Imagine discovering places only
a fortunate few have ever visited, traveling deep into the mystical
Amazon rainforest, exploring the unexplored, while floating in luxury on
board your own private five star home. Imagine that - together with
impeccable service, adventure and great food.
Aqua Expeditions is the brainchild of Francesco Galli Zugaro,
a true connoisseur in every sense with years of experience in
international high end tourism. In always wanting to create luxurious
water cruising on the world’s’ greatest rivers, the Amazon was a natural first for one of the world’s great destinations in which to do it.
The journey started upon arrival at Iquitos, Peru’s
gateway to the Amazon and the largest city in the world that is only
accessible by either boat or air. A two hour drive later through raw
farmlands, we arrived at the village of Nauta on the banks of the Maranon River, an upper tributary of the Amazon. As we were pretty much on the equator, it got dark very early. That said, the candle lit pavilion leading to where our boat was docked provided the perfect welcome.
Our water safari in the remote and beautiful area of the Pacaya Samiria
National Reserve, a uniquely preserved area in the Peruvian part of the
Amazon, was about to begin...
Designed by Peruvian architect Jordi Puig, Aqua’s two vessels, the Aqua Amazon and the Aria Amazon,
constitute the only uber-luxury boats that in fact sail down the
Amazon. With 12 and 16 suites respectively, they are like floating
5-star luxurious hotels, with panoramic views thanks to the large
windows that have been incorporated throughout their exterior facades.
All the suites within are decorated in soft hues, wood, locally weaved
fabrics and crisp white linens. The previously mentioned large floor to
ceiling windows bring the breathtaking scenery along the river’s banks
almost inside as the vessels glide gracefully through calm waters. As I
lay on my bed – my room was on the ‘ground floor’ – I felt as if I were
floating on the water watching a movie unravel in front of my eyes, a
spectator to a collage of sights and sounds: families travelling along
the river in their canoes, kids playing on the its banks, low flying
snow-white egrets swooping just above its edge and pink dolphins jumping
playfully in the water... one glorious morning, I even woke up to a sky
bursting in color that cast a golden-pinkish glow all over the river.
I was travelling on the Aria,
the slightly larger vessel, which features a lounge area with a library
and comfy sofas, a small exercise/massage room, dining room and a
beautiful sun-deck with a Jacuzzi ideal for chilling or stargazing on a
clear night
On board, it’s all about attention to detail and the provision of
high-end services including a doctor and emergency medical care,
security, and even a handful of naturalists - biologists who have grown
up around the Amazon, and are very enthusiastic in sharing all their
knowledge with the guests onboard. Thanks to Juan, Julio, Ricardo and Roland, we had a crash course in all things Amazonian in only four days – a testament to Aqua’s
commitment to supporting wildlife preservation in the Amazon River
region. There is thrice daily room service, and the staff quickly picks
up on your preferences, and call you by your name – keeping things very
low key and personable. When it comes to the food, well, the journey is a
culinary feast even for the most demanding foodies, perfectly
complemented with a very good selection of fine wines by the glass,
cocktails and Peru’s epic national drink, the ‘pisco sour’. Created by Peru’s star chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino
- of Malabar fame - the daily changeable menu is a celebration of
Peruvian jungle food, featuring local Amazon flavors and ingredients,
fresh fish and Andean harvested quinoa.
The twice daily
expeditions with the specially designed skiffs, would take us up
streams, black water lakes and rivers, and even on ground expeditions
through the dense rainforest. Upon returning, sweaty and hot from the
humidity and the excruciating sun, cold drinks made of exotic local
fresh fruits would await to quench our thirst.
Other memories from my incredible trip include the egrets and storks
that soared overhead, colourful kingfishers that would fill the
rainforest in bursting colours and squirrel monkeys that would jump
around the thick canopy of the river banks. We found red howler monkeys
at sunset, fished and caught razor-toothed piranhas, swam with pink
dolphins (yes they are pink but don’t exactly look like dolphins!), and
unsuccessfully looked for an anaconda. Gliding through the narrow
waterways that mirror the jungle tree line, we spotted several sleepy
three-toed sloths, hundreds of brightly feathered birds in all the
colours of the rainbow, families of macaws, playful caimans, even the
elusive capybara – the largest rodent on earth that looks like a pig! We
trekked through the forest in search of three meter wide Victoria giant
water lilies, visited thatch roofed villages on stilts where half naked
kids would run with a big smile towards us, and even learned about the
medicinal qualities of the Amazon’s plants.
But
the best part of it all, was sitting in the middle of nowhere, lost in
the Amazon, with no cell phone coverage, just listening to the sounds of
nature, awe struck with the beauty, serenity and colours of it all.
Natural perfection at its very best! This has, hands down, definitely
been one of my greatest adventures, executed in impeccable style in one
of the world’s last unexplored frontiers. I can’t wait for the next Aqua Expeditions adventure, this time along the Mekong river, coming in autumn 2014!
from yatzer