A great number of wildlife species inhabit the heart of the Amazon Jungle. In Iquitos, the gateway to the Peruvian Rainforest, lies the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. With an area of over two million hectares, it is one of the biggest protected territories in the country.   

Known for its great biodiversity: dozens of reptiles and amphibians, hundreds of birds, mammals and fish, as well as thousands of wild and cultivated plant species. No other ecosystem equals the Amazon! Go ahead and do ecotourism in the Amazon! We introduce you a Top 3 of exotic species you can find in your journey through the magical Peruvian Rainforest: 

• Pygmy Marmoset, name in Spanish “Small Lion Monkey” (Mono Leoncito) for the lush brown mane around its head, very similar to the one of a lion. It is the smallest primate in the world, measuring only 15 cm (6 inches), with a tail longer than its body. It lives on the banks of the rivers and usually moves around in large groups. It feeds on tree sap and resins, as well as from fruits and small insects. 

• Black Caiman, lives mainly in the Amazon basin and is considered a very lazy and inactive reptile. It has short legs and a strong and long tail used to protect itself. Did you know that flies and wasps feed themselves from their eyes? Mineral salts and organic waste from its body are found in its eyes, so insects such as flies and wasps tend to pose on their sockets to feed themselves. 

• Capybara (Ronsoco), considered the biggest rodent in the world, measuring up to 1.3 meters long (4.2 feet). It inhabits the jungle and loves the water so it is usually seen on the riverbanks. Its diet is varied and is based on leaves, palm fruits and aquatic plants. Its nose is squared while its ears are small and rounded. Its eyes are also small and dark-coffee-colored. 

Amazon culture: let’s live it!  

The magical city of Iquitos is located 1,000 km (over 621 miles) from Lima and is a privileged point of departure to discover the Jungle. It was founded more than 150 years ago and as a result of the enormous population growth, is now the biggest city in the Peruvian Amazon (having approximately 500,000 inhabitants). Besides having a great architectural beauty, Iquitos, has the peculiarity of being accessible only by air or river. 

Moreover, among its most recognized tourist attractions, are the outings to the Amazon communities, a fulfilling experience! You’ll have the opportunity to discover the Bora community or the Yagua community, located close to the river Momón and the city of San Andrés. By visiting them, you’ll learn about their customs, beliefs and traditions; and in addition, you’ll be able to participate in a celebration, dancing and singing to the rhythm of their culture.

Do you want to live a unique adventure in the Amazon jungle? Enjoy things you’ve only seen on television? Discover a unique, tropical and magic world traveling to the Peruvian jungle doing ecotourism.

What is ecotourism?

Ecotourism is a type of tourism in which tourists enjoy a unique experience as part of the natural elements of the place where they visit. For a long time, ecotourism has been a tourism niche with little demand due to the great change that this infers due to the fact that the amenities were not the same due to the lack of hotels near the area to visit; However, nowadays ecotourism is in high demand because there are already comforts (and even luxury) in the places to visit and also due to the unique experience that one lives by being part of this ecosystem.

Ecotourism in the Amazon

Ecotourism in the Amazon River

For example, with the types of trips we offer on our cruises, you can do ecotourism traveling on the same Amazon River.

Ecotourism in the Amazon Jungle

If you want to have more travel experiences, you can visit some of the tribes that live in the Amazon Rainforest and that offer guided tours. Even if you want to have the highest level of experiences in the jungle, you can enter the Amazon and learn in depth about the animals that inhabit it, know the history of the jungle itself and its myths and legends.

Live unique experiences with animals

Live a luxury trip by taking one of our cruises and enjoy some of the most beautiful and exotic animals in the world, such as the pink dolphins. Get to know part of its natural habitat, stroll along the rivers where this type of odontocete cetacean lives and enjoy an experience that goes beyond traditional tourism.

Let’s be part of ecotourism in the Amazon!

Committed to creating exotic, authentic and inspiring experiences every year in the Amazon, our aim is to help more and more people discover this amazing region of the country, always contributing to sustainable ecotourism and local economy. 

We are convinced that tourism has an enormous effect in society; for this reason, we boost responsible and positive tourism , working along local communities and partnering with organizations and institutions, to protect the resources from our Mother Earth. Would you like to discover some of the positive practices we undertake? 

• Supporting local communities: in all our cruises we display handcrafts created by people from the nearby communities, to support local economy. It’s worth mentioning that 80% of our crew members come from the city of Iquitos or its surroundings. 

• Wildlife conservation: In partnership with CREA (Manatee Rescue Center), we help protect the Amazon Manatees, an endangered species. Furthermore, all our boat skiffs have mufflers to minimize noise pollution in the area and contribute in that way to the wellbeing of wildlife in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.    

It’s been over 30 years since we started offering the best service aboard our cruises, especially for you. We are exotic, friendly, authentic, adventurous and most of all, natives from the region. We love discovering and exploring the world our own way! 

 We hope you’ll soon be part of this fantastic experience: Live with us an authentic journey in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon!