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Amazon pricing at a glance
- Typical range
- Roughly $3,800–$10,500 per person, cruise only
- Nightly rate
- Broadly $900–$2,000 per person per night
- Itinerary length
- 3, 4 or 7 nights; 9-day packages with Lima
- Lima–Iquitos flights
- Roughly $200–$400 return per person
- Reserve fees
- Usually included in luxury cruise fares
- Vessel size
- 4 to 22 suites; skiffs carry a handful of guests
How Much Does an Amazon River Cruise Cost?
Expect roughly $3,800 to $10,500 per person for the cruise itself, depending on vessel, suite category, season and length. Nightly rates broadly run $900 to $2,000 per person. Fares are effectively all-inclusive: suite, all meals, excursions, guiding and usually reserve fees.
These are small vessels — four to twenty-two suites — carrying two crew or more per guest and running skiffs with a handful of people aboard. The pricing reflects that ratio rather than distance travelled.
Because the boats are small, a specific season on a specific vessel sells out early. Booking twelve to eighteen months ahead buys both the cabin you want and, usually, a better fare than late availability.
Our Amazon hub quotes a wider planning band for 2026-27 — roughly $4,000 to $9,000 for three or four nights and $7,000 to $15,000 for seven — because it includes top-deck suites and the Lindblad Machu Picchu package. The ranges below are per vessel class for standard suite categories, which is why the ceiling is lower.
Why Is This Cheaper Than the $1,000 a Night We Quote Elsewhere?
Because the figure quoted on our homepage FAQ describes polar expedition ships, where roughly $1,000 per person per night is a fair starting point. Amazon riverboats sail short itineraries on sheltered water with no ice class, no ocean positioning and no Drake crossing, so the nightly rate starts lower even at the luxury end.
The two numbers are not in conflict; they describe different products. An Antarctic voyage is 10 to 20 nights on a purpose-built ice-strengthened ship that has to be positioned across an ocean. An Amazon voyage is 3 to 7 nights on a river with an airport at one end.
Where Amazon pricing does reach polar territory is at the top: the smallest, most exclusive riverboats can exceed $2,000 per person per night. Compare against Antarctica cruise cost if you are weighing the two.
What Do the Different Vessel Classes Cost?
Boutique riverboats sit around $3,800 to $6,500 for three to seven nights. The smallest, most exclusive vessels run roughly $5,500 to $9,000 for three or four nights. Design-led expedition yachts run about $5,200 to $10,500, and photography-focused packages including Lima nights run roughly $5,800 to $8,200.
| Vessel class | Indicative range | Length and what is included |
|---|---|---|
| Boutique riverboat (Delfín II and III) | $3,800 – $6,500 | 3 to 7 nights; floor-to-ceiling suites, Amazonian dining, daily skiff safaris, guided walks, kayaks |
| Ultra-small flagship (Delfin I) | $5,500 – $9,000 | 3 to 4 nights; four suites, two with plunge pools, near-private guiding and dining |
| Design expedition yacht (Aqua Nera, Aria Amazon) | $5,200 – $10,500 | 3 to 7 nights; contemporary suites, Amazonian menus developed with chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, small-group skiffs |
| Photography and science focus (Lindblad, Delfín II) | $5,800 – $8,200 | 9-day packages including Lima nights; National Geographic photo instructors, research equipment aboard |
Cruise-only ranges for double occupancy, reviewed September 2026. International and domestic flights, hotels and gratuities are additional.
Delfín Amazon Cruises operates the boutique and ultra-small end, and Relais & Châteaux lists Delfín as a member property covering its riverboats — worth stating carefully, because the status belongs to the company rather than to one hull. Delfín is not yet on our expedition cruise lines list, so we have named it here without a link rather than pointing you at a page that does not exist.
Aqua Nera and Aria Amazon come from Aqua Expeditions, whose Amazonian menus were developed with the Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, who also hosts occasional departures aboard Aqua Nera. The photography-led packages come from Lindblad Expeditions with National Geographic photo instructors aboard.
