Budget Amazon Cruises
Amazing Amazon cruise itineraries ... that are easy on the wallet!
Rainforest Cruises has a small range of itineraries aboard vessels that we categorise as Budget Class. See below how we define this and which cruiseboats fit our criteria.
Budget in no way means uncomfortable or insecure! The Amazon cruiseships in this category have been selected purely on the basis of price; and yet they boast some of the most interesting itineraries in the Amazon basins of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Brazil, aboard cruiseboats that are sturdy, well-managed and characterful.
Of the four riverboats, all of the accommodation is in private single, twin or triple cabins. Most of these cabins have private facilities and hot water, although the Selva Viva has shared bathroom facilities throughout.
Most have air conditioning, at least for some of the day, and all have on-board chefs, making excellent, authentic rainforest meals.
With prices starting from $130 per person per day, with full board, in some of the most remote, exciting and interesting locations on Earth, these budget Amazon riverboats really do justify the tag 'good value'.
Built in 2007, in a traditional Brazilian wooden riverboat style, the Selva Viva is arguably the best Amazon River boat with private cabins - for the price - in the upper Amazon region of Peru.
While the facilities are functional, rather than luxurious, the Selva Viva is still big enough to be comfortable ... and small enough to access the small tributaries where larger cruise ships cannot go. The boat is able to slip under the close canopy of the jungle, within narrow waterways, where the best wildlife-watching is to be had.
The Selva Viva offers a wide range of itineraries, from three days to the Allpahuayo-Mishano Reserve to a 12-day epic up the Curaray River to the border with Ecuador! We have only presented a small range of their shorter tours here, but if you need more details, please get in touch.
The Selva Viva is also available for charter, and its competitive pricing make this an excellent alternative for four people or more.
Moreover, as the boat is owned and operated by a French-Peruvian NGO, passengers have the comfort of knowing that any money generated from their experience goes towards helping grassroots projects in the vast and undeveloped Peruvian Amazon department of Loreto.
La Reina de Enín Amazon Riverboat
Travelling on a traditionally-styled purpose-built riverboat, this exploratory voyage delves deep into the heart of the Bolivian Amazon rainforest, travelling along two rivers with different characteristics—the Río Ibare and the Río Mamoré—for better rainforest experience.
During the journey you will discover three kinds of tropical forest—the riverside forest, the savannas in Moxos, the savannas of palm trees, all intermixed with wetlands and islands of evergreen humid forest—while observing diverse and fascinating plant and animal life along the way.
Experience the jungle on foot, listening to the calls of colorful birds and perhaps howler monkeys calling overhead, then swim off deserted beaches and lagoons in water as pure as rain. You will also have the opportunity to visit the homes of deep forest settlers to learn about their culture and the important survival skills that are passed from generation to generation.
Built in 2000, the beautifully-appointed Flotel Reina de Enín is specifically designed to offer comfort while exploring the farthest reaches of this natural paradise. The crew members all grew up in the rainforest and can offer first-hand accounts of life there, while the on board guides are trained locals and indigenous people who are happy to share their knowledge of Amazon ecology, flora and fauna with you.
Manatee Amazon Explorer Riverboat
Boasting over 20 years' experience in Amazon riverboat cruises, the exclusively-designed Manatee Amazon Explorer offers all the necessary comforts while still being an exciting jungle adventure.
The Manatee Amazon Explorer operates in the pristine upper basins of the Napo and Aguarico Rivers, around Limoncocha Wildlife Reserve and Yasuni National Park, Ecuador’s largest protected animal reserve. Here, the devoted, highly-knowledgeable guides come into their own, as they willingly share their wealth of information about the Amazon's tropical rainforest.
The Manatee offers itineraries of four, five, eight and ten days, to accommodate all budgets and timescales. There is so much to see in the Ecuadorean Amazon, and the Manatee is so comfortable, that even a ten-day journey will seem too short.
Designed exclusively for cruising on the Amazon River and its tributaries, the Amazon Clipper offers the best small-ship cruising in the Brazilian Amazon, for those who looking to enjoy unsurpassed wildlife-watching opportunities.
The Amazon Clipper was built with traditional riverboat lines and yet still boasts such comforts and facilities as air-conditioned cabins, en-suite bathrooms, a covered dining room with bar and library and a sundeck with 360 degree panoramic view.
The shallow draught allows visits to locations inaccessible to many other boats; and the outboard powered canoes that we carry are used for trips in lagoons, narrow channels, creeks and flooded forest.
Lo Peix offers adventurous and environmentally-friendly cruises to the Brazilian Amazonas and Negro Rivers. It prides itself on offering itineraries away from the busy tourist locations, transporting travelers to wild, unique and sometimes unexplored waterways of the Amazon.
Over its 2 decks Lo Peix has facilities including bar, living room, dining room and kitchen, a solarium and great terrace with hammocks, ideal for relaxing. The 4 spacious cabins on board can host up to 11 passengers.
This comfortable traditional riverboat has a solar energy policy meaning it is one of the greenest boats on the Amazon, with little pollution and quiet, peaceful generator-free nights, allowing passengers to enjoy all the sounds that the jungle has to offer.
