BIRMINGHAM, AL, November 13, 2006 "“ There's no better time than the New Year to fulfill your lifetime dream of taking off on a far away, exotic adventure. Lucky you, because International Expeditions, the world leader in adventure travel, offers an enthralling 10-day Amazon voyage that departs January 5, 2007. Better yet, by way of saying Happy New Year, International Expeditions is offering $500 per person ($1,000 per couple) savings.
Explore the wilds of Peru with a like-minded group of fellow passengers aboard an elegant and intimate 28-guest riverboat, specially designed to explore the upper Amazon Basin, the most diverse ecosystem on Earth. With 26 years of exploring the Amazon to its credit, International Expeditions offers intrepid travelers rare access to the deepest parts of the jungle, to experience the most unusual wildlife sightings. Throughout the journey, knowledgeable, highly trained and sharp-eyed guides and an expedition leader lead excursions, lecture and look after guests' well being.
After two nights in Lima and time exploring this great colonial city, guests fly over the majestic Andes Mountains to Iquitos, where they board the La Amatista riverboat for six nights. On the RÃo Ucayali, gray and pink dolphins cavort near the shoreline, while primates such as monk sakis, red howlers, and squirrel monkeys are spotted, along with sloths and an enormous variety of birds. A nighttime excursion brings close-up views of caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs and other wildlife.
At the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, the largest wetland reserve in the world, a day is spent exploring the flooded terrain, looking for giant river otters and spotting wading birds such as white-necked and capped herons, wattled jacanas and sunbitterns, as well as parrots including the endangered scarlet macaw.
An excursion to the local village of Marañón will capture the human aspect of the Amazonian adventure, as a local shaman talks about the land and the people. In the evening, a stroll through the rainforest is an opportunity to see leaf-mimic katydids, walking sticks and frogs.
A day trek in the "Terra Firma" (high ground) takes explorers to see large buttress trees festooned with epiphytes, palms, woody vines and vaulted canopy. In the afternoon a blackwater river excursion provides one last chance to enjoy the awe-inspiring beauty of the tropical rainforest.
Per person prices for the January 5, 10-day Amazon Voyage start from $2,398 for lower deck cabins and $2,498 for upper deck cabins, including $500 savings, overnights at the Swissôtel in Lima, shipboard accommodations, most meals, tours and shore excursions, and group transfers.
Guests can also add a two-day pre-voyage extension featuring flight-seeing of the astonishing ancient Nazca Lines, and visits to the Huacachina Lagoon, where sand dunes are hundreds of feet tall, and the Ballestas Islands, where thousands of seabirds gather. Prices are $1,098 per person, double occupancy.
Founded in 1980, International Expeditions is the world leader in nature travel, specializing in small group and independent journeys to the most exhilarating destinations around the globe. A pioneer of environmentally responsible travel, International Expeditions is committed to preserving natural habitats and improving the welfare of the people and communities it visits.
For more information see your travel agent, or visit www.ietravel.com/amazon.
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