? Because we prefer to listen to our individual client’s preferences, note them, offer honest independent advice and develop the trip from that point. We use only the very best insightful and knowledgeable guides throughout our experiences. Thankfully, this has led to some of the very best reviews among luxury Machu Picchu and Peru Amazon cruises.

Below we share what we consider as the best luxury Machu Picchu and Amazon River Cruise 2024. A twelve-day voyage of self-discovery. This will afford opportunity to explore the wild Amazon on a luxury cruise, venture upward to the Sacred Valley of the Inca and the pinnacle of Machu Picchu. Our journeys are not passive experiences, we create opportunity to interact with local people, learn their cultures and customs in a fun and insightful journey across the very best of Peru. Such experiences away from your own home environment allows space for your soul to grow spiritually rich. You will be forever changed, of that you can be assured.

Machu Picchu and Amazon River Cruise Tour Description:

• Day 1. Arrive Lima. Overnight Lima
• Day 2. Aqua Aria Amazon Cruise. Iquitos – Nauta – Embarkation – Marañon River
• Day 3. Aqua Aria Amazon Cruise. Ucayali River – Pacaya River
• Day 4. Aqua Aria Amazon Cruise. Pacaya River – Ucayali River – Tapiche River
• Day 5. Aqua Aria Amazon Cruise. Clavero Lake – San Jose De Sarapanga Forest
• Day 6. Aqua Aria Amazon Cruise. Iquitos- Manatee Rescue Center. Flight to Cusco via Lima. Overnight Cusco
• Day 7. Free day to explore Cusco and acclimate to altitude. Overnight Cusco
• Day 8. Private Tour of the Sacred valley of the Inca. Overnight Cusco
• Day 9. Vistadome Train to Machu Picchu. Privately guided tour. Overnight near Machu Picchu
• Day 10. Revisit Machu Picchu and Machu Pichu Mountain Trek. Return Hiram Bingham Luxury Train to Cusco. Overnight Cusco
• Day 11. Free morning. Afternoon private tour of Cusco ruins and local market. Overnight Cusco
• Day 12. Flight to Lima and depart

We chose the Aqua Aria Amazon as a favourite luxury Amazon cruise of ours. This fine boat operates from the region of Iquitos and Nauta in Northern Peru. It comprises sixteen 16 spacious suites over two decks with panoramic windows affording guests a full view of their Amazon habitat. Amenities include a jacuzzi, massage roo, lounge bar and observation deck. The spacious dining room offers culinary Amazonian creations inspired by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, a world-renowned Peruvian chef. This fine vessel plies a route along the confluence of the rivers Marañon and Ucayali Rivers on the Amazon. Thr region is the home to the immense Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. In totality comprising 2,080,000 hectares, three times larger than Yellowstone National Park USA. There are around 94 indigenous communities populated with about 40,000+ inhabitants.

We recommend the 5- day/ 4-night cruise as a great option. The jungle has two seasons of wet December to May and dry June to November. The wet season gets about 25% more rainfall and allows deeper access by the small skiff boats into the flooded reserve whereas the dry season offers increased fishing opportunity and easier access to jungle trails.  Along with boating skiff adventures there are jungle treks, birdwatching, canoeing, kayaking and local community visits. Our preference is the dry season as it works in combination with the dry season for your Machu Picchu visit.

The 5-day dry season low-water Aria Amazon Cruise is centred about the Ucayali River and begins with a drive of almost two hours from Iquitos to Nauta. Embarkation is by evening with departure about 6 pm. A relaxing time to get to know the ship and your guides before dinner. Our second cruise day and we venture out on the skiffs onto the rives and tributaries. It is a wonderful setting where we search for pink dolphins and see local inhabitants doing their daily chores. In the late afternoon we change rivers to the Pacaya and Tapiche for an in-depth exploration of the flora and fauna to finish the day under black starry skies.

We arise early on the following day to enjoy a picnic breakfast amid the cacophony of wildlife abounding the Pacaya river. In this low water season, you will see locals tend their plantations of rice, beans and peanuts which are harvested along riverbank. The wildlife includes giant river otters, caiman, manatee, black jaguar(rare), red macaw, river turtles, spider monkey, anaconda, sloth, frog, exotic butterflies and so very much more. The flora is abundant with giant cedar tree, rubber tree, lily pads, orchids plus endless more in this mega diverse region. All skiff excursions have small groups of no more than eight passengers for the very best experience with your professional naturalist guides.

Next day we have options to venture inland for jungle trails, canoeing, kayaking or swimming on the Yarapa or Clavero River in the morning. After lunch again enjoy a fascinating jungle excursion San Jose de Sarapanga forest to marvel at the stupendous giant water lilies. The final cruise day we will visit some local markets to see the daily catch followed by breakfast and a return to Iquitos.

Following on from the cruise you venture to Cusco and will stay at overnight at the sumptuous Monasterio Hotel Cusco. This hotel is a haven of tranquility with impeccable service. The next day’s adventure is to The Sacred Valley of the Inca with an insightful privately guided tour of Ollantaytambo and Moray Ruins and visit a local Andean community to learn of local life in the high Andes. Your Machu Picchu journey can be by a day trek or by train. We recommend the Vistadome train where you will be escorted by your guide for a rprivate tour of Machu Picchu. Overnight at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge Machu Picchu or Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel in Aguas Calientes; 20 minutes by shuttle bus from the site. On the morning of day ten you can revisit the site and perhaps take the hike up Machu Picchu Mountain for some amazing panoramic views. This evening you will board the luxury Hiram Bingham train and savor a 4-course gourmet meal, wine and music for your journey to Cusco. The trip concludes with a private tour of the heritage of Cusco and surrounding region. A befitting regal ending to a perfect luxury Machu Picchu and Amazon Cruise for 2024.

This Machu Picchu and Amazon River Cruise visit with Totally Latin America in totality offers the adventurous traveller an opportunity to escape to a new environment devoid of the petty distractions of everyday life. A space where you can forget to check your mobile phone because there more fruitful experiences to live. Opening your mind and soul to something forgotten, a simpler way of existence in harmony with our planet. All of this is made possible by the enthusiasm of our select crew that genuinely care and deliver the very best experience. For these reasons we consider this the best luxury Machu Picchu and Peru Amazon Cruise 2024.

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