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 a few CITES listed species).
Our base for the trip is the comfortable riverboat M/F Esperanza with cabin space for 16 passengers, but we limit the trip to 8-10 participants. A dedicated “fish room” with an aeration system and bins, shelving, and coolers allows participants to care for their fish while on board. We make 2 to 4 collecting stops every day (and often at night), 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.
This trip will visit the Amazon River itself, along with floodplain lakes upland creeks, and other habitats - with a mix of both white and blackwater.
Participants should plan on arriving in Iquitos on the afternoon/evening of Saturday 15 August 2026 (hotel is included), or on one of the first flights on Sunday 16 August. We’ll have breakfast in town the morning of the 16th, and then board our Esperanza riverboat and start the real adventure.
The return to Iquitos will be late morning on Friday, 21 August 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), and then have a final group dinner on the Iquitos waterfront. On Saturday 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 Saturday 22 August 2026.
Cost: $1685/person ($1485 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, not-included expense, and will depend on airfreight costs, the number and weight of boxes of fish, and their final destination.
If you extend from the previous week’s trip (9-15 August 2026), you’ll automatically receive the repeat client rate for both trips – a $400 savings.