“The Amazon river is full of fish” our guide Victor said. There are more species than in the Atlantic ocean.

We started our expedition from the Peruvian Amazon town of Iquitos, we set off on board the Aqua Riverboat to explore the headwaters of the world´s most important river, at least the largest and most famous. Victor continued his explanation of the Amazon river system and ictiology(fish studies), I never thought such a subject to be so fascinating. Our guide being so pationate about it really helped.

Other fish mentioned, the catfish which reaches over a meter in length, and about 500 additional species that live in the murky deep waters. Of course the infamous piranha which has causes terror in spite of its small size is the most recalled. That very same afternoon during a skiff expedition we fished for Piranha and upon catching one, I could only realize how sharp its teeth are. I have no doubt that a school of hungry piranhas can reduce an animal to bones in just a matter of minutes. I must mention that they only attack when they are starved or there is blood in the water, they dwell in rivers yet feed only in non flowing water.

This was my highlight activity during the exploratory excursions from the Aqua. The boat itself is very luxurios and it is very private, built for 24 passengers only. I never thought an Amazon cruise could be so comfortable. The food was superb, I really loved the fusion and nothing better to wash it down than a typical Peruvian Pisco sour. Loved it!

The diversity of travelers was beaten only by that of our surroundings, people from England, Spain, Canada, Russia, Australia, Germany, United States, France and Peru of course.

We stayed on board for a 7 day cruise, they also offer 3 and 4 day cruises.  Our schedule included the Pacaya Samiria Reserve which was beautiful with black water lagoons that mirrored the tree tops. We expected to see little wildlife as forecasted by our travel agent, yet we were surprised in finding hundreds of bird species, river dolphins and many monkeys.

I highly recommend the Aqua Riverboat cruise.