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 aquarium hobby during an Amazon 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 prefer to top out the trip at 8-10 participants. A dedicated “fish room” with an aeration system and bins, shelving, and coolers to hold fish allows participants to manage and care for their fish while on board. In general, we make 2 to 4 collecting stops every day, and anywhere we pull up to shore or put down anchor can become a fishing stop - whether by day or night. Sports fishers will want to bring a rod and reel and accessories. There are some excellent food fish to catch, and the kitchen is always ready to cook them up for you.
This trip will tentatively be based on the Amazon and Tahuayo Rivers, but the specific itinerary will depend in part on the fish interests of the participants. We will be collecting in a variety of habitats and water types regardless.
Participants should plan on arriving in Iquitos on the afternoon/evening of Saturday 10 August 2024, or on one of the first flights on Sunday 10 August (the first flights currently arrive between 6 and 7 AM). We’ll have breakfast in town the morning of 11 August, and then board our Esperanza riverboat and start the real adventure.
The return to Iquitos will be in the early afternoon on Friday, 16 August. 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 17 August 2024.
Cost: $1635/person ($1435 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, non-included expense, and will depend on airfreight costs, the number and weight of boxes of fish, and their final destination.
Minors and children are eligible for discounted rates, and we’ve had participants as young as 7, and others as experienced as 80!
If you extend from the previous week’s trip (4-10 August 2024), you’ll automatically receive the repeat client rate for both trips, a savings of $400.