Peru or Ecuador Amazon River Cruise

[foser22]

I feel like this is a long shot, but does anyone have any experience with an Amazon Cruise in either Peru or Ecuador?  I'm leaning towards Ecuador mainly because I'd like to see the Parrots at the salt licks and the pink dolphins, but there's not a lot of information about either trip.  I prefer the small boats that are offered, but I'm not really familiar with any of the companies that offer trips.  Any info would be great.

[deec]

I think a RIVER cruise is better for this part of the Amazon.  we took one with Vantage a number of years ago.  It included the Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu...wonderful trip.  We took Viking Ocean trip in the Brazilian Amazon not nearly as full of nature, although the ship was lovely.

[4774Papa]

Gate 1 has a great tour of Ecuador that includes three days in the Galapagos Islands and 9 more days in Quito, the coastal region and the Amazon River.

 

 

[diane.in.ny]

We took a river cruise out of Iquitos, Peru and saw pink dolphins and went by the salt lick.  

 

Great trip.

[Nanaandpapax12]

We just returned from the most Amazing trip with Avalon that included Peru and Ecuador (From the Inca Empire to the Peruvian Amazon and the Galapagos). Included in the trip was a cruise on the Amazon on the Delfin. The boat was luxurious with the most delicious food and extremely attentive crew. Our guide Denis was a gem, knowledgeable and respectful of the Amazon. He went above and beyond to ensure that we had a safe and enjoyable trip. I can’t say enough about what a wonderful experience we had on the entire trip. 

[Homerody]

If you don't mind sharing details and logistics of embarkation, some questions:

 

Was embarkation in Galapagos via RIB (or some type of smaller boat) or dock?

Which ship or yacht did Avalon use?

 

On the Delfin cruise - you left from Iquitos, right?

 

Can you discuss the trip from airport to Delfin and the embarkation process (how passengers got to Delfin from airport - combination of bus and boat?

 

Thanks so much.

[foser22]

On 3/12/2022 at 10:54 AM, Nanaandpapax12 said:

We just returned from the most Amazing trip with Avalon that included Peru and Ecuador (From the Inca Empire to the Peruvian Amazon and the Galapagos). Included in the trip was a cruise on the Amazon on the Delfin. 

Thanks so much!  i will definitely check out Avalon.  I have looked at cruises on the Delfin, but it's great to have some one's opinion about it!!  We had talked about going next year, but have already booked a few things, so will probably move it off to 2024.  What time of year did you go??  What was the weather like?

[5waldos]

We did the river cruise in Ecuador. Sadly we did not have the best experience since our small boat broke down and we had to return by a canoe- hours and hours in the rain with no top. And missed the parrots. It was quite the adventure but not one I would like to repeat. We did it with the local group https://anakondaamazoncruises.com/cruises/manatee-amazon-explorer/ and were on their older boat, the only one they had at the time we booked. The newer boat was lovely and would recommend. Looking at their website, I don't think that the older boat is even still in service. The trip down river was very interesting- and yes, we did see pink dolphins. 

[Nanaandpapax12]

We went in Feb, 2022. Weather was hot and humid on the Amazon, but not unbearable. Delfin crew made sure we had plenty of water.  We were picked up at the airport in Iquitos by a driver and our naturalist Denis. The van ride was almost 2 hours to the boat. In the van we were given a very nice boxed lunch and ice water (aluminum water bottle that was to keep).  Denis narrated the seamless ride to the boat. The Delfin crew took care of our luggage. 

In the Galapagos we were on Treasure of Galapagos, which we boarded via rib boats. The weather was very pleasant for swimming and hiking (upper 70s to low 80s). Sun was intense, but not burning. 

 

I highly recommend looking into Avalon Waterways. We were not at all disappointed! 

[Homerody]

@Nanaandpapax12 - Thanks for a very helpful post.  Much appreciated.

[Budget traveller]

Has anyone done a cruise on the section of the Amazon between Manuas and Iquitos? What do you see here? Is it really worth it?