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Taking the “roughing it” out of remote river explorations since 2008, Aqua Expeditions offers three-, four-, and seven-night itineraries that are the cruise equivalent of a luxury safari. With its Peru-based ships, the 32-guest Aria Amazon and 40-guest Aqua Nera, and the 40-guest Aqua Mekong, based in Southeast Asia, the company takes travelers up close to the flora, fauna, and people along its routes. Knowledgeable onboard guides lead multiple daily excursions by motorized skiff to spy on sloths, pink river dolphins, and hundreds of bird species along Amazon tributaries, and to explore temples, markets, and villages of Vietnam and Cambodia. Nightly briefings over cocktails in the lounge create a casual camaraderie.
Aqua Expeditions has also branched out into ocean cruising with two superyachts: the 30-guest Aqua Blu, which cruises to top spots in Indonesia, including Bali and the Komodo Islands, and the 16-guest Aqua Mare, which offers private charters in the Galapagos Islands.
Both the river and ocean vessels are luxuriously designed and their itineraries are priced accordingly, starting around $1,000 per person per night.
The Staterooms: With the bed facing the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sleek, modern, and spacious accommodations on Aqua Expeditions’ river ships offer terrific views of the passing scenery.
The Dining Experience: Using fresh local fish, fruits, and vegetables, the ships’ chefs turn out superb Amazonia- and Southeast-Asian-influenced breakfast and lunch buffets — capped off by à la carte dinners that are delightful epicurean discoveries.
Hands-On Nature Opportunities: Luxurious doesn’t mean adventure-free. During skiff excursions on tributaries of the Amazon River, guests can fish for piranha, hold a three-toed sloth at an animal rehabilitation center, and touch a tree python. In Indonesia, a visit to Komodo National Park offers opportunities to spot prehistoric-looking Komodo Dragons.
Giving Back to Locals: Aqua makes a point of asking guests to bring school supplies and toiletries for local children, as each cruise stops at one of dozens of small villages along the tributaries it navigates.
Couples: The indulgence of the Aqua experience makes it ideal for twosomes who find romance in cultural or back-to-nature experiences, whether it’s in the jungles of Peru or island-hopping in the Galapagos or Indonesia.
Nature-Loving Families: The ships were not designed with young children in mind, but kids seven and older are welcome, and interconnecting staterooms are available on Aqua’s river ships. The minimum age for children on an Aqua Mare charter in the Galapagos Islands is five.
The Scenery Doesn’t Change Much: On the Amazon itineraries, the rainforest vistas, while amazingly calming, can feel repetitious. And while it’s exciting to see pink dolphins and spider monkeys, anyone who isn’t an Animal Planet junkie might feel a bit bored toward the end of a week on board — the four-day itineraries are the perfect length.