What Is Included in the Fare?
Almost everything aboard: your suite, all meals, most or all drinks depending on operator, twice-daily skiff excursions, guided walks, kayaks or paddle craft where offered, naturalist guiding, and normally the Pacaya-Samiria reserve fee. Local transfers between Iquitos airport and the dock are usually included too.
Getting to the ship is part of the experience and part of the inclusion: most vessels board near Nauta on the Marañón, a road transfer of an hour and a half to two hours from Iquitos airport. See Iquitos.
Confirm the reserve fee in writing. It is normally bundled, but the phrase you want on the confirmation is that park and reserve fees are included, not that they are 'usually' included.
What Should You Budget on Top?
Return flights to Lima, the Lima–Iquitos domestic leg at roughly $200 to $400 per person, at least one Lima hotel night either side, gratuities for crew and guides, travel insurance, and any Peru land extension. Yellow fever vaccination and antimalarial advice are personal medical costs.
| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lima–Iquitos flights | $200 – $400 per person return | Book with a buffer night in Lima before the ship |
| Lima hotel nights | $150 – $500 per night | One night either side is the practical minimum |
| Pacaya-Samiria reserve fee | Usually included | Confirm in writing rather than assuming |
| Gratuities | Operator guidance, typically $20–$40 per guest per day | Split between crew and guides; ask how it is pooled |
| Vaccination and antimalarials | Varies | Yellow fever certificate is commonly recommended; take medical advice |
| Peru land extension | From roughly $2,500 per person | Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu priced separately |
Build in a buffer night in Lima before the domestic flight. Missing an Iquitos departure means missing the ship, and these itineraries have no way of catching up with you.
If you are adding Machu Picchu and Cusco, price that as a separate trip rather than an add-on; see Peru combinations.
Where Does the Money Actually Go?
Into crew ratio, guiding and access. A twelve-guest riverboat with local naturalists running small skiffs costs far more per night to operate than a large boat working the same water. The difference shows in how much wildlife you see and how far into Pacaya-Samiria you get.
The other thing you are buying is distance. Three-night sailings stay within range of Iquitos day boats; four and seven nights buy interior blackwater systems and quieter water. That is the strongest argument for spending more here, and it is the one clients repeat back to us.
Compare vessels on Amazon ships, and decide the season first using high water vs low water.
Are These Prices From Your Own Voyage?
No. We sail the Amazon in 2028. These figures come from current operator pricing and from the bookings we have made for clients, and the observations about value come from those clients' debriefs and from an advisor colleague who took a group aboard. We will revisit the page after our own sailing.
Quoting is the part of this we do daily regardless. We hold the current fares, the promotions that are not published, and the honest answer on whether a suite category is worth its supplement on a particular hull.
Amazon cruise cost questions
How much does an Amazon river cruise cost per person?
Broadly $3,800 to $10,500 per person for the cruise, depending on vessel, suite, season and length, which works out around $900 to $2,000 per person per night. Flights, Lima hotels and gratuities are extra.
Why are Amazon cruises cheaper per night than Antarctica?
Our roughly $1,000 per person per night starting figure describes polar expedition ships, which are ice-strengthened, positioned across oceans and sail far longer itineraries. Amazon riverboats sail 3 to 7 nights on sheltered river water with an airport at each end, so nightly rates start lower even in luxury categories.
What is included in an Amazon cruise fare?
Suite accommodation, all meals, most drinks, twice-daily skiff excursions and guided walks, naturalist guiding, local transfers and normally the Pacaya-Samiria reserve fee. Confirm the reserve fee in writing.
How much are flights from Lima to Iquitos?
Roughly $200 to $400 per person return. Build in a buffer night in Lima, because a missed domestic flight means a missed ship.
Is a longer Amazon itinerary worth the extra cost?
Usually yes. Three-night sailings stay within range of Iquitos day boats, while four- and seven-night itineraries reach the interior blackwater systems of Pacaya-Samiria where the wildlife and the quiet are.