M/V Delfin II Amazon River Sample Cruise Itineraries
4 & 5 DAYS
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Sample Itineraries

M/V Delfin II 4-Day Amazon River Cruise
SUN to WED - 4 Days/3 Nights

Day 1, Sunday - Iquitos/Amazon River/Embark
Meeting service upon arrival at Iquitos International Airport by a representative of the M/V Delfin II, or pick-up at your hotel in Iquitos. You will travel in the handmade traditional wooden canoes to 'Islacocha', the floating VIP Lounge & Embarkation Port, only five minutes away from Iquitos through the shallow waters of the Itaya River. Once on Islacocha, you will be hosted and checked-in by the friendly local staff while enjoying the comfortable lounge and restaurant 'Al Frio y al Fuego' (Cold & Broiled), with a cool exotic drink in your hands. Enjoy your first encounter with the true Amazonian Wilderness, while you catch sight of the M/V Delfin II, the casual style but luxurious, classy and comfortable river vessel waiting to take you to the Rainforest experience of your life.

Once your check-in process is completed, you will board the M/V Delfin II where you will be personally assisted by the experienced crew. They will escort you to your first class cabin, of all hand-made wood, furnished with comfortable orthopedic mattresses, all prime high quality pure natural cotton sheets, pillowcases and robes, silent A/C split system units meant to keep you cool during your journey at your own set-up temperature, and private bathrooms with hot shower heads, Spanish type.
6:30 pm - Happy hour
7:45 pm - Dinner
9:30 pm - Briefing and Relax Time (D)

Day 2 - Monday - TamishiYacu Creek and Tahuayo River
7:00 am - Breakfast
8:00 am - TamishiYacu Creek Expedition
This will be your first introduction into the wilderness of the rainforest, and you will board two well-equipped and comfortable excursion skiffs, that will take you to this small tributary of the Amazon. It is a 'black river water' river and while you explore this creek your guide will be pointing out the great variety of wildlife. The best time for bird watching is when they are more active and singing frequently, during early morning or late afternoon, and you will see terns, oreoles, blackbirds, black-collared hawk, and king fishers, that live in open vegetation along large rivers, lakes and mangroves. You will arrive at a beautiful lagoon were chances of bird spotting are very good.
Life preservers, ponchos and rubber boots will be available for you when boarding every time you go out in an excursion.
10:30 am - Return to the Delfin
12:30 pm - Lunch
4:00 pm - Tahuayo River Expedition
A skiff will take you to the black waters of the Tahuayo River, exploring its rich wilderness habitat. You will occasionally see small native villages along the shoreline, and visit one of them to learn more about the native inhabitants' wisdom and spirituality. Dusk is an ideal time for nature observation, and the night introduces you to the musical jungle sounds. Your guide will help you with night spotting: common potoos, nightjars, fishing bats, frogs and other nocturnal wild life will be the main target. You never know what the jungle will let you enjoy this night.
7:00 pm - Return to the Delfin
8:00 pm - Dinner
9:30 pm - Lazy time at our third Deck
Tonight far from civilization, the stargazing opportunities are unique. While enjoying the sweet breeze of the Amazonian night and the wonderful symphony of the jungle, you can see stars of the northern and southern constellation. (B, L, D)

Day 3, Tuesday - YanaYacu River - Amazon Headwaters - Dolphin Sighting
7:00 am - Breakfast
8:00 am - YanaYacu River Excursion - Piranha fishing
This morning you will be cruising in the skiffs to go exploring along the YanaYacu River. You should expect to encounter wild Amazonian fauna such as tanagers, parrots, egrets, the unusual horned screamers, that live in the marshes and adjacent tree-tops, often in mated pairs, and make a deep, throaty, gulping sound; wattled jacanas that love the grassy edges and lily pads of fresh water swamps; herons, hummingbirds. Brown throated three-toe sloths are one of the species that love this surrounding forest, restricted to moist lowland forests or moist riverine forest in the drier areas. Most easily seen in open cecropia trees along this river are docile a non-aggressive species active during the day, such as squirrel monkeys, whose combination of black snout and white face and ears are unique, and are active during the day in large noisy troops. You will arrive at another beautiful lagoon and have your first fishing experience using typical Amazonian fishing rods. Plenty of bait will help you to get the main target, piranhas. These small carnivorous fish have a fearsome reputation, but locals consider them a good source of food. There is also a beautiful (safe!) spot for bathing, so please bring along your bathing suit if you feel hot and dare to have this extraordinary experience.
11:00 am - Return to the Delfin
We will continue our upstream navigation towards the formation of the Amazon River.
12:30 pm - Lunch
5:00 pm - Formation of the Amazon and Dolphin Sighting and Sunset
You will come to the formation of the Amazon River and you will be able to see the two powerful tributaries of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Marañon Rivers. On board of a skiffs you will search for the most elusive and exotic fresh water pink river dolphin, medium sized, long snouted, with little or no dorsal fin, you will see that they are really pink, and they love this place because it is one of their favorite feeding spots. You will be able to see both kinds of dolphin in the Amazon basin. The gray dolphins, very much like the sea ones but smaller and with a distinctive triangular dorsal fin. While trying to take a picture of them you will enjoy their playful jumps. You will be amazed by the beautiful colors of this important place, with dolphins dancing around you, you will wait until the stars begin to shine, and the darkness of the night embraces you with the music of wild nocturnal life as it comes alive.
7:00 pm - Return to the Delfin
8:00 pm - Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 4, Wednesday - Yarapa River - Puerto Miguel Village - MaraYali Creek
7:00 am - Breakfast
8:00 am - Yarapa River Exploration and Puerto Miguel Village Visit
On board a skiff (below, left) you will stop at Puerto Miguel Native Village where you can interact with local villagers from this remote part of the world. You will have the chance to learn about their culture, tradition and folklore. Here it will be possible to visit one of the villager's houses, so you will be able to actually see how they live and the simplicity of their lifestyle, it will also be possible to purchase some of the local handcrafted work. Right after this village visit you will start exploring this narrow river to experience the abundant and spectacular deep rainforest flora and fauna, including squirrel and capuchin monkeys, herons and egrets. You will have the chance to see green iguanas with prominent head crest and throat fan. They are extremely long, mostly arboreal and just Lie still on a tree branch. You will come to a beautiful lagoon called 'Uvos' where a very special fruit grows wild along the shores of this lagoon; you will be surprised also because of the presence of lots of pink dolphins that love to go there in search of this food source. The primeval forest also boasts abundant flora including a variety of epiphytes such as bromeliads, orchids, untold species of plants and unique trees. Monkeys love these surroundings.
11:00 am - Return to the Delfin
Continue our sailing downstream to the formation of the Amazon River, at this time you have to gather all your belongings and get all your bags packed. This is time also to check out.
12:30 pm - Lunch
This will be your last lunch with us, so the chef will treat you to a real feast of flavors and colors, having designed a sophisticated menu featuring the best of the Amazon haute cuisine for you.
1:30 pm - Disembarkation
You will board a skiff to take you to the Nauta City.
2:00 pm - Arrival at Nauta Port
The ground staff will be waiting for you and the bus will be ready and you will start your way back toward Iquitos, a 92 km trip that will take you 1 hour and a half by a very nice road in non flooded areas.
3:30 pm - Arrival at Iquitos Airport (B, L)

Recommended tipping:
$60-$90 per person for the crew
$21-$30 per person for the guides

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M/V Delfin II 5-Day Amazon River Cruise
WED to SUN - 5 Days/4 Nights

Day 1, Wednesday - Iquitos/Nauta/Embarkation/Marañon River
Meeting service upon arrival at Iquitos International Airport by a representative of the M/V Delfin II, or pick-up at your hotel in Iquitos. You will be transported by bus for about 90 minutes (a distance of 95 kms) northwest of Iquitos, going straight towards Nauta City (the oldest city within Loreto Department). This is a connector city between Iquitos and the Marañon River, where the M/V Delfin II is waiting for you.
Upon arrival to the Delfin at around 8:00 pm you will be boarded and checked-in by your friendly crew. They will escort you to your first class cabin, of all hand-made wood, furnished with comfortable orthopedic mattresses, all prime high quality pure natural cotton sheets, pillowcases and robes, silent A/C split system units meant to keep you cool during your journey at your own set-up temperature, and private bathrooms with hot shower heads Spanish type.

Once everybody is on board you will start navigating down the Marañon River toward the formation of the Amazon River (geographers consider this place to be very significant). Soon after you reach this part the ship will turn all the way south to start navigating up the Ucayali River.
8:30 pm - Happy Hour
9:00 pm - Dinner
You will enjoy of the special service in the cozy dining room.
You will be spoiled by the chefs who will serve you national and typical Amazonian dishes with a gourmet style. After dinner your experienced barman will serve a plus café on the Third Deck.
9:30 pm - You will be reaching the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers (D)

Day &Yanallpa Rivers
6:00 am - Breakfast is served as usual at the dining room, where every morning your kitchen staff will welcome you with delicious food and juice.
7:00 am - Yanallpa River
You will board the skiffs to explore the Yanallpa River, which is a black water stream. You will learn about the rainforest and its wonderful dynamic (this river is located within the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve). You will have the chance to see the amazing wildlife of this place that scientists call 'gallery forest' because the enclosing vegetation forms foliage tunnels. This is an easy place to find parrots, macaws and monkeys. The fluffy monkey is also found here (its real name is monk saki monkey).
10:00 am - Upon arrival back to the vessel, icy towels will be provided to relieve you from the early morning jungle heat.
12:00 pm - Lunch
3:30 pm - El Dorado River (part of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve)
On board the excursion skiffs you will head for a spectacular spot where you will experience an unforgettable encounter with dolphins (gray as well as pink). Anyone who would like to swim with the dolphins, you are more than welcome to join in this unique experience.
5:30 pm - Back to the boat. You continue sailing up the Ucayali River.
6:00 pm - Happy hour
7:00 pm - Dinner
7:30 pm - You will start navigating Puinahua River
8:30 pm - Night trip along the Sapote River
You will get ready for your next adventure: searching for night creatures using powerful spot lights which will allow you to take close-up pictures of the a wide variety of Amazonian wildlife such as great potoo, nightjars, caiman, alligators, capybaras, fishing bats and several species of snakes including boa constrictors, which will be posing for you, obviously astonished by the light.
10:00 pm - Back to the boat. Continue going up the Puinahua River. (B, L, D)

Day 3, Friday - Puinahua River &Atum Posa Lake
6:30 am - Breakfast
7:30 am - Atum Posa Lake
This morning you will again be in the skiffs exploring this beautiful, intricate lake called 'Atum Posa'. Cruising along the shore of this wonderful place, you will obviously surprise several species of monkeys and different kinds of birds such as terns, neotropic cormorants, egrets, herons, hawks, and the unusual horned screamers. You will also have a chance to explore other black water lakes linked to this huge lake.
11:00 am - Back to the boat and continue going up stream Puinahua River.
12:30 pm - Lunch
4:00 pm - Pacaya River Ranger Station #1/ Yanayacu Lake
You will take another wonderful trip with your comfortable skiffs along the Pacaya River, from ranger station #1 toward a beautiful black water lake called Yanayacu (halfway to ranger station #2). On this excursion you will be leaving in the late afternoon to allow you to experience the abundant rainforest wilderness including: monk Saki monkeys, howler monkeys and capuchin monkeys, all easily spotted as you go upstream. While the sun is setting you will also enjoy listening to the loud, fearsome vocalization of the howler monkeys marking their territories. This is a unique experience! Once it is dark enough you will continue listening the second shift of the Amazonian rainforest symphony. Afterwards, you will start turning on the spot light to go in search of night creatures while heading back to the vessel. Huge caimans are found in this pristine area.
8:00 pm - Dinner (B, L, D)

Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

Click for larger image (35K in new window)

Day 4, Saturday - Pacaya River
6:00 am - Wake-up call
6:30 am - Pacaya River boat trip/ Breakfast on the skiffs
You will have the opportunity to see as much wildlife as possible at dawn, exploring once again this beautiful river. Parrots macaws, toucans and all different kinds of monkeys are easily spotted. You will also have a chance to find other species of wildlife you haven't seen the day before. You will also approach a dolphin feeding spot. At this point a breakfast of light sandwiches and natural juices will be served in the excursion boats while you will be watching two different kinds of river dolphins, pink and grey, dancing and swimming around the skiff, showing you a once in a lifetime experience.
11:30 am - Back to the vessel, you start sailing down river heading back to Iquitos.
12:30 pm - Lunch
3.30 pm - Caro Curahuayte Lake/fishing trip
On board the excursion skiffs you will head to a beautiful lake to a spot where you can hope to catch some fish. The target is piranhas; these small carnivorous fish have a fearsome reputation, but the locals consider them a good source of food.
6:00 pm - Back to the ship. All night navigation down river to Nauta City.
7:30 pm - Farewell dinner
This time you will be treated to a grilled dinner, which will be served in the casual and comfortable ambiance of the Third Deck, where you will enjoy the mix of your Chef's delicious grilled dishes with the magic of the gentle breezes and Amazonian moonlight.
8.30 pm - Crew presentation. Guides will introduce some of the crewmembers that haven't interacted with you during the trip, but have worked as hard as those who have to make of your journey an unforgettable once in a lifetime experience. (B, L, D)

Day &Arrival Iquitos
6:30 am - Breakfast
7:30 am - Jungle and Waterfall Walk at Tahuayo River
You will take the skiffs for 20 minutes until you reach firm land (Neotropical forest or non-flooded forest). More than a jungle walk, this will be a botanical lesson where you will learn how native people make their plantations for their own subsistence and how they also learned to cultivate wild plants and trees that they still using to get a little income by taking their products to be sold at the market in Iquitos. Once you get to the primary forest, your guide will point out the many plants and trees they gather during the fruit season from the deepest jungle. Finally, your trekking will be rewarded reaching a beautiful waterfall in the heart of the jungle in the middle of nowhere. If you plan to swim please bring your swimsuit with you. A folding screen will be available for you to change. Your staff will bring along plenty of water, towels and snacks to relief you from the morning heat. Right after swimming you will head back to the skiffs.
10:30 am - Back in the Vessel. Continue cruising down the Amazon River towards Iquitos
1:30 pm - Soon after you arrival your friendly ground staff and guides will assist you with disembarkation. You will do your check-out in your floating VIP lounge 'Islacocha' with a cool drink in your hands and then get ready to try local cuisine in the restaurant 'Al Frio y al Fuego'. After a light and fresh lunch you will be transferred to the airport via wooden handmade boats and finally on a comfortable, air-conditioned bus. On the way to the airport you will have a brief guided sightseeing city tour. (B, L)

Recommended tipping:
$80-$120 per person for the crew
$28-$40 per person for the guides