The Ship Less Travelled
Episode 1-07An Amazing Amazon River Cruise
🇬🇧
Lorraine McCowatt
Bespoke Cruise Holidays
United Kingdom
🇨🇦
Dave Wentworth
Destination Whatever
Canada / USA
🌿 In this episode of The Ship Less Travelled, we venture deeper and wilder than ever before — into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon aboard the Amatista, a classic riverboat with accommodation for just 28 guests.
Cruising through the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve — one of the largest protected areas in Peru — Dave shares firsthand what it is like to explore this vast flooded forest, often called the "Jungle of Mirrors" for the extraordinary way water reflects the sky and the canopy above. Home to pink river dolphins, sloths, caimans, howler monkeys, and more than 500 species of birds, this is one of the most biodiverse places on our planet.
🌿 Aboard the Amatista, guests enjoy air-conditioned cabins, Amazonian cuisine, and daily excursions by skiff deep into this fragile and awe-inspiring ecosystem. The intimate scale of the group allows for genuine wildlife encounters and meaningful visits to local communities — where responsible travel plays a vital role in protecting both the environment and the people whose lives are woven into the riverbanks.
👩🦰 You will also have the privilege of meeting some of the Amazon's most remarkable women — artists, healers, shamans, and custodians of culture and tradition.
In this episode, we also explore:
🌍 What a skiff is — and why it is the key to unlocking the deepest reaches of the jungle
📚 Why river cruising is not merely comfortable, but the most considered way to experience the rainforest
🛶 How responsible tourism sustains the communities of the river — and what every traveller ought to know before embarking
With Lorraine's expertise in crafting exceptional voyages and Dave's firsthand experience of the Amazon, this episode offers a perspective that is both informed and deeply personal — a transatlantic conversation about one of the world's most extraordinary destinations.
🎧 Do press play and allow yourself to be transported somewhere truly remarkable — a place where the river itself writes the story.
