One particular feature is the beauty of the country’s coastline. Peru enjoys some of the best surfing waves and beaches in the world, recently ranking as one of the top five surfing destinations on the planet, alongside Australia, South Africa, Brazil, and Tahiti.  This October, a small surf town called Punta Hermosa, (just 30 minutes from Lima,) hosted the 2010 ISA World Surfing Games.  Some 220 surfers from 31 countries participated in the competition. surfing some of the most consistent and spectacular waves in the world.

Visitors to Peru can take part in an amazing culture full of history. One form of surfing may have originated in the country, thousands of years ago. As one of the most ancient forms of wave riding, Peruvians developed an ancient type of boat built called the “Caballito de Totora.” This innovation was, and still is, used by fisherman in Huanchaco, in Northern Peru.

Peru stretches from the Northwestern coast of South America, spanning the Andes, to cross into the incomparable and tropical Amazon jungle. This varying topography provides virtually endless places to explore, each location offering it’s own unique history and cultural heritage.

Let us help you plan your own personalized, custom travel itinerary.  Contact Latin Excursions today.  One of our experienced travel consultants will be happy to arrange an extension or combination tour.  We love this country, and look forward to helping you discover the many hidden treasures only found in Peru!

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the world’s second five-star luxury expedition vessel to sail the Amazon,” the CEO exclaimed.  “The M/V Aria will provide the ever-growing number of travelers who wish to explore one of the world’s last great wilderness areas with a one-of-a-kind travel experience.”  No hyperbole there.  The Peruvian Amazon is one of the most beautiful areas of the world’s rainforests, and the Aria promises to be an extraordinary means of viewing and visiting those natural wonders.

The Aria’s sister ship, the M/V Aqua, is already in service, and has been providing guests with a dozen grand air conditioned guest suites boasting 230+ square feet and floor-to-ceiling picture windows.  Four Master suites are located at the bow and include a sitting area in which to view those incredible sights as the Aqua makes her way through the Amazon River.  Her 24-member crew includes 4 world-class naturalists which act as guides for the vessel’s guests.  Amongst the planned pluses is an Amazon Wildlife reference library to help people identify and better appreciate what they’re seeing, and a multimedia room, complete with air conditioning!

Here are some recent reviews from guests who traveled aboard the Aqua recently:

“We loved the guides’ enthusiasm, wealth of knowledge. We enjoyed returning after each adventure to a cool and clean ship with great crew members, good food and drinks. We suggest that you continue giving back to the locals. The Aqua is an excellent ambassador.” — Mr. & Mrs. Fuehrer, March 2010

“My wife had asked me years ago to take her on a cruise of the Amazon, but until I saw the photos and description of the Aqua I never really considered it. The cruise became our 36th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves and was perfect. The ship is even better than we expected. In particular, the wide picture windows of the staterooms that allowed us to lie in bed with coffee and watch the river traffic flow past, and the fast, stable skiffs that enabled your naturalist guides to take us up winding tributaries to visit isolated villages and experience spectacular sunsets really made us smile.” — C. Perleberg, Travel Specialist, September, 2009

“We boarded the Aqua in Iquitos, Peru, for seven days on the Amazon & its tributaries. Most of our time was spent on 8-passenger skiffs exploring the rain forest, but when we returned to the Aqua, we were pampered in air-conditioned comfort. Yummy Peruvian food. So what was it like? It was magical. Hundreds of pink dolphin & lots of gray ones. We held baby caimen, caught piranhas, fed baby manatees with a milk bottle. Monkeys — five different kinds — entertained us each day and sloths slept high in cecropia trees. The rare sighting of an Amazon porcupine (they have prehensile tails!) even surprised our guides. Birds there are incredible. Splashes of primary colors and sounds that defy imagination. Some of us identified over 140 different species and even I had well over 100. We spent a few hours in a random village along a river. Impossibly simple lives. We brought gifts to hand out to the children. They sang and we did a rousing “You are my sunshine…” in return. When you are together for a week, you expect a little mediocrity to emerge. Absolutely none here. In the end, I told the crew in my shaky Spanish that the river lives in our hearts. It certainly does.” –  Mr. & Mrs. Churcher, February 2010

