by Scott Laird
Last updated: 5:00 PM ET, Sun November 16, 2025
By the time I got to Pure
Amazon, the new riverboat from Abercrombie & Kent, I needed a rest.
After a few days exploring Lima, Peru's capital, we took a two-hour flight to
Iquitos, situated on the Amazon River in the north of the country. From there,
we boarded shuttle buses and were handed box lunches from the chefs onboard for
another two-hour journey—a drive to the town of Nauta, on the Marañon River.
After being outfitted with lifejackets and mud boots, we
boarded skiffs for the brief ride across the river to the boat. No more than
halfway across, our guide shone his flashlight on some bats in the quickly
darkening twilight. It was dark by then, but the crew had prepared a
song-and-dance welcome complete with cocktails to lift our spirits.
There are just 12 suites onboard Pure Amazon,
accommodating no more than 22 guests and attended by 22 crew members. My suite
feels spacious, with large picture windows and queen-sized beds (they can also
be sold as triples; a family on our sailing did just that). At first glance, it
looks like any luxury hotel room, but throughout the voyage, I learned to
notice details that revealed just how painstakingly local the materials were.
Woven Amazonian reeds cover the ceiling, and the cotton on the bed linens was
also from Peru.
Bath amenities were scented with lemon verbena, eucalyptus,
and other fragrant botanicals.
At dinner each evening, a central table artfully displayed
the ingredients used in that night’s meal. Local grains and legumes, beans,
rice, and local peppers and fruits figured heavily into the cuisine, as did
river-caught fish such as doncella, a pink-fleshed Amazonian catfish
that was served in a memorable crudo, or paíche, a human-sized fish
(some weigh up to 400 pounds) prized among local populations because of its
massive yield. We also tried local specialties like roasted plantain and lomo
saltado, a beef-and-french-fry stir fry introduced by Chinese expats.
Five-course dinners include three starters served to the
whole table, followed by a choice between two main dishes (typically one meat
and one seafood; vegetarians can also be accommodated upon request), and
dessert. Wine pairings are included with the meals, and most alcoholic
beverages (outside of some premium selections) are included in the fare.
Breakfasts and lunches are buffet-style.
On our four-night sailing, we’d explore areas of the
Marañon, Ucayali, and Amazon rivers. When the Marañon and Ucayali merge, they
form the Amazon until the Brazilian border. In Brazil, the river is known as
the Solimões River until Manaus, when Brazil considers it the Amazon. But we’re
firmly in Peru, well-sated and well-rested when we rise early the next morning
for an excursion onto the river.
Over the next several days, we follow a similar pattern: an
early risers skiff ride for those interested (these turned out to be a favorite
because of the comfortable cooler temperatures), followed by breakfast, another
excursion, lunch, another excursion, recap, then dinner. On the skiff rides, we
carry the Leica binoculars provided in-room for our use, our personalized water
bottles, which we've filled from the dispensers onboard, and bug spray or
sunscreen, which is also provided. There are lockers for each guest outside the
boat's air conditioning, so guests needn't fuss with life jackets in their
suites and can keep their camera lenses from fogging between the
air-conditioned interiors and the steamy heat of the river.
One afternoon, we tried our hand at piranha fishing with
strips of raw beef from the boat's kitchen. Once the bait drops in the water,
it gets swarmed almost immediately. Our guide shows us how to jerk the line
quickly to one side to hook the fish; otherwise, they make quick work of the
bait. Once successful, he holds up our catch to show us the rows of razor-sharp
teeth.
“It’s ok,” he says, tossing the fish back into the water,
“They only have a memory of three seconds. By the time they’re back in the
water, they’ve forgotten they’ve ever been hooked.”
Pure Amazon ship interior. (Photo Credit: Scott Laird)
Guests can also swim in a natural lake formed by changes in
the river's flow, or go kayaking in the afternoon sun. Throughout our trips in
the skiff, we keep our eyes open for wildlife. "Teeming" isn't a word
I would use to describe the wildlife in the region—it's not like Alaska or the
Galápagos, where you're faced with critters at every turn. Here, you must
actively seek out wildlife along the riverbanks, except for the pink dolphins,
which are famous in this part of the Amazon. We see both pink and gray dolphins
playing in the river on nearly every excursion, but their peeks above the water
are brief and without pattern, so we have to keep a watch out for them, too.
On other excursions, we walk through villages to learn about
village life and purchase local handiworks, like cleverly woven animal figures
and handmade jewelry. On the day of our visit, on a weekend, local children
took an interest and followed the group, including a young boy with his pet
green parrot perched atop his head. While we took respite from the heat under a
large banyan tree, a group of children took turns swinging on the low vines,
while the parrot waited patiently perched on one of the branches before being
scooped up to resume its sentry from atop the boy’s head.
In addition to the dolphins, we saw three-toed sloths, wild
macaws and toucans, eagles, a delightful bird known as the horned screamer,
egrets, frogs, owls, and monkeys. We even took a night excursion with the hopes
of finding capybaras, but were unsuccessful. Also on offer were jungle walks
with a naturalist and evening stargazing on the top deck (weather permitting).
Although the skiffs were comfortable, with high-backed
single-seats and plenty of space, I definitely appreciated the signature
massage one afternoon from the ship's masseuse, who has a small treatment room
on the top deck. That seems to be the boat's wellness deck, with a small
library and games room, a bar & lounge, and an outdoor whirlpool with
refreshingly lukewarm water, an antidote to the sweltering stillness of the
afternoon.
On our last morning, to kill time while waiting for our
return flight from Iquitos, we visited Formabiap,
a local project supported in part by A&K
Philanthropy. Formabiap is a school that trains teachers in the region's
Indigenous languages so they can formalize language education and help preserve
the languages spoken in this region of the Amazon, while also providing
practical education to residents in remote villages.
The Takeaway
Overall, Pure Amazon seems to have combined the best
of Abercrombie & Kent's Sanctuary
line of wilderness lodges and of Ecoventura,
A&K’s Galápagos cruise company. The operation felt very similar to that
onboard Ecoventura, with anticipatory service (the staff memorized drink
preferences almost immediately) and an ever-present onboard concierge who
seemed to anticipate guests' needs before guests realized them.
Pure Amazon offers 3-, 4-, and 7-night itineraries
from $5,475 per person in double suites. There are two single suites onboard,
offering solo travelers accommodation at the same fare as passengers sharing a
double, without any single supplement.
Fares include airport meet-and-greets with shared transfer
to Nauta, all onboard lectures and naturalist-led expeditions, Pacaya Samiria
National Reserve entrance fees, onboard laundry, WiFi, and minibars, which are
replenished daily. Recommended gratuities are also not included, and can be
charged to onboard accounts at the end of the cruise.
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