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Aqua Expeditions is a Peru luxury tour operator and the first adventure travel company to introduce five-star luxury cruises on the Amazon River in Peru.
Aqua vessels can take you to one of the world’s most beautiful and remote regions – the Amazon River in Peru.
This Lima, Peru-based tour operator operates its first custom built luxury cruise ship, the M/V Aqua year round, sailing on 7,4 and 3 night itineraries - from and to - Iquitos, Peru and taking travelers on a luxurious journey to the sources of the Amazon, the remote Pacaya Samiria Reserve, and beyond with outstanding wildlife viewing and shore excursions into the Amazon rainforest and jungle.
The M/V Aqua is a 130-foot-long, M/V Aqua is the first true luxury cruise ship on the northern Amazon River in Peru and was custom built for Aqua Expeditions by Peruvian architect Jordi Puig in 2007 to offer an extraordinary level of comfort for our guests.
The M/V Aqua can accommodate a maximum of 24 cruise ship guests plus crew. This luxury cruise ship is the perfect size to sail along the Amazon River, providing extremely comfortable lounge, dining and sleeping accommodations and modern navigation technologies and standards for cruise ship travel and safety on the water.
The M/V Aqua’s twelve oversized cruise ship suites, including 4 Master suites, feature en suite sitting areas and generous outward-facing picture-windows with panoramic Amazon river views. Each of the handsomely decorated, air-conditioned cruise ship suites measure between 230 to 240 square feet. Four of these suites can be interconnected, to cater to families.
The M/V Aria is a 147-foot-long, new M/V Aria will be our second luxury cruise ship on the northern Amazon River in Peru. It is being entirely custom built for Aqua Expeditions by Peruvian architect Jordi Puig to offer an extraordinary level of comfort for our guests.
The M/V Aria can accommodate a maximum of 32 cruise ship guests plus crew. This luxury cruise ship is the perfect size to sail along the Amazon River, providing extremely comfortable lounge, outdorr jacuzzi, exercise room, dining and sleeping accommodations and modern navigation technologies and standards for cruise ship travel and safety on the water.
The M/V Aria’s sixteen oversized cruise ship design suites, feature en suite sitting areas and generous outward-facing picture-windows with panoramic Amazon river views. Each of the handsomely decorated, air-conditioned cruise ship suites measure around 240 square feet. Four of these suites can be interconnected, to cater to families.
7 Night - Amazon Expedition Cruise
We recommend our seven-night Amazon Expedition Cruise where you will enjoy our complete Amazon River journey by river boat and experience the Amazon’s three powerful tributaries: the Marañón, the Ucayali, and the Puinahua as well as several hidden black water lakes. View a map of our Amazon Expedition Cruise route.
4 Night - Amazon Explorer Cruise
Our 4-night Amazon Explorer Cruise also starts in Iquitos, but we will take you by land transportation to Nauta where you will board the M/V Aqua and then you will explore the Ucayali River and the Amazon River and tributaries. View a map of our Amazon Explorer Cruise route.
3 Night - Amazon Discovery Cruise
Our 3-night Amazon Rainforest Cruise will take you from Iquitos along the Amazon River to Nauta, followed by the Marañón River and estuaries. View a map of our Amazon Discovery Cruise route.
You’ve always dreamed of journeying along the Amazon, but you’re not sure which season is the best season to visit. There is a simple answer . . . both seasons offer rich rewards . . . fabulous sites . . . amazing opportunities to view plant and animal life . . . and hot weather and some rainy days.
The Amazon basin is as rich and lush and green as it is because it gets an abundance of rain (12 feet a year on average). In a typical year, that adds up to 200 rainy days, which means that there will be days of heavy rain even in the low water season.
Two key points to remember, as you choose between the Amazon in high water season or in low water season: There will be some rain whichever season you choose, and you will see spectacular wildlife and plant life, whether you go in high or low water season. All the rests is details.
Our high water season runs from December through May—-summer and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It is our cooler and wet season, but keep in mind that we get only a little more than half (60%) of our total rainfall during the high water season, and that it is hot in the Amazon any time of year. During the high water season the average temperature is 86 degrees Fahrenheit, 12 degrees cooler than in the low water season.
There are great benefits to traveling at this time of year. Perhaps most important, the rivers and streams are about 23 feet higher, meaning that every river, creek and lake is navigable. You will get to explore more of the waterways of Amazonia, and will have access to plant life and wildlife area that you might miss during the low water season. Also, that extra 23 feet puts travelers much closer to the jungle canopy, where monkeys play and our beautiful Amazon birds like to roost. In fact, you are very likely to see many more mammals, both monkeys and others, during the high water season.
Increased navigability by water has the flip side that areas to walk and hike are sometimes limited at this time, and if we do find usable hiking trails there will be more mosquitoes than in the low water season. Fishing is more limited during these months too, but you still have close to a 50% chance to get out your rod and reel and make a catch.
The Low water Season in Amazonia coincides with our winter in the Southern Hemisphere (from June to November). This the warmer season, with temperature averaging about 98 degrees Fahrenheit, and, despite its name, the low water season still gets some heavy rains. A key difference is that trails and jungle paths that are flooded from December to May are now easily accessible, allowing groups to explore deep in the jungle (accompanied by fewer mosquitoes than during the high water season). The flip side of that, however, is that water levels are about 23 feet lower from June to November, which means that many of the creeks and lakes that we visit during the high water season are inaccessible.
Lower water levels, however, can be a bonus in another way: During these months fishing is 100 percent guaranteed . . . you even stand a fair chance to catch a piranha. And while the lower river levels mean that you are farther from the birds that roost in the jungle canopy, you will have the change to see dozens of species of migratory birds in flight, something you would completely miss during the high water season.
The Bottom Line: If seeing our glorious flooded forest and getting up close looks at lots of birds and mammals (and enjoying a slightly cooler temperature) sounds attractive, then the high water season might be the best choice. (Remember: Despite its name it only gets about 10% more rain than falls in the low water season.) If jungle hikes, seeing exotic migratory birds perch on trees as they pass through Amazonia, still having the chance to see monkeys and other mammals, and going on great fishing expeditions top your list, you might be happier choosing the hotter, less rainy low water season. Perhaps the best solution of all: Choose one, and we hope that you will
The weather in Iquitos is warm and humid with average annual maximum temperature of 31ºC (88ºF) and minimum of 21ºC (70ºF). The low water season (June-November) and the high water season (December-May) feature particular differences in the plant and animal life as well as in the climate.
Conditions on the river change with the seasons, but each rewards visitors in different ways. During the high water season, the river and estuaries grow, allowing launch boats to venture deeper into the flooded forest. During the low water season, the river recedes and beautiful sandy river beaches form.
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -5 hours No daylight saving time
The monetary unit of Peru is the Nuevo Sol. However all charges onboard the AQUA will be in US dollars.
Life is casual aboard the M/V Aqua. We recommend that you bring:
Aqua Expeditions provides rubber boots and rain ponchos.
Don’t forget to include some items that you can give away to the locals (t-shirts, pens and paper are especially prized).
A paramedic is available on board at all times and will assist you in case of emergencies or with any other medical needs.
There are internal phones for communication between cabins and calls to the Cruise Director’s office.
If you need to contact your home or office for any emergency, the M/V Aqua is equipped with a satellite phone. The cost of your call can be paid directly on board. We will inform you, prior to calling, of the current price of an international call.