The Aqua Expeditions vessels and excursions are a rare treat in the Amazon.  This combination of luxurious accommodations and adventurous exploration makes for an incomparable journey.  Peru tours take people to remote, untouched regions within the Pacaya-Samiria reserve, ferretting out the unseen within the upper Amazon and her tributaries.  Those who take this path less chosen are richly rewarded every moment of each day.  You’ll see the unusual and decidedly beautiful birds, animals, plants, and lush vistas, perhaps even discover something no one has ever seen before!  What’s more, you’ll take the journey in comfort and style, aboard the Aqua or Aria.

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing the Amazon with your own eyes, smelling and feeling and tasting, taking it all in with your own senses, there’s no better way to experience this unique natural treasure than aboard the Aria or Aqua.  The Peruvian Amazon is a truly life-changing experience!  Contact Latin Excursions to find out how you can gain passage aboard this extraordinary fleet.

Most people think of the Amazon as a jungle that begins on the eastern slopes of the Andes and continues to the east across Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. Fact is, some of the most breathtakingly beautiful parts of the Amazon are found in Peru, on the western slopes’ rivers, including the amazing Pacaya Samiria Reserve. Latin Excursions is pleased to be able to offer exceptional Peru tours that includes both the incomparable Amazon rainforest and the wonders of Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Cusco, and so much more!

Your custom luxury excursion begins when you get to Lima. As those who have booked with this company before already know, nothing is the usual fare with Latin Excursions. Your itinerary includes well-educated professional bilingual guides and hosts will greet you in places that are off limits to most tourists. That special service begins at the airport, a trip to the hotel to settle in, and a tour of lovely Lima. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of this exciting metropolitan city will have a lasting place in your memory — and that’s just your first day in Peru!

Latin Excursion tours are designed to allow you to choose what you prefer, customizing the vacation as you like best, from beginning to end. To be sure you get the accommodations, features and destinations you want, we suggest booking this tour now. Cabins are being reserved for the first two weeks of August, September 21-25th, and December 28th through the first day of the new year. But let’s get back to the trip.

Peru is…. the majestic Amazon River, surrounded by walls of green with almost 60% of Peru lying in the Amazon rainforest. Peru is Cuzco and the towering Incan ruins of Machu Picchu from the great Inca Empire, the largest state in pre-Columbian America. Peru is the vast Pampa Colorada, home to the mysterious Nazca Lines and the towering canyons of the Colca River near Arequipa. It is Lake Titicaca, where natives still live on islands made of reeds. Peru is miles of Pacific beaches, vast desert areas, the sheer towering Andes Mountains, lush green cloud forest and the high country of the Altiplano. Peru is the Amazon jungle with its wealth of wildlife, birds and plants and the Pacaya Samiria Reserve deep in the Amazon rainforest. Peru is the rural haciendas and elegant churches built by the Spaniards, who conquered this rugged land of mountains, rivers, and valleys in the 16th century. It is the small villages and markets of Peru’s indigenous people–the women clad in rainbow-colored clothing topped by serious-looking bowler hats

Your first week is dedicated to visiting the amazing land-based highlights. On day eight, you’ll enjoy a 2.5 hour flight to Iquitos, where you’ll board the Aqua for a sailing trip through the Amazon of Peru. Over the next four days, you’ll see all manner of colors, the brilliant vibrant, amazing Amazon! Then it’s back to Lima for a day before returning home with stories to tell, pictures to share, and memories to last a lifetime!

If you’d like, you can extend your trip. Add high-altitude destinations, or enjoy a bit of relaxing time along the pacific Peruvian coast. Perhaps while you’re in the southern hemisphere you’d like to fly on up to Equador and experience the famous Galapagos Islands aboard a luxury cruise? At Latin Excursions, we’re honored to be able to make your voyage is everything you want it to be.

VIEW DETAILS: Delfin Luxury Amazon Cruise

There’s nothing quite like exploring the wonders of Peru on a custom luxury tour from Latin Excursions. Contact them now, so that they can make the necessary arrangements and reservations for your customized fantastic journey.

Continue to Cusco, former Inca capital, and the Sacred Valley, to explore ruins, villages and markets. Of course, the highlight of your time in the area will be Machu Picchu, the impressive ruins set in the cloud forest, whose purpose is still not completely clear to archaeologists. You’ll begin your time exploring the Inca culture in the Sacred Valley, at a lower altitude for easier acclimatization and home to charming villages, terraced ruins overlooking the valley and colorful markets.

Then, continue to Machu Picchu in the panoramic Vistadome or the luxury Hiram Bingham service, where you’ll have a private guide to learn more about the impressive architecture and construction techniques. Finally, stay a few nights in Cusco, which has a combination of colonial and Inca architecture, a lovely main plaza, and the famed Temple of the Sun. Cusco is a lively town, with restaurants, bars and plenty of winding alleys to explore.

End your trip in the Amazon region, with a stay at one of the lodges set deep into the jungle there, or with a riverboat cruise on a luxury riverboat. Lodges range from those offering more amenities, to those for travelers interested in an authentic, in-depth Amazon experience. You’ll have activities in the Amazon like wildlife watching, canoeing, fishing for piranha, visiting local communities, night walks and more.

Ask us for more details on adding more destinations in Peru to your trip, or about other Amazon regions in South America.

Begin your trip in Quito, the capital city, lset in a valley between snow-capped Andean peaks. Quito is divided into an old and new quarter, and we work with a variety of hotel styles in the city. It’s worth a stay of two nights so you have a chance to explore the monuments and visit the Equator Monument.

Then, take a short flight to the Amazon jungle, where you can spend four or five days exploring trails through the forest with your naturalist guide, fishing for piranhas (or swimming with them!), visiting local communities, visiting parrot clay licks, and watching for wildlife from observation towers and canopy walks. Lodges are comfortable, and have amenities like private terraces with hammocks, electricity, fans, and running water, and work with sustainable principles to preserve the environment.

After the Amazon, continue to the Galapagos Islands for an exciting cruise of four, five or eight days. Each day you’ll have an early start, and then two island visits with your naturalist guide. You’ll often have the chance to snorkel after the land visit, where you’ll see the colorful marine life of the Enchanted Isles, and have the chance to swim with white-tipped reef sharks and playful sea lions. Because there are few natural predators in the Galapagos, animals are startlingly unafraid of humans, and you can get up close and personal with a blue-footed booby doing a mating dance, huge colonies of marine iguanas, or to ancient giant tortoises.

We work with a wide variety of Galapagos yachts, all visited by our Travel Consultants, and all adhering to the highest levels of safety and environmental standards, as well as working with top guides.

Ask us about customizing this trip with a Galapagos yacht to match your travel preferences, and the best Amazon program.

The Delfin luxury riverboats are ideal for travelers looking for the best Amazon trip – with smaller sizes for a more personalized trip, spacious cabins, and impeccable service from guides and crew, these two riverboats will make for a memorable trip.

Your trip begins in Lima, where you’ll arrive from your international flight, and spend two nights in a luxury property, with a city tour to the amazing colonial and pre-colombian highlights the city has to offer. Then, continue on to Iquitos, Peru, where you’ll board your boat. Then begin cruising to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, a five million acre nature reserve that few travelers visit. The Delfins offer four, five and eight day cruises, with excursions to native villages, blackwater creeks, lagoons, and along rivers where pink dolphins congregate. You’ll have the chance to fish for piranha and go on night walks in search of nocturnal wildlife. End the trip in Lima, with an overnight and farewell dinner prior to your international departure.

Ask us about 2009 and 2010 dates on the Delfin I and II, and combining this trip with other destinations in Peru.