From piranha fishing to nocturnal safaris, Aqua Expeditions takes intrepid explorers on thrilling Peruvian Amazon cruises, where travellers can discover pink dolphins and cyanide trees. Angelina Villa-Clarke reports

The Peruvian Amazon River is buzzing right now, and no, it’s not just the orchestral soundtrack of the millions of resident insects that’s causing the fracas. Major luxury brands, it seems, are finding an affinity with this untouched waterway that snakes around the Amazonian rainforest, giving jungle-philes a taste of lost worlds.

Just launched, and taking travellers through the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, for instance, is the Pure Amazon riverboat by Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). Starting its first voyages in September 2026 is AndBeyond’s Amazon Explorer, another luxury expedition yacht to guide travelers through the magic of this rare landscape.

The original pioneer of the destination, however, is Aqua Expeditions and its newest Peruvian vessel, the Aqua Nera ship, had its inaugural voyage in 2021. The boat is small so it can access remote locations.

Inside, there are just 20 outward-facing suites (thus only sleeping maximum 40 guests) and its stylish interiors have been conceived by Saigon-based Noor Design – think: locally-sourced fabrics, faux mother-of-pearl detailing and bespoke stone vanities in the bathrooms.

The 205-foot vessel immerses guests in Peru’s untamed rainforest in more ways than one, with inventive itineraries that make you feel as if you are discovering planet Earth anew.

Taking you deep into the wilderness, a voyage on Aqua Nera transports you into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, which constitutes 60% of Peru’s landmass and one of the planet’s most biodiverse regions. Cutting through it, twists the Amazon and its tributaries, a complex waterway that stretches some 4,000 miles, and is alive with an incredible array of wildlife set to the tune of the cry of macaws and the chatter of squirrel monkeys.

In low season, Aqua Nera embarks from Nauta, a small town in Peru’s Loreto Province, that immediately feels far removed from urban life. You access it by flying to Iquitos, a small town on the edge of the rainforest. Situated at the confluence of the Marañón and Ucayali rivers, which form the Amazon River, Nauta is the gateway to the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, which Aqua Nera glides through during its four or seven-night journeys.

Guests can explore the region with at least two expeditions off the boat per day – on a skiff or by foot – placing you up close to the teeming nature and wildlife found there. Early morning voyages off Aqua Nera and onboard the skiff take you skimming across the water on a wildlife water safari.

Most of the onboard guides have grown up in the rainforest and are instinctively alert to every rustle and strange cry from within the trees. As they motion to each other, engines are turned off and, as the sun starts to rise, they point out endless sightings: a flock of red macaws that light up the sky, squawking loudly as they cross the river together; elegant cormorants and egrets that peer at us before disappearing into the canopy; monkey fish that leap out of the water to snatch insects.

One morning, we spot a pod of the river’s famous pink dolphins, known as botos. Unlike their playful, grey cousins, they keep their distance. Botos are revered by locals, and considered the guardians of the Amazon. We are told how they hold mythical qualities with local tribes, with many stories told in traditional folklore about how they are thought to be shapeshifters – turning into human seductresses at night. It’s love at first sight.

On the banks of the smaller tributaries, we see ominous-looking black caimans and cute, tiny illuminous-green tree frogs. The reeds are also the home of the anaconda, but, just like sightings of the jaguar, it is rare to see them.

Still, this is a place ablaze with colour and magic with endless sights to take in: yellow and blue macaws that mate for life are spotted seemingly chatting in pairs; camu camu trees are laden with pink fruit (that make a tasty, vitamin C-laden juice); steely-blue Ring Kingfishers give off a loud machine-gun sound and shaggy Monk Saki monkeys hang by their tails high in the branches.

Ticking another trend box, this time when it comes to the rise in the nocturnal tourism trend (a sector of the industry anticipated to rise from US$10.2 billion in 2025 to US$24.8 billion by 2035), guests can also join after-dark trips on the water.

The pitch-black darkness of this remote destination means that come night time, the sky is lit up by a swoosh of constellations that give an other-worldly form of entertainment. Who needs Netflix to watch when god has switched his lights on – amber and gold stars that shoot across the night, the outline of planets light years away?

As the boat sails quietly in the night, we try to spot the red eyes of snakes and caimans, hiding in the tangle of greenery. Grey sloths peer out of trees curiously, while cicadas provide an en masse sing-song.

The design of Aqua Nera itself is inspired in part by this tantalising world outside – its black-clad exterior is a nod to the black water lagoons of the Peruvian Amazon, at the same time ticking the biophilic design trend that is hot right now. Each suite is spacious with floor-to-ceiling windows, meaning that the epic sightseeing doesn’t stop even when you are inside.

Interiors are quietly glamorous – stone side tables, a 20s-style back-lit bar, Italian-designed sofas. There’s a large communal lounge where guests gather pre-dinner to hear about the itinerary for the next day, pisco sour in hand; while the games and cinema rooms give a diversion for the odd moment you aren’t looking for tarantulas. As well as a gym, there’s an outdoor spa bath and a small pool, where you can float on your back, looking up at the forest’s canopy.

Dining is just as adventurous as the jungle itinerary. Peruvian chef, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, renowned for his Lima-based restaurant, Malabar, has devised the onboard menus. Each meal brings new Amazonian ingredients to try via a range of themed menus, from plantain and yucca gnocchi and hearts of palm salad to ceviche and escolar fish in aji panka chili adobo (a chili-spiked stew).

One of the only chefs in the world to study the cooking traditions of the Amazon, Schiaffino champions forest-to-table cuisine, with 70% of all ingredients onboard sourced locally. “Peruvian gastronomy has been on the cusp of global dominance for years, with Lima fast becoming one of the world’s great food capitals,” says Lonely Planet, which has named Peru one of the top destinations for 2026.

Guests of Aqua Expeditions can also meet indigenous people living in remote villages to understand more about their culture. Locals also offer guided walking tours through the rainforest. Billie is one such guide, and takes us on a hike through liana-strung trees. Within seconds, he alerts us to a mass of fire ants marching around a Tangarana tree.

“If you get bitten by these, it is more painful than a snake bite,” he tells us cheerfully. He later points out a huge Cyanide tree, which has its bark stripped and explains how locals use it to fend off termites in their houses. We learn how shamen use plants and trees such as the medicinal fig for natural remedies.

On foot, you gain a different perspective than on the river, its vastness seems more real somehow. Billie reveals how even he and his father once got lost for days – despite knowing the terrain well – feeding on fruits and vegetation until, eventually, they found their way out of the mass of upturned roots and giant trees.

Another day, we go fishing for piranha. Their fire-orange bodies look almost cartoonish and we immediately drop their bucking bodies straight back in the water, their sharp teeth flashing at us in anger.

As we drift on, a giant green butterfly travels with us, flitting around our heads. Life here is as timeless as the planet itself.

Rates for a four-night sailing on Aqua Nera start from US$6,840 per adult, inclusive of all meals while on board, twice-daily excursions with expert local guides, group transfers to and from vessel, Pacaya Samiria entrance fee and unlimited access to high-speed wifi.