Waypoint Journeys Presents
Iquitos · the Amazon · the Marañón · Pacaya-Samiria
4, 5 or 8 Days
Where the Amazon Begins, Aboard a 20-Suite River Ship
We reply within 24 hours
Upriver from Iquitos, the largest city on Earth that no road reaches, the Marañón comes down out of the Andes and meets the Ucayali, and from there on the river is called the Amazon. The meeting is at the eastern tip of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve: more than two million hectares of flooded forest, black-water rivers and lakes, reached only by river.
Aqua Nera is a three-deck river ship of 20 suites, carrying 40 guests with a crew of 40. Twice a day the skiffs go out with a naturalist guide into side channels and lakes too narrow for the ship: pink river dolphins, sloths, parrots, black-collared hawks, caiman and giant water lilies; kayaks and canoes on still black water; walks in the forest by day and after dark; river villages, the market at Nauta and a breakfast set up in the forest. Every meal on board comes from menus by the Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.
Voyages run three, four or seven nights. Three nights is the short version; four reach deep into the Samiria; seven join the two and include the meeting of the rivers. From about December to June, when the rivers run high into the forest, voyages begin or end in Iquitos. From about July to November the water drops, beaches and trails appear, and every voyage boards and ends at Nauta, reached by road from Iquitos airport with the transfer included. Departures run almost every week of the year.
"Two rivers meet, and from here on it is called the Amazon."
A three-deck river ship of 20 design suites, each 30 square metres with floor-to-ceiling windows on the river, for 40 guests and a crew of 40. An indoor and outdoor lounge, a plunge pool, a screening room, a games room, a spa and a gym, interiors by Noor Design, and skiffs that leave the ship twice a day.
More than two million hectares of flooded forest, black-water rivers and lakes between the Marañón and the Ucayali, reached only by river. Four- and seven-night voyages spend a full day inside it on the Samiria: fishing on black water, kayaks and canoes, a walk in the forest and a picnic lunch under the trees.
Pink river dolphins in the Marañón and the Yanayacu Pucate, sloths, parrots, great egrets, black-collared hawks, caiman and taricaya turtles. A line over the side for piranhas, and skiff rides after dark under the stars for the animals that only come out at night.
Near Nauta the Marañón, which rises in the Andes, meets the Ucayali, and from there on the river is called the Amazon. The seven-night voyage takes the skiffs out to the meeting itself, and the ship sails all three rivers.
The morning market at Nauta, artisans weaving palm fibre, a beekeeper at San Francisco, the aguaje palm harvest in a village on the Marañón and, for anyone who wishes, time with a Kukama Kukamiria healer. High-water voyages that end in Iquitos pass the floating houses of Belén.
The chef behind Malabar and ámaz in Lima has worked with the food of the Amazon since 2001 and writes the menus on board: ceviche, plantain and yucca gnocchi, grilled paiche with Amazonian huatia potatoes, with about 70 percent of the ingredients sourced locally.
One river, two seasons. The ship sails the same rivers all year, but the water rises and falls by up to seven metres, and the route changes with it.
8 days, 7 nights, about December to June. Iquitos to Iquitos by the Amazon, the Marañón and the Pacaya-Samiria reserve, at the season when the rivers run high into the forest. The 3-night voyage is days 1 to 4, boarding in Iquitos and leaving the ship at Nauta on the morning of day 4. The 4-night voyage boards at Nauta on the evening of day 4, reached by road from Iquitos airport, and runs to day 8 back in Iquitos. Only the 7-night voyage sees the birthplace of the Amazon.
Iquitos to the Samiria and back
High water: up the Amazon from Iquitos to the Yarapa and Clavero Lake, Nauta where the Amazon begins, then upriver to the Yanayacu Pucate and the Samiria.
The crew meets the midday flight from Lima at Iquitos airport and takes you to lunch at a restaurant in town, then on to Aqua Nera. Settle into your suite, meet the naturalist guides and run through the safety drill, then sit down to the first dinner from Pedro Miguel Schiaffino's menus. Night on board.
By skiff off the Amazon into the Yanayacu Yacapana, binoculars out for songbirds, black-collared hawks and sloths, and a line over the side for piranhas while the guides explain the forest around you. In the afternoon the ship moves to the Yarapa, a black-water tributary of the Ucayali, for an evening under the stars and a search for the animals that come out after dark. Night on board.
