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Pure Amazon, An A&K Sanctuary, has commenced sailing through Peru’s vast Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.
The new 22-passenger riverboat has set sail for intimate wildlife encounters across 21,000 square kilometres of protected Amazonian wilderness.
Pure Amazon offers three-, four-, and seven-night itineraries revealing different facets of the reserve’s 21,000 square kilometres.
Days begin with early morning excursions through quiet waterways, while activities include fishing for piranha, forest walks, and kayaking narrow tributaries.
Afternoons invite relaxation in the spa treatment room or top deck’s jacuzzi, whilst the lounge becomes a natural history salon; and evenings transform the dining room into celebrations of Amazonian cuisine.
As darkness falls, the vessel becomes what Granato intended: a mysterious presence, its façade softly lit with spots that mimic firelight, minimising disruption to the nocturnal world.
Elegance sets sail
Milan-based architect Adriana Granato, artistic director of A&K Travel Group and director of Studio Ibsen, has transformed Pure Amazon’s accommodations and public spaces through collaborations with celebrated Peruvian artists.
Site-specific commissioned pieces dialogue with floor-to-ceiling views of the river and rainforest.
The dining room’s centrepiece, Manto de Escamas de Paiche by Venice Biennale artist Silvana Pestana, features hand-crafted bronze and clay elements cascading in triangular formations that echo the Amazon’s giant fish scales.
Pestana’s works throughout the vessel explore environmental themes, particularly illegal gold mining’s impact, using materials including gold leaf and traditional textiles.
Her pieces reside in permanent collections from São Paulo’s Pinacoteca to Kentucky’s 21C Museum.
In every suite, authentic kené textiles by master artist Deysi Ramírez showcase the sacred geometry of the Shipibo-Konibo people: intricate patterns painted with natural dyes representing cosmological maps.
The BENEAI Collective created exclusive hand-embroidered cushions featuring 20 unique compositions, ensuring this ancestral art form thrives whilst supporting indigenous women artists.
It should also be noted that the vessel’s ordered nature design creates minimal environmental impact through low-level lighting protecting nocturnal fauna, heat pump technology, and automated lighting controls.
With its one-to-one staff-to-guest ratio, the experience remains intimate whilst ensuring highest standards.
The elegance doesn’t stop at the design but extends into the exceptional cuisine served on board.
Pure Amazon’s culinary team, proudly from Iquitos, brings deep knowledge of the Amazon’s extraordinary pantry.
The changing five-course tasting menu presented nightly pairs with carefully selected Latin American wines showcasing lesser-known makers and varietals.
The bar programme celebrates Peru’s heritage with pisco cocktails incorporating coca leaf and dragon’s blood resin.
Evening menus tell stories of river and forest: caramelised plantain with river prawns, hearts of palm with passion fruit, and Peruvian chocolate meeting exotic fruits in compositions mirroring the forest’s layered canopy.
One with the wildlife, one with the community
As Pure Amazon glides through the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, pink river dolphins surface alongside the vessel, their rose-hