This 10-day, 10-night fish collecting expedition will visit the Napo River and various of its tributaries, including a stop at the Santa Cruz Forest Reserve on the Mazan River. In the Amazon basin, home to an estimated 5,000 species of fish, fish enthusiasts are guaranteed to make exciting finds and see species that are rarely or never found in the hobby during a collecting trip. We work with a licensed Peruvian exporter and a licensed US importer to legally bring back fish that are permitted for export from Peru (this excludes some [mostly boring] food fishes, as well as CITES listed species).
Our base for the trip is the comfortable riverboat M/F Esperanza with cabin space for 16, but we limit collecting trips to 8-10 participants. A dedicated “fish room” with an aeration system and bins, shelving, and coolers to hold fish allows participants to care for their fish while on board. We make 2 to 4 collecting stops every day (and often at night as well), and anywhere we pull up to shore or put down anchor can become a fishing stop. Sports fishers will want to bring a rod and reel and accessories. There are some excellent food fish and the kitchen is always ready to cook them up for you.
Participants should plan on arriving in Iquitos on the afternoon/evening of Saturday 24 January 2026 (hotel is included), or on one of the early flights on Sunday 25 Jan. We’ll have breakfast in town the morning of departure and then board our Esperanza riverboat to start the adventure.
The return to Iquitos will be late morning on Monday, 2 Feb 2026. We’ll first get the fish to the exporters (you’ll have opportunity to browse all the tanks and make any purchases you might wish). That evening, we’ll have a final group dinner on the Iquitos waterfront. On Tuesday morning, there will be opportunity to visit other exporters and/or the Belen market. Outgoing flights can be booked for anytime from mid-to-late afternoon or later on Tuesday 3 Feb 2026.
Cost: $2255/person ($2055 for repeat clients). Two nights lodging in Iquitos is included, as well as airport transfers, ground and river transport, all meals while on the Esperanza and some meals in Iquitos, and crew services. Fish shipping costs (for those taking back fish) are a separate expense, and will depend on airfreight costs, the number and weight of boxes of fish, and their final destination.