An early start on Clavero Lake, where the villagers get about in dugout canoes. Swim in the calm water of the lake, or visit one of the families who live on its shore. In the afternoon the skiffs go out on the Marañón for more wildlife. Night on board.
A guided walk through the market at Nauta, with the produce of the Peruvian Amazon and snacks to try. After breakfast, artisans show how palm fibre is woven, and in the afternoon you visit a beekeeper in the community of San Francisco before the skiffs take you to the meeting of the Marañón and the Ucayali, where the Amazon begins. Three-night guests see the market, then leave the ship after breakfast and visit the Manatee Rescue Center on the way to Iquitos airport. Four-night guests board at Nauta at nightfall. Night on board.
Birdwatching on the Marañón at sunrise, then breakfast set up in the middle of the forest. A village visit with a demonstration of the aguaje palm harvest, then swimming, kayaking or canoeing on the Yanayacu Pucate with an eye out for pink river dolphins, and a bicycle ride along the riverbanks of the Pacaya-Samiria reserve. After lunch, for anyone who wishes, time with a Kukama Kukamiria healer, and after dinner the skiffs go out on the Yanayaquillo for the stars and the night animals. Night on board.
An early start for a full day inside the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve: fishing on the black water of the Samiria, a choice of canoeing, kayaking, swimming or a walk in the forest, and a picnic lunch to the sound of the jungle. On the way back to the Marañón in the afternoon, the skiffs watch for pink river dolphins. Night on board.
A morning wildlife excursion on the Nauta Caño, a black-water river, with the option of cycling along the riverbank from Puerto Prado to the village of Santa Cruz. In the afternoon a walk in the forest looks for medicinal trees, insects and poison dart frogs, and explains the layers of the rainforest. Before dinner, meet the crew who have been working behind the scenes all week. Night on board.
A guided visit to the market in the morning, then a choice: a boat on the Itaya River past the floating houses of Belén, or the Chullachaqui Ecomuseum and the hunting traditions of the Yagua people. Breakfast on board, then leave the ship and visit the Manatee Rescue Center, where orphaned Amazonian manatees are cared for until they can go back to the wild, on the way to the airport for the afternoon flight to Lima.
8 days, 7 nights, about July to November. Nauta to Nauta on the Amazon, the Marañón and the Pacaya-Samiria reserve, at the season when the rivers fall back and beaches and forest trails appear. The 3-night voyage is days 1 to 4; the 4-night voyage boards on the evening of day 4 and runs to day 8. All three lengths board and leave the ship at Nauta, reached by road from Iquitos airport, with the group transfer included on the recommended flights. Only the 7-night voyage sees the birthplace of the Amazon.
Nauta to the Samiria and back
Low water: by road from Iquitos to board at Nauta, down the Amazon to the Tahuayo, Clavero Lake, then upriver to the Yanayacu Pucate and the Samiria.
The crew meets the midday flight from Lima at Iquitos airport, and a private transfer with a light lunch takes you by road to the port at Nauta to board Aqua Nera. Settle into your suite, meet the naturalist guides and run through the safety drill, then sit down to the first dinner from Pedro Miguel Schiaffino's menus. Night on board.
Out at sunrise for birdwatching on the Amazon. After breakfast the skiffs leave the main river for the Tahuayo, one of its tributaries, to fish for piranhas while the guides explain the region. At sunset an evening excursion looks for wildlife and ends with the stars. Night on board.
The black water of Clavero Lake and a visit to the communities on its banks, then kayaking, canoeing or swimming before lunch on board. In the afternoon a short walk in the forest of San José de Paranapura leads to the giant water lilies, and after dinner there is a slow walk through its floodplain forest. Night on board.
A guided walk through the market at Nauta, with the produce of the Peruvian Amazon and snacks to try. After breakfast, artisans show how palm fibre is woven, and in the afternoon you visit a beekeeper in the community of San Francisco before the skiffs take you to the meeting of the Marañón and the Ucayali, where the Amazon begins. Three-night guests see the market, then leave the ship after breakfast and visit the Manatee Rescue Center on the way to Iquitos airport. Four-night guests board at Nauta at nightfall. Night on board.
