Spanish for "The Amethyst,"
La Amatista offers 10-day Amazon tours year-round. The riverboat is owned and operated by Alabama's International Expeditions.
The ship is handcrafted from hardwood and offers two categories of accommodations—upper and lower decks. La Amatista holds 31 passengers and staffs a mostly South American crew that meets guests' every need from laundry service to cleaning muddy boots and providing live music in the evening.
La Amatista generally departs from Iquitos in northeastern Peru. The riverboat travels 300 miles up the Amazon, offering a variety of nature-watching, jungle-walking and piranha-fishing opportunities along the way.
Meals are served buffet-style in a common dining room and offer filling, health-conscious choices such as catfish, chicken, rice, fresh vegetables and exotic tropical fruit.
Rooms are small but comfortable, offering no TVs or phones, but plenty of bottled drinking water and filtered shower water fresh from the Amazon. Other perks include complimentary hiking sticks, robes and leather gators (ankle protectors) for jungle walks. La Amatista has no elevators, and while it's on the river, medical facilities are scarce at best.
Though certainly not for everyone, La Amatista offers the perfect opportunity for those who are willing to sacrifice a little accommodation for adventure.
