INTERNATIONAL EXPEDITIONS     
Amazon, Indonesia, Antarctica.

International Expeditions handles trips for many zoos, museums and conservation organizations.  In 1991 they established a foundation to counteract misuse and exploitation of rainforest habitats and to help provide funding for the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER), a facility located in a protected Amazon wilderness area.

LA AMATISTA
Passenger Capacity: 29
Officers: Peru
Staff and Crew: Peru

• Itinerary: Eight-day expeditions start just south of the equator at Iquitos in Peru, 2,300 miles from the Amazon’s mouth. The boat goes first along the main channel of the Amazon to where it branches into the Ucayali and Maranon Rivers, going into the Ucayali branch known for its dolphins and night fishing bats, then into the Tapiche River stained black with tannin from jungle trees, then smaller and smaller tributaries and lakes in remote locations of the rainforest. The river is narrow and the shores are close. Several villages of river and rainforest people are visited, but most of the area is scarcely inhabited except for wildlife. The boat returning downstream passes through the region in daylight that was cruised during the night going upstream. A second itinerary includes Pacaya-Samiria. The itineraries vary depending on river conditions and the interests of the passengers.
• Cabins: 14. Cabins are outside, are air-conditioned and have a private bath with shower. Two cabins have a queen-size bed, one has three beds, ten have twin beds.
• Dining: The dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows at the boat’s stern. There is single open seating. Cuisine is international with fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and other local produce. Vegetarian and other diets are available.
• Facilities and Activities: La Amatista is a Brazilian-built exploratory ship that explores areas of the rainforest long considered inaccessible. It goes to the headwaters of the Amazon above Iquitos where most boats stop. English-speaking Peruvian guides accompany passengers on shore excursions. Slide shows are shown. Passengers are singles and couples of all ages who have the common interest of wildlife and environmental conservation and preserving nature for future generations. Children are welcome on most expeditions and there sometimes are special departures for students and families. Days consist of boat and shore excursions with passengers observing wildlife, hiking in the jungle, and visiting  river and forest villages. There are picnic lunches along the trail. Each passenger receives comprehensive information about the destination with wildlife checklists and reading suggestions. In the low water season, there is more jungle hiking. High water season has mostly boat excursions. Mosquitoes are worse during low water season; during high water season they were not a problem. Assume that it will rain every day all year round. Temperatures are similar to southern Florida in the summer. For those who take the ACEER extension, the canopy walkway means ascending stairs that encircle the trees, then walking out along suspended pathways 100 ft. high through the treetops.
• Recent Fares Reported to Us: Eight-day trip from Miami: from $2,998 which includes flight from Miami to Iquitos and shore excursions. Optional extensions offered are by air to Cusco and Machu Picchu and the Inca fortress of Sacsahuaman or by speedboat (3 1/2 hours) down the Amazon to the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) on the Napo River and a walk on aerial pathways and platforms 10 stories high in the treetop canopy. Five-day optional Machu Picchu extension  from $1,298,  four-day optional ACEER extension $998. An eight-day ACEER/ Machu Picchu extension $2,188.  Discount for group (15 persons).

LA TURMALINA
 Passenger Capacity: 28
 Length: 110 ft.
 Beam: 24 ft.
 Officers: Peru
 Staff and Crew: Peru

• Itinerary: The itinerary is similar to that of the La Esmeralda, usually going from Iquitos to the Ucayali River and to the Tapiche River and the village of San Pedro, on to the Yanayacu River to Mono Cocha (Monkey Lake), then back to Iquitos. The itinerary is varied for the interests of the passengers and the season of the year.
• Cabins: 14. All cabins are outside and are air-conditioned. Cabins have queen-size or twin beds, and a private bath with shower.
• Dining: There is an open-seating dining room at the stern with floor-to-ceiling windows for river views. Tables are for four. The meals are international and feature regional specialties with fresh produce and fish.
• Facilities and Activities: An observation deck is covered midship and open forward. A little observation platform sticks out over the bowsprit as a lookout position. Expert Peruvian naturalist guides accompany guests in small open boats for explorations. Motor launches carry 15 passengers each. During highwater season, most exploring is by boat; during low water, there are more hikes. There is a visit to a river village, different on each trip so that each village is only visited a few times a year. Guests can fish for piranha (and the chef will cook them), paddle two-man dugout canoes, see monkeys, sloths, and butterflies, see a shaman perform diagnosis and treatment, and plant a tree in the Amazonian forest. There is a night excursion by launch to see bats and other night life. In Iquitos you have dinner in a local restaurant and have the opportunity to visit the local market and herbal medicine alley, rent a local canoe taxi (the town is an equatorial version of  Venice) and visit a floating city on the outskirts of town (only recommended with a guide).
• Recent Fares Reported to Us: Per person fare for eight-day river boat trip $2,198, including air from Miami. Extensions to Machu Picchu and ACEER available.

 For current fares and itineraries of International Expedition boats, click on this direct link

      TO MAKE A RESERVATION:

BOOK A TRIP | HOMEPAGE | DESTINATIONS | CRUISE LINES | RIVER CRUISES | SAILING SHIPS | CHARTERS | BOOKSTORE | CRUISE BARGAINS