Page 6 - Amazon River Cruise & Rain Forest
P. 6

Fall





               under the spell of the mighty Amazon …









         Iquitos                              Amazon Basin                          Lima
        Iquitos, the major river port of the Amazon   The tropical rain forests of the Amazon   At the heart of a long stretch of mostly
        Basin in Peru, is the largest city in the   Basin are home to a stunning array of birds   desert climate along the Pacific Coast of
        world not accessible by road. Here rivers   and animals. Our Trip Leader—a certified   Peru lies Lima, a cosmopolitan capital city
        are the only “highways.” Downstream,   naturalist guide—will unlock the secrets of   and anachronistic melting pot of Spanish
        the Amazon flows more than 2,000 miles,   the rainforest during nature walks and boat   Colonial architecture built directly over
        mostly through Brazil, before it reaches the   excursions to meet these creatures in their   ancient Incan foundations. Here, our small
        ocean. Upstream lies the confluence of the   natural habitat. We might see pink and gray   group will find bustling shopping areas, fine
        Marañon and Ucayali rivers, whose meeting   river dolphins, which inhabit the waters   dining, stately mansions, coastal breezes,
        point defines the start of the main stem   and often frolic near cruising boats. The   friendly Limeos, and some of the country’s
        of the Amazon River. We’ll traverse these   legendary piranha also lives in the rivers   best museums and churches. A visit to the
        watery highways on our privately chartered   and, because it makes good eating, is viewed   Archaeological Museum offers an overview
        river ship, giving us a first-row ticket to the   by local people not as a danger but as a   of Peru’s fascinating history, from its
        Amazon’s spectacular show. Because it lies   food resource. Squirrel monkeys and three-  superb array of Incan artifacts to impressive
        at the head of deep-water navigation on the   toed sloths move through the trees, while   collections of ceramics, gold, and textiles
        Amazon, Iquitos grew as a shipping point for   capybaras—the world’s largest rodents—  from many other ancient cultures.
        the rubber trade in the late 19th century, and   forage on the riverbanks.
        much of its architecture dates from that era.

         Amazon River
                Amazon River Cruise & Rain Forest


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