From the category archives:

Iquitos

Luxury Ships Cruise the Amazon

by admin on August 24, 2011

Many people would love to travel down the Amazon, one of the most mysterious and intriguing areas of Peru. But with the wild terrain comes mosquitos, dangerous animals and the risk of getting lost or injured miles away from civilization. These deterrents keep most travelers away from the world-famous river and rainforest. However, a company called Aqua Expeditions is now offering luxury cruises aboard five star ships. Each trip is complete with guided excursions, upscale cuisine, and panoramic views of birds, pink dolphins and the surrounding jungle. The company’s first ship set sail three years ago with twelve suites. The newer ship has sixteen suites, a terrace jacuzzi and a gym. The ships are even equipped with air conditioning for the hot jungle nights. The combination of luxury and remote wilderness is one that will surely impress even the most well-traveled guests.

 

This raft is more sophisticated than the ones used in the race.

This raft is more sophisticated than the ones used in the race.

In recent years, teams from as many as 14 countries have competed in the Amazon Raft Race, traveling one of the world’s most exciting rivers. The Peruvian Amazon is known for being a remote part of this fantastic rainforest, and the town of Iquitos is a quiet one. However, in 1999 an Englishman who had recently moved to Iquitos teamed up with the region’s Director of Tourism to create the first Amazon Raft Race. 43 teams competed that year, and this year’s rafters will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event. The race will last three days, from September 25th to September 27th, and the teams will cover 112 miles on rafts they will build themselves on September 24th. This is an especially exciting event for rafting enthusiasts, and a challenging one as well. I will not be competing in this event!

Photo courtesy of Jake G under Creative Commons License