Birdwatching on the Marañón at sunrise, then a morning excursion that may turn up sloths, great egrets, parrots and taricaya turtles. Later, the Yanayacu Pucate and its piranhas, and a bicycle ride along the riverbanks of the Pacaya-Samiria reserve. After lunch, for anyone who wishes, time with a Kukama Kukamiria healer, and after dinner the skiffs go out on the Yanayaquillo for the stars and the night animals. Night on board.
An early start for a full day inside the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve: fishing on the black water of the Samiria, a choice of canoeing, kayaking, swimming or a walk in the forest, and a picnic lunch to the sound of the jungle. On the way back to the Marañón in the afternoon, the skiffs watch for pink river dolphins. Night on board.
A morning wildlife excursion on the Pahuachiro River, then Puerto Prado, where you can cycle along the riverbank to the village of Santa Cruz or visit a beekeeper in the community of San Francisco. In the afternoon a boat ride out onto the Amazon, and before dinner, meet the crew who have been working behind the scenes all week. Night on board.
A guided visit to the market at Nauta, then breakfast on board and time to pack. Before the road to Iquitos airport and the afternoon flight to Lima, a stop at the Manatee Rescue Center, where orphaned Amazonian manatees are cared for until they can go back to the wild.
Her design takes its cue from the black-water lagoons of the Peruvian Amazon. Her interiors, by the architects Noor Design, set contemporary lines against the history of the region, with accents from the rubber-boom era and from the cultures of Portugal, Spain and Peru.
Twenty design suites fill two of her three decks. The top deck is given to the indoor and outdoor lounge with its bar, the plunge pool, a screening room and a games room; the second deck holds the dining room, the galley and a boutique; the first deck the spa, the infirmary and the platform the skiffs leave from. There is a gym as well.
She carries 40 guests and a crew of 40, is registered in Peru and is run to the International Safety Management code. Naturalist guides lead two excursions a day in small groups, by skiff, kayak or canoe, on foot or by bicycle, and the cooking is by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.
A design suite; the lounge; the plunge pool on the top deck; the dining room
Every suite is the same 30 square metres (322 square feet) for two, with premium bedding, central air-conditioning and floor-to-ceiling windows on the river. Ten are on the first deck, closer to the water, and ten on the second, closer to the lounge, for a little more.
Three decks, twenty suites, and where everything is.
The place to unwind: the indoor and outdoor lounge and its bar, the games room, the screening room and the plunge pool.
Open the plan full size ↗
Ten design suites, with two connecting pairs (205 and 207, 206 and 208), and the dining room, the galley and the boutique.
Open the plan full size ↗
Ten design suites, with two connecting pairs (105 and 107, 106 and 108), the spa and the infirmary, and the platform the skiffs leave from.
Open the plan full size ↗| Year and deck | Voyages | 3 nights | 4 nights | 7 nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · First deck | Voyages starting in 2026, nearer the water | $5,545 | $7,405 | $12,265 |
| 2026 · Second deck | Voyages starting in 2026, nearer the lounge | $5,905 | $7,875 | $13,095 |
| 2027 · First deck | Voyages starting in 2027, nearer the water | $5,840 | $7,795 | $12,875 |
| 2027 · Second deck | Voyages starting in 2027, nearer the lounge | $6,195 | $8,265 | $13,780 |
| 2028 · First deck | Voyages starting in 2028, nearer the water | $6,135 | $8,180 | $13,525 |
| 2028 · Second deck | Voyages starting in 2028, nearer the lounge | $6,510 | $8,675 | $14,470 |
| Voyage starts | Length | First deck | Second deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 and 26 Dec 2026 | 3 nights | $6,070 | $6,490 |
| 19 and 26 Dec 2026 | 7 nights | $13,475 | $14,385 |
| 22 and 29 Dec 2026 | 4 nights | $8,485 | $8,655 |
| 2 Jan 2027 | 3 nights | $6,240 | $6,615 |
| 2 Jan 2027 | 7 nights | $14,155 | $15,155 |
| 5 Jan 2027 | 4 nights | $8,570 | $9,085 |
| 18 and 25 Dec 2027 | 3 nights | $6,430 | $6,815 |
| 18 and 25 Dec 2027 | 7 nights | $14,155 | $15,155 |
| 21 and 28 Dec 2027 | 4 nights | $8,570 | $9,085 |
| 1 Jan 2028 | 3 nights | $6,755 | $7,165 |
| 1 Jan 2028 | 7 nights | $14,870 | $15,920 |
| 4 Jan 2028 | 4 nights | $9,000 | $9,535 |
| 23 Dec 2028 | 3 nights | $6,555 | $6,955 |
| 23 Dec 2028 | 7 nights | $14,440 | $15,460 |
| 26 Dec 2028 | 4 nights | $9,000 | $9,535 |
| 30 Dec 2028 | 3 nights | $6,755 | $7,165 |
| 30 Dec 2028 | 7 nights | $14,870 | $15,920 |
Prices in US dollars per person, two sharing a suite, by the year the voyage starts. Single occupancy on request. We confirm your suite and its price when you inquire.
The skiffs are fast and seat small groups, so the outings reach side channels and lakes too narrow for the ship.
Rubber boots and hooded ponchos for every guest, and kayaks, canoes and bicycles for the outings that use them.
Menus by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, built on the fish, fruit and roots of the forest and the river.
Interiors by Noor Design, and floor-to-ceiling windows on the river in every suite.
Naturalist guides lead every outing, on the water and on foot, twice a day.
Sloths, pink river dolphins, caiman, parrots, hawks and piranhas, by day and after dark.
The market at Nauta, palm-fibre weavers, a beekeeper and the aguaje harvest in the river villages.
Paddle the calm black water of the lakes and side channels.
Walks in the forest by day and after dark, for medicinal plants, insects and poison dart frogs.
Pedro Miguel Schiaffino has studied the food and cooking of the Amazon since 2001, working beyond the kitchen with anthropologists and environmental scientists, and his restaurants in Lima, Malabar and ámaz, have earned him recognition from the World's 50 Best Restaurants academy. On Aqua Nera his menus turn the season's produce from the forest and the river into Peruvian cooking, and about 70 percent of the ingredients are sourced locally.
Alongside classics such as ceviche, expect his signatures: plantain and yucca gnocchi, escolar in an aji panca adobo, and grilled paiche, the giant fish of these rivers, with Amazonian huatia potatoes.
The galley cooks for vegetarian, vegan, kosher, gluten-free, dairy-free and low-salt diets, and around allergies; tell us when you book.
Each date below is the day a voyage starts: 3- and 7-night voyages on Saturdays, 4-night voyages on Tuesdays. A boxed date has three suites or fewer left; a struck-through date is sold out. We check every date against the ship's booking calendar each Monday, and confirm your suite when you inquire.
Low water 10 Oct to 12 Dec, high water 15 to 29 Dec.
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High water 2 Jan to 3 July, low water 3 July to 6 Nov, high water again 9 Nov to 28 Dec.
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High water 1 Jan to 1 July, low water 1 July to 4 Nov, high water again 7 Nov to 30 Dec.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Expedition Investment
per person, two sharing · 3 nights in a first-deck suite · 4 nights from $7,795 · 7 nights from $12,875
Includes your suite aboard Aqua Nera, every meal from Pedro Miguel Schiaffino's menus, non-alcoholic drinks with selected wines and beer, two guided excursions a day, the Pacaya-Samiria entrance fee, Wi-Fi, laundry and the group transfers on the recommended flights. Two decks, three lengths of voyage; the full rate card is above.
2027 prices. Voyages starting in 2026 from $5,545, in 2028 from $6,135; Christmas and New Year sailings are priced separately. Excludes flights, drinks beyond those included and travel insurance. Weekly departures; we confirm your suite and its price when you inquire.
Reserve Your SuiteThe voyage keeps to the rivers south and west of Iquitos, far from the Putumayo border with Colombia that some foreign ministries advise against. The practical risks are tropical and logistical. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended and malaria is present in Loreto, so see a travel clinic, cover up at dusk and use a DEET repellent. The ship carries an infirmary and a satellite phone and is run to the International Safety Management code. And domestic flights to Iquitos can run late while the ship sails on time, so keep a night in Lima in hand before the voyage.
