Day 1: Friday - Arrival to Iquitos
05:00 pm. Arrive in Iquitos
After arriving at Iquitos International Airport, you will be assisted by our guides and transported by bus for about 1 ½ hours, heading northwest toward Nauta (the oldest city in the department of Loreto). Nauta lies between Iquitos and the Marañon River, where the DELFIN is waiting for you.
07:30 pm. Arrive in Nauta and board the DELFIN
Upon arriving at the port of Nauta, you will board the DELFIN, assisted by our experienced crew. They will help you settle into your wood-paneled, comfortable twin-bedded cabin provided with orthopedic mattresses and natural cotton sheets and towels, silent A/C units and private bathrooms with fine wooden furnishings, hot showers and a variety of environmentally friendly amenities for your ultimate indulgence.
It will become clear that you are traveling where few have gone before. In fact, you are part of a select group of seasoned world travelers who will visit remote Pacaya Samiria Reserve, five million acres of protected, flooded forest, roughly the size of a small Central American country. A world of flora and fauna awaits you.
08:30 pm. Dinner
Dinner is served in our cozy dining room located at the back of the ship’s second deck.
Because of its cultural diversity, Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the world’s finest, making the country an attractive culinary destination. Aside from providing you with your first rainforest adventure, the Delfin is also a unique culinary experience, offering the best of Amazonian-Peruvian cuisine in a cosmopolitan gourmet setting. Our chef prides himself in serving dishes in different styles and seasoned with a wide variety of herbs and spices, as well as exotic fruits.
09:30 pm. Briefing and time to relax
On the top observation deck, our guides will use charts and short videos displayed on our flat LCD screen to conduct a brief orientation, outlining details of your journey, including the places you will visit, the wildlife you will see, as well as a summary of the history and geography of the Amazon basin.
Finally, under the beauty of an Amazonian night filled with hundreds of stars or perhaps a full moon, and wafted by the gentle breeze of the rainforest, our multitalented staff will entertain you with a little live music. (D)

Day 3: Sunday - Pacaya River – Atun Poza Lagoon
05:30 am. Wake up call
This morning we will start very early and breakfast on board the skiffs, in order to see as much wildlife as possible in one of the earth´s greatest wilderness.
06:00 am. Rio Pacaya – breakfast on board
We have reached our main goal, the Pacaya River, the very heart of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Peru’s largest protected area with a mean annual rainfall of nearly 3,000mm, by far the largest protected wetland reserve in the world.
Filled with lakes, palm swamps and streams, the reserve becomes a flooded forest in the rainy season and is one of the most beautiful places you have ever visited.
An early rise is very rewarding: you’ll see parrots, macaws, toucans, kingfishers, black collared hawks, southern swallows, white winged swallows, and manikins. Aside from the large variety of birds, you’ll also see troops of squirrel monkeys.
Aboard our comfortable skiffs, we will go in search of magnificent views and wildlife opportunities, experiencing spectacular rainforest wilderness, while searching for different species of monkeys, such as small family groups of red howler monkeys, the largest in the Amazon basin, with its bright rust-colored fur and long prehensile tail. As the sun starts to heat up, we will continue along the shores of the Pacaya river, spotting huge ceiba or kapok trees, mahogany trees, strangler figs, epiphytes such as bromeliads and orchids, palm trees and woody vines. Breakfast—cold, fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit and light sandwiches with coffee and/or tea—will be served as we float amidst a favored dolphin feeding spot.
After breakfast, you can jump in the water for a very refreshing morning swim, a once in a lifetime experience in the beautiful setting of dark, clean and warm water, deep blue skies, and a light breeze, just a perfect moment to enjoy the wild and unique Amazon rainforest at its best.
11:30 am. Back to the Boat
We will start navigating back down the Puinahua River towards Nauta.
12:30 pm. Lunch
By now, you’ll know the routine; our kitchen staff welcomes you again, surprising you with a very sophisticated meal and a well balanced menu. There’s also time for dessert. Coffee will be served at the bar on the Observation deck.
04:00 pm. Atun Poza expedition
Rainy Season (Dec – May) Atun Poza by skiff: On our adventure this afternoon we will cruise in our skiffs along a lake called Atun Poza, where we will surprise several species of egrets, herons, hawks, long-legged neotropical cormorants fishing for their dinner, and unusual and loud horned screamers. We will also have a chance to explore other black water lagoons linked to this huge lake, where wattled jacanas compete with a wide variety of spiders, grasshoppers, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, etc. living along the grassy edges and lily pads of freshwater swamps and marshes. We will have an excellent opportunity of seeing social spiders and how their webs embrace huge parts of a tree.
Dry Season (Jun – Nov) hiking at Atun Poza: This afternoon we will hike through this pristine and unique ecosystem, passing through a classic tropical rainforest with emergent trees and canopy trees reaching up to 55 mts. in height. Many trees have buttress roots which often extend high up the trunks while palms are abundant and many of them have stilt roots. Biologically, this kind of forest is probably one of the richest habitats on earth, supporting the most species of plants and animals per unit area. Our target is the giant ceiba or kapok tree with its large diameter. If we’re lucky we’ll also see giant otters with their large bodies, dark fur with spotted throat and noisy calls. They nest by a small stream inside this forest, but we must be very quiet, because if they hear us they will swim away. This forest is also very good for spotting birds such as the bluish-fronted jacamar seen in pairs in middle and lower parts of forest edges, or collared trogons, red-capped cardinals, etc.
06:30 pm. Back to the vessel
07:00 pm. Briefing and review
At this time our guides will review all that we have seen and learned, with the help of videos and a slide show on our flat TV. This will give you the chance to see up close the birds, monkeys, reptiles, etc. This is the time to clear up any doubts. We will sail all night long as the Delfin continues its smooth journey downstream.. Coffee and tea are always available.
08:00 pm. Farewell Dinner
Leaving behind the wildlife, you will continue enjoying our service as a world class traveler deserves. Tonight our chef and kitchen staff will treat you to a grilled dinner, including fresh salads, grilled vegetables, magical sauces, and wonderful combinations of different types of meat. Our talented staff will delight you with some live music before you retire. (B,L,D)