Iquitos is one of the favored places to enjoy a luxury Amazon cruise for quality conscious travelers. From Iquitos, you will voyage deep into the Amazon Rainforest’s Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, which is a gigantic flooded forest filled with some of the rainforest's most diverse and fascinating wildlife.
To match the magnificence of this incredible reserve, we have selected the top luxury Amazon cruises from Iquitos. Experience the Amazon Rainforest in high-class comfort led by some of the best naturalist guides in Amazonia.
Iquitos, Peru
But first, let's have an introduction to Iquitos itself.
Iquitos City
Iquitos is a city in the Loreto region of northern Peru’s Amazon Rainforest. As the largest city in the world unreachable by road, to arrive in Iquitos you take a 40 minute flight from Lima, Peru’s capital city. After landing in Iquitos, you will be met at the small Iquitos airport and transported in comfort to the dock of your vessel.
The most attractive protected area of Amazon Rainforest accessible from Iquitos is the 2 million hectare Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. The reserve is widely known by nature lovers and river cruise connoisseurs for its beautiful scenery and high diversity of fascinating wildlife.
As you travel deep into the Pacaya on one of the following luxury Amazon cruises, enjoy seeing the rainforest pass by your suite’s large windows to spot different plants and colorful birds. These include toucans, cotingas, tanagers and macaw parrots. You can even spot troops of monkeys making their way through the forest.
The Cruises
We will now provide a selection of the best cruises to make the most of the reserve, where service, comfort, and cuisine match this incredible rainforest paradise.
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The Delfin I Amazon River Cruise
The Delfin I Luxury Cruise provides one of the most exclusive and spacious vessels to explore the Amazon’s waterways. With only 4 very spacious suites, two with your own private cold-water whirlpool, aboard the Delfin I Cruise you can really enjoy a personalized luxury cruise in the tropical environment.
A step beyond luxury, the Delfin I Cruise provides an outstanding experience. Enjoy world-class hospitality and service, gourmet cuisine with white glove table service, and panoramic windows in your exceptionally comfortable over-sized suite. All the suites then feature private terraces and three times a day personalized cabin service.
In addition to the fantastic suites, guests enjoy a lounge area, bar, entertainment center, and superb dining room. Throughout the vessel, you can find artwork made by the women of Puerto Miguel, which you can purchase. Profits from the artwork is directed to fund school supplies for the community. Dining aboard the Delfin I Cruise is an experience in itself, where every care is taken to provide the most delicious gourmet cuisine. Enjoy a variety of flavors, often with influences from the surrounding rainforest. Staff is then on hand to provide a little information about each of the delicious dishes. The observation deck is another favorite feature.
Fitted with large and luxuriously comfortable soft sofas, enjoy watching pristine rainforest pass by or choose to relax in the evening observing the stars. There is little competition for one of the best locations to enjoy the Milky Way. Your suite features 180° floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, sofa bed in-suite seating, the finest Peruvian linen, and environmentally responsible bathroom amenities. Suites then feature silent a/c units, hot water, and small details to keep the experience a step ahead of the rest.
From this incredible base, explore the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve’s Amazon Rainforest on motorized skiff expeditions, forest walks in the dry season, and kayaking trips to spot many different Amazonian animals and plants. Animals you’re likely to find includes howler monkeys, sakis, squirrel monkeys, capuchins, toucans, macaw parrots, colorful birds, and large colorful butterflies.
4, 5 daysThe Delfin I
Iquitos, PeruOffering an on-board experience second to none, the Delfin I Luxury Cruise begins in Iquitos, north Peru, and takes you on a cruise of the flooded tro...
- Luxury Cruise, Pacaya Samiria
From $ 4,600
/ person -
The Delfin III
Designed to explore the Amazon Rainforest in comfort, the Delfin III offers a range of suite options. These feature floor-to-ceiling windows decorating your suite with rainforest views. Aboard the Delfin III, you can choose from the upper and lower deck, which offer an intimate and comfortable environment or the more spacious Corner Suites to treat yourself with more space and larger windows. The Owner's Suite then sits on the second deck as the most luxurious suite on offer.
Hardwood flooring and panoramic windows decorate the elegant lounge area to keep you connected to this magnificent environment. Enjoy a cocktail or a wine while observing the Amazon in comfort. The dining room then serves gourmet cuisine featuring ingredients influenced by the rainforest.
You will explore the Amazon’s waterways on motorized skiffs led by some of the Amazon’s best naturalist guides. Travel deep down the Amazon's waterways to find a variety of wildlife, including capuchins, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, colorful birds, and fascinating reptiles. Hopefully we will also spot pink dolphins playing in the water or investigating our presence in their flooded rainforest home.
4, 5 daysThe Delfin III
Iquitos, PeruThe Delfin III provides a luxury cruise of the Amazon River. The vessel features hardwood floors, designer furniture and is dotted with handmade P...
- Luxury Cruise, Pacaya Samiria
From $ 3,700
/ person -
The Delfin II Cruise
The Delfin II is an exquisite Amazon cruise vessel providing an experience akin to a floating boutique luxury hotel. The smallest details have been thought of to maximize your enjoyment in this world-renowned environment. Enjoy watching the rainforest pass by your window from a choice of either the very comfortable guest suites or the more spacious deluxe master suites at the front of the vessel. The large picture windows will decorate your suite with the Amazon Rainforest itself.
The cruise vessel includes 14 large guest suites, including 4 master suites with 180° panoramic windows. Four of the suites can be interconnected to cater for families and each provides world class luxury lodging with a casual elegance. Enjoy a lovely ensuite bathroom with organic shower products, a sauna styled shower, and very luxurious bed with the finest Peruvian linen.
In addition to the suites, the Delfin II provides a spa room, small exercise room, library, seminar room, observation deck, bar, and a beautifully decorated dining room. Here you will enjoy gourmet cuisine, from the fruits of the Amazon to international favorites.
Head out into the Pacaya Samiria Reserve on forest walks in the dry season, skiff expeditions, and kayaking experiences to see a fascinating amount of Amazon Rainforest animals and plants, including different Amazonian monkeys, colorful birds, and many others.
4, 5 daysThe Delfin II
Iquitos, PeruThe Delfin II Luxury Amazon Cruise begins near Iquitos from the small town of Nauta. You will be transported in our comfortable coach from Iquitos air...
- Luxury Cruise, Pacaya Samiria
From $ 3,500
/ person
Ash
Tour Advisor at TourTheTropics.comAsh Card is a frequent visitor to the Tropics and has a passion for helping visitors get the best experiences from tropical locations. Ash is a contributor and tour advisor at TourTheTropics.com. Feel free to contact Ash for tour help in the tropics. When not helping tourists with tours and info, Ash can be found traveling, on wildlife tours or salsa dancing. Ash has completed a BSc in Biology, a Master’s degree in Zoology, and has undertaken a research scholarship at a world-class university on animal behavior. He has published scientific research in the Australian Journal of Zoology and the Journal of Behavioral Ecology. His goal is to help a global society live in balance with the natural world.