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Amazon River Boat Cruises in Peru
Covering
a huge expanse of the earth's surface and including vast remote regions
that have hardly known the sound of a man's voice, the Upper Amazon
rainforest of Peru was once only accessible to an adventurous few.
- Amazon river people have always used dugout canoes, sturdy
craft hollowed out from select rain forest trees.
- Later, explorers, botanists, biologists, adventurers, and
others used the same primitive form of transportation - the only
available means of reaching the upper waterways.
- Towards the end of the 1800s, a few
larger trading vessels began to reach remote Amazon River tributary
locations along the deeper of the "water highways."
Now
you can experience the same thrilling sights
and sounds that greeted these earlier travellers by taking an
ecologically-friendly and fascinating river cruise.
How has this opportunity come about?
In the last 30 years, there has been a growing awareness of the
importance of the
Amazon Basin in the ecological balance necessary to all life on earth.
Gradually, eco-tourism pioneers began opening up some of the river-ways
to
individuals and groups of people like you through Amazon tours and
river cruises.
From full-on jungle adventure packages to luxury tours on
fully-equipped cruise ships,
tours to suit all preferences allow you to penetrate the edges of this
previously-unknown jungle kingdom.
What makes a cruise on these hidden waterways so special?
Geography of Amazon River Boat Cruise Regions
Much of the jungle or rainforest of
the Amazon basin (covering large parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, and Brazil) lies at less than 100 meters (328 feet) of
elevation.
A large part of the Upper Amazon in Peru is less
than 300
meters (980 feet) above sea level.
To drop to sea level from Iquitos
in Northern Peru, the Amazon crosses
1,000 miles to the Atlantic with less than one foot of drop in an
as-the-crow-flies mile,
causing a slow meandering sinuous river, winding snakelike
over vast distances of exotic tropical lowlands.
Amazon River Tours and Cruises |
The
Ucayali, Amazon River Tributary
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The huge amount of water carried by the Amazon River allows for
cruise-size ships to
easily navigate the reaches of the Amazon river in Peru.
Smaller vessels are used on Amazon river boat cruises to access the
upper
reaches of tributary rivers.
Recommended Amazon River Adventure Cruise

A tour that we highly recommend is the River Boat Adventure Cruise
offered by
Gap
Adventures
Highlights
- Dining on food fresh from the rainforest
- Spotting pink dolphins on
the Amazon River
- Looking down into the jungle from a canopy walkway
- Exploring the Pacaya Samiria Reserve
- Interacting with locals.
Description
Hop aboard a riverboat and experience the Amazon in style. The
cuisine on board is regional and provides a unique - and delicious -
window
into local culture.
Led by an Amazon Reserve Naturalist guide, your
cruise will include daily excursions by motorized skiff designed to
reveal the exotic wildlife that calls the rainforest home - with any
luck
you'll spot
- sloths,
- toucans or
- pink dolphins!
And, with two full days
for exploration in Pacaya Samiria Reserve, you'll have the chance to
experience the jungle up close.
Gain a rare glimpse of how life ‘on the
river‘ is lived and experience the magic of the Amazon on this
once-in-a-lifetime
riverboat adventure.
Amazon River Tours and Cruises - Northeastern Peru
Because of being so flat, wet, and heavily forested, much land is
flooded each year, making roads almost impossible to build or traverse,
but also creating an excellent environment for Amazon River Boat
Cruises - actually the only way to explore the heart of this
fascinating part of
the world.
Amazon River Tours and Cruises |
The
"Delfin II"
|
Iquitos, in the
northeastern department (state) of Peru, is 1,000 miles
from the Atlantic yet the river is still accessible to oceangoing
tankers.
From there the main tributary of the Amazon stretches
southward past Pucallpa, still navigable for many miles.
Iquitos is a favorite jumping-off spot for cruises up the Pacaya and
Samiria Rivers
to the awesome
Pacaya Samiria National
Reserve.
Amazon River Boat Cruises - Mid-Eastern Peru
Situated
at the confluence of the
Tambopata and Madre de Dios Rivers west of the Bolivian
border, Puerto Maldonado is in the watershed area of another tributary
of the Amazon.
This confluence of rivers skirts the borders of Peru, Bolivia, and
Brazil before finally entering Brazil on a long trajectory to the
Amazon.
Amazon River Tours and Cruises |
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Puerto Maldonado offers several headwaters Amazon river boat cruises,
being in a prime location near at least four reserved or conservation
areas of this part of the rainforest of Peru.
Rainforests - Rhett Butler
Tropical
rainforests are a world like none other; and their importance to the
global ecosystem and human existence is paramount.
Unparalleled in terms of their biological diversity, tropical
rainforests are a natural reservoir of genetic diversity which offers a
rich source of medicinal plants, high-yield foods, and a myriad of
other useful forest products.
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They are an
important habitat for migratory animals and sustain as much as 50
percent of the species on Earth, as well as a number of diverse and
unique indigenous cultures.
Tropical rainforests play an elemental role in regulating global
weather in addition to maintaining regular rainfall, while buffering
against floods, droughts, and erosion. They store vast quantities of
carbon, while producing a significant amount of the world's
oxygen.
Read more from Rhett Butler, the man behind the fascinating
site -
|
Go to
Inside-Peru Home Page from Amazon River Boat Cruises of Peru
Go
from Amazon River Boat Cruises to Pacay Samiria National Reserve
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