We paid a visit to check it out and met with the owner, Lima born, Martin Morales to see what inspired him and this incredible project. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly while the dishes offer tastes from all around Peru and reflect how much other cultures have influenced and been incorporated into Peruvian cuisine to create something completely unique.

Dishes include Peruvian Corn cake, Arroz con Pato and of course, fresh Céviche accompanied by delicious drinks including the famous peruvian Pisco sours.

Céviche can be found at 17 Frith Street in Soho. Perhaps after trying some of their delicious Peruvian dishes you’ll be tempted to visit us for a taste of true Peruvian gourmet cuisine fresh from the source!

www.cevicheuk.com

The article written includes some great imagery and video and also mentions how difficult it was to find or recreate the level of luxury that the M/V Aria and M/V Aqua now provide. When dealing with a travel request several years back, he even had to have a boat specially chartered into the area for the travellers.

Luckily this is a thing of the past now with Aqua Expedition’s year-round 3, 4 and 7 day cruises, visit Global Black Book (http://globalblackbook.com/?p=20843)  to read more.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.