Aqua Expeditions listed in 1,000 Places To See Before You Die

Having recently been voted in the Top 10 Wonders of the Natural World it is no surprise that the Amazon has been included in the latest edition of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die. Luckily, Editor Patricia Schultz, knows that the best way to travel the Peruvian Amazon is….with us….and has included Aqua Expeditions in the Amazon section.

The Ucayali and Marañón tributaries in Peru, listed as the start of the Amazon River (now considered the longest in the world), and the biodiversity of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve are just two reasons why the Peruvian Amazon is not to be missed!

Learn to Canoe, Amazon Style…

Aqua Expeditions starts 2012 by teaching its guests a new skill – canoeing in dug-out boats on the Amazon River! Local experts, who use these canoes in day-to-day Amazonian life, show our guests exactly how to stay afloat, manoeuvre and even fish from these shallow boats.

The canoes are carved by hand from indigenous trees and are instrumental for both fishing and transportation. While extremely sturdy, they are trickier to steer than they look, as some of our guests found out in a trial session…. Here are a few shots of how our friends meet the locals, get up close to nature and have fun learning a new skill!

Nobu visits Aqua Expeditions

In 2010, our very own Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, Executive Chef for Aqua Expeditions, made a series of guest appearances at NOBU Tokyo as part of a Peruvian Fair hosted by culinary giant Nobu Matsuhisa. In late-2011, it was Nobu’s turn to visit Pedro Miguel in Lima to co-host an Umami Charity Dinner in aid of the World Food Programme and organised by the Umami Information Centre and the Ajinomoto Foundation. Nobu Matsuhisa, founder of the eponymous NOBU restaurant empire, is no stranger to Peru’s culinary delights– after training at Lima-based sushi restaurant Matsuei, Nobu spent three more years in the capital which he credits with helping to inspire his culinary style.

Following his time in Lima, we were delighted to welcome Nobu onboard for a three-day Amazon cruise onboard the M/V Aria.

It was a great chance for the group to catch up as well as to re-discover the wonders of Peruvian cuisine using local Amazonian ingredients from the Pacaya Samiria reserve. Nobu and his guests even found time try their hand at Piranha fishing and, guided by our experts, explore some of the rainforest on foot.

It was a pleasure to host Nobu and his group during their time in the Amazon and we hope they will return to visit us again soon.

M/V Aria to be featured on Travel Channel!

Last year we were pleased to welcome Ben Hull and his team, from Travel Channel’s Cruise Today programme, aboard the M/V Aria to witness the very best that the Amazon has to offer.

During his journey with us Ben really got involved, heading out on excursions to see the famous pink Amazon dolphins swimming through schools of fish, visiting the giant Victoria Amazonica water lilies and exploring the remote village of Magdalena. Along the way he learnt about local medicinal plants and shaman ceremonies, all under the dramatic backdrop of the Amazon rainforest and guided by Aqua Expeditions’ expert guides, Ricardo & Victor. He even helped Victor catch a rare black Caiman on one of the evening excursions.

Luckily Ben also had some time to relax around the boat and to interview our Executive Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino about his culinary inspirations. He also interviewed Captain Richard Inuma Chota about his experiences aboard and what it’s like to captain a river cruiser. Richard has xxx years of experience on the water – a very safe pair of hands!

The ten-minute M/V Aria programme is currently airing as part of Cruise Today and can be viewed here. It includes breathtaking footage of crimson sunsets, lush green vegetation and some of the rare and endangered wildlife Ben was lucky enough to see during his voyage.

A full one hour special of Ben’s adventures entitled ‘Cruising the Amazon’ is due to be aired in February 2012. We look forward to showing you highlights from it here in future.

Aqua Expeditions and WEILL win the Gold Adrian Award

Aqua Expeditions and Geoffrey Weill Associates have won a Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI) Gold Adrian Award. This was for Food & Wine’s cover story on Aqua Expeditions ‘Cooking Secrets of The Amazon’ written by Chef and Food Writer Daniel Patterson. This appeared in the July 2011 issue of the magazine.

Below, a few of the striking images which are sure to make your mouth water…

See the full article below and check out more of the delicious Amazonian recipes by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.

http://www.aquaexpeditions.com/userfiles/file/AquaExpeditionsFoodAndWineJuly2011LR2.pdf

As a Gold Award winner, Aqua Expeditions and WEILL associates will now have a chance to win a Platinum Award at a Gala event being held by HSMAI in New York City this coming February. Watch this space…

A challenge to all budding wildlife experts!

As we enter November we can officially say that what started as an exceptional season for wildlife spotting has certainly continued in the same way. Highlights have included a large number of Ringed Kingfishers, Black-collared Hawks, Scarlet and Blue and Yellow Macaws. A Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Lettered Aracari, several Yellow-billed Terns and a Giant River Otter have also made appearances within the past few weeks.

The high number of bird species spotted is in part due to good fortune, but also because we had the pleasure of welcoming two ornithologists on board who really decided to make the most of their cruise.

Their early morning outings and keen eyes were rewarded by identifying a total of 172 species during their seven day cruise! This really is an exceptional number and goes some way towards reflecting the variety and diversity constantly present along the Peruvian Amazon.

We challenge you to grab your wildlife checklist, join us aboard and beat their total.

Vote now for the Amazon as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature

The Amazon has been shortlisted as one of 28 natural sites to become part of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in a worldwide competition. The search, which began in 2007 with the submission of over 400 nominations from over 220 countries, ends this month.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign was launched following the election of the New 7 Wonders of the Man-Made World and, as the slogan goes  “If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it!”  this message aims to raise awareness of the variety and beauty of nature around us and how we need to preserve it for future generations.

A few interesting facts and some reasons why the Amazon most definitely deserves your vote:

• The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, the Amazon jungle or the Amazon Basin, encompasses seven million square kilometres (1.7 billion acres),
• The forest itself occupies some 5.5 million square kilometres (1.4 billion acres) across nine nations.
• The Amazon River is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total flow greater than the top ten rivers worldwide combined.
• Not a single bridge crosses the Amazon.
• It accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total world river flow and has the biggest drainage basin on the planet.
• The Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.

Voting closes on the 11^th November so be sure to make your voice heard and place your vote here before the deadline.