Tales from the riverbank: A slow sojourn along the Peruvian Amazon

Life on board

The sun is just beginning to dip below the horizon as we make the short skiff journey to the vessel, armed with our new uniform of life vests and wellies. Once on board, I settle into my suite – one of 12 on the ship, including two single cabins – which feels more than comfortably spacious, with a king-sized bed and a plush armchair positioned in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. This spot soon becomes my favourite perch for catching glimpses of pink river dolphins, an incredibly endangered species endemic to the Amazon, as they breach the river’s surface.

With time to spare before dinner, I explore Pure Amazon. The top deck houses a lounge, where guests can spend their downtime perusing a selection of books, playing a board game or simply enjoying a pre-dinner tipple. There’s also a small spa room and gym, as well as a terrace with comfortable armchairs and a hot tub.

Before dining, we congregate in the Jungle Room – a cosy lounge with swathes of feather-like plants hanging from the ceiling, a well-stocked bar and sumptuous seating – where the crew outlines the details of our sojourn along the Peruvian Amazon Basin. Abercrombie & Kent offers three, four and seven-night itineraries on Pure Amazon, each weaving through a corner of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve – nicknamed the ‘jungle of mirrors’ due to its flooded forests and calm, reflective waters. “Practising ecotourism is the best way to allow these ecosystems to thrive and we can see that in the way the populations of bird species and animals have grown,” says expedition leader Robinson Rodriguez, instilling a thrilling sense of anticipation for what the river might unveil.

Each day on board Pure Amazon follows a similar rhythm: an early-morning skiff excursion as the jungle stirs to life, followed by relaxed afternoons listening to nature talks, with the option to kayak or fish along quiet tributaries. Yet no two outings are the same. Overnight, we drift into new corners of the reserve, where the landscape constantly reshapes itself, revealing lily-pad-strewn lagoons, glimpses of life unfolding on the riverbanks and narrow, hidden channels that only a skiff can navigate.

Wild encounters

Our first stop is Lake Clavero, a serene blackwater oxbow lake surrounded by overhanging foliage and tangled vines. As we skim across its surface, it soon becomes clear that the Peruvian Amazon is a birder’s paradise.

We spot myriad wonderful species: black-collared hawks sitting watchful on a branch; white-headed marsh tyrants, so-called for their surprisingly aggressive nature given their compact size; and dazzling blue-and-yellow macaws soaring through the canopy like brushstrokes.

Over the course of our floating safari, the jungle continues to unveil an ever-changing cast of creatures, and while my ability to spot the wildlife camouflaged among the flora leaves much to be desired, luckily for me, the team of eagle-eyed naturalists – and the Leica binoculars loaned to every guest – make the task abundantly easier.

“We grew up around nature and wildlife, so we’ve had many years of training to become fluent in the sights and sounds of the Amazonian jungle,” says Victor. It never fails to amaze me how he can suddenly spy a three-toed sloth contentedly lazing between two branches, a huge green iguana almost blending into the leaves or a troop of squirrel monkeys swinging through the treetops.

Life along the river reveals itself in more-human ways too: a man in a wooden canoe who proudly shows us his morning’s catch (a huge, thrashing shovelnose catfish) or two women who drift by to sell beautiful handmade bowls and woven birds. The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve is home to 42,000 people from communities that have lived in this region for centuries, and many now benefit from tourism by welcoming visitors into their villages or guiding them on forest trails – excursions that are offered to Pure Amazon guests.

Spirited service

It’s not just the extraordinary landscapes that make my trip on board Pure Amazon so memorable, but also the attentiveness that comes with it. The team anticipates our every need, handing us ice-cold towels as we board the skiff and waiting with refreshing drinks when we return to the ship. Our boots are cleaned after muddy forest walks; my binoculars magically reappear when I misplace them; and steaming mugs of my favourite herbal tea are served for early wake-up calls.

On our final evening, that care and thoughtfulness takes on a celebratory flourish. As the light begins to soften, we’re ushered back on to the skiffs for an unexpected outing, where we speed across a widening expanse of the river towards the spot where the Marañón and Ucayali rivers meet – the very place where the Amazon begins.  Here, the river is vast; in parts, it can stretch to more than 30 miles in the rainy season.

As the skiff drifts to a gentle stop, the crew produces canapes and flutes of chilled champagne. We toast the end of a spectacular journey as the sun stains the sky brilliant shades of apricot and rose. In the distance, pink and grey river dolphins arc from the water, as if joining in our celebration.

Back on board, we gather in the Jungle Room for a final presentation – a moment to thank those who have shaped our experience, from the naturalist guides who can read the jungle like a book and the chefs crafting exquisite meals to the captain and deckhands who keep everything moving with seamless precision. It’s a fitting end to a journey defined not just by the Amazon’s astonishing landscapes, but by those who bring them to life.

Image credits: Shutterstock/germanoandrade; Damian Russell; Tom Griffiths