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PERU
Amazon Voyage
The
Greatest Voyage In Natural History
Free In-Country
Airfare on Select 2009 Voyages!
Day 1 • Friday
U.S. / Lima
Fly to Lima, Peru,
the nation’s capital and largest city, and transfer to the Swissôtel for
the night. (D Aloft)
Day 2 • Saturday
Iquitos / Embark Amazon Riverboat

We fly over the Andes Mountains to
Iquitos, where time permitting we take a brief city tour before boarding
our riverboat, La Amatista, home for the next seven days of our
Amazon cruise. Tonight, we journey slowly up the Amazon, looking at the
stars of the northern and southern constellations. (B,L,D)
Day 3 • Sunday
Amazon River / Río Ucayali
| We awake this morning on the
Amazon, seeing some of the ever-changing panorama of jungle life as
La Amatista continues upriver. Small villages dot the shoreline, and
channels weaving through island mazes provide close-up views of a
variety of marsh birds. The confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón Rivers
is famous as the beginning of the Amazon River. Amazingly, we are about
2,400 miles from where the river flows into the Atlantic. The river
drops only about 350 feet the entire way! We turn into the Río Ucayali,
where we’re apt to find gray river dolphins and Amazon pink dolphins
cavorting near the boat and along the shoreline. Later we take an
excursion into the surrounding rainforest in search of giant water
lilies and elusive wildlife such as monkeys and sloths. As dusk
approaches, fishing bats begin their night’s foraging. (B,L,D)
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Giant water lilies |

Pink Dolphins
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Day 4 • Monday
Río Ucayali / Pacaya-Samiria
Reserve
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We explore a small tributary of
the Ucayali in search of piranha, which are very common in the
slower-moving water. With luck, we may catch red-breasted, white or
black piranha, and feast on our catch this evening. We look for animals
including primates, sloths and an enormous variety of birds. La
Amatista continues upriver to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. This
afternoon, an excursion into this largest wetland reserve in the world
provides the opportunity to see primates, including monk sakis, red
howler, saddle-backed tamarin and squirrel monkeys. We explore Caro
Lake, connected to the river by way of a very small stream, where we may
find flocks of greater ani, often seen following monkeys in search of
insects disturbed by the monkeys’ foraging. We enjoy a nighttime boat
excursion for a chance to find caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs
and other nocturnal wildlife. (B,L,D)
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Saddle-backed Tamarin |

Squirrel Monkey |
Day 5 • Tuesday
Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
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Giant River Otter
ñ
Black Caiman
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We spend the day
exploring this flooded realm, seeing wading birds such as herons,
wattled jacanas and horned screamers. Parrots are common, including the
endangered scarlet macaw. We’ll watch for giant river otters, which have
become increasingly rare but still may be found within the reserve. We
may also see massive black caimans and manatees. Venturing deep into the
rainforest, tour an igapo (seasonally flooded forest), where plant life
is very different from what we see along the main course of our Amazon
cruise, and walk through the forest. (B,L,D)
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Day 6 • Wednesday
Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
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After an early
breakfast, we board our excursion boats for access even further into the
heart of these vast wetlands. As our Amazon cruise tours the narrow
waterways, we’ll find birds such as canary-winged parakeets and
spectacular blue-and-gold and scarlet macaws. Primates also are fairly
common, including noisy squirrel monkeys. We arrive at a ranger station,
where we may take a short hike to explore the forest. After a picnic
lunch, we gradually make our way back to our riverboat through the maze
of waterways. (B,L,D)
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Day 7 • Thursday
Río Ucayali & Tributaries
This morning we head
back downriver, with a morning wildlife or other activity. This
afternoon, if conditions permit we explore the narrow Tapiche River and
look for wildlife. After dark we’ll go out in our excursion boats to
listen to the sounds of the rainforest and look for nocturnal wildlife.
(B,L,D)
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Day 8 • Friday
Río Ucayali / Amazon River
This morning we
visit a village along the river, with the chance to learn about the
lives of the "Ribereño" people who live there. We continue downriver
towards Iquitos, with time to complete our checklists, and enjoy a
farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
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Days 9 & 10 •
Saturday & Sunday
Iquitos / Lima / U.S.
| In the morning we disembark La
Amatista in Iquitos and fly to Lima. We tour Lima, seeing the
Cathedral and Plaza de Armas, then enjoy lunch at a distinctive Peruvian
restaurant. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure, with dayrooms
reserved at our hotel, before we transfer to the airport for our flight
to the U.S. We arrive Sunday and connect with flights home. (Day 9: B,L; Day 10: Meals Aloft)
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Note: Because conditions at the time of our
visit and new opportunities always determine what is possible on the
Amazon, our itinerary is flexible. The itinerary shown is a guide to
what we may do, but it’s always subject to change.

International Expeditions
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