‘It's easy to see why this trip is a bestseller for G Adventures’

The relationships that guides who come here regularly forge with locals mean there are more chances for interaction with communities than there would be in remoter areas. And there’s definitely no shortage of wildlife.

Some of my most memorable sightings are made from the boat – including a pair of loved-up toucans and a gaggle of monkeys ricocheting from one tree to another. But the rainforest walks are my personal highlights, providing brilliant opportunities to see creatures up close, whether it’s the sloth sleeping in a tree or the coiled boa lurking beneath a log.

A wild soundtrack 

By day three I’m struggling to keep track of the egrets, kingfishers and rufescent tiger herons I’ve seen and proudly know the difference between dusky-headed parakeets and great green macaws. Every evening, we gather on the top deck to listen as the volume cranks up a notch, thanks to a soundtrack of chirps and calls from night hawks, pygmy owls and capuchin monkeys.

Typically, we turn in at around 10pm. Cabins are compact and cosy. I share mine with another (thankfully tidy) roommate, but space is at a premium. Light sleepers should also consider bringing eye masks and ear plugs with walls on the thin side.

But cabins are for sleeping and little else. At around 6.30am we rise for breakfast, before our first activity. Lunch is at midday, and following afternoon excursions we dine at 7.45pm (meals are buffet-style). This is when guides discuss the day’s sightings and give updates about upcoming activities. Agent tip: notify G Adventures about special occasions. Two passengers on my cruise celebrating birthdays are presented with candle-topped cakes.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t a linear sailing. We nip back and forth along the river, gaining a fascinating glimpse of daily life. One morning, we dock at Nauta, where the main transport is bright-hued tuk-tuks. We pile into the vehicles to head to market, our convoy of clattering two-strokes weaving between bicycles and pedestrians.

I see more types of bananas than I knew existed, while other stalls are piled high with fresh fish, and there’s little you can’t buy, whether it’s replica Gucci handbags, Beyoncé T-shirts or bottles of Inca Kola. Later, in the main

square, we spot some placard-waving locals outside a government building. They are teachers protesting about low wages, and a fellow guest – also a teacher – chats to them about their shared frustrations. It’s interactions like this that allow us to dig a little deeper into the lives of locals.

Cultural connections 

Other insights are provided by the tiny boats we see chugging up-river, some carrying white-robed missionaries. One day, we pick up a local carrying a bucket of newly hatched turtles, and move upriver to the release site before watching the reptiles waddle towards the water.

During visits to villages, we meet a shaman, learning about the plants she uses, and an elder behind a butterfly breeding project. Such experiences are facilitated by our guides, who have deep connections to the region. “It’s actually the culture of the people I love the most – the way they’re so keen to share it,” says Hulber, one of the two naturalists.

On our final evening, we hop into wooden skiffs and head to a bend in the river before our guides, after tying the vessels together, produce bottles of sparkling wine. As the sun sets, we toast the raw beauty of the Amazon region, including the monkeys whose calls lulled us to sleep every night. We even toast the boa we saw – but only after agreeing we’ll be double checking our luggage for unwanted stowaways that night.

Book it: G Adventures’ nine-day Amazon Riverboat in Depth package costs from £2,569pp, including internal flights, activities, meals (eight breakfasts, six lunches and six dinners) and hotel accommodation in Lima at the beginning and end of the trip. For travel from June 2024 onwards. Excludes international flights; gadventures.com.

PromPeru offers trip-planning information at peru.travel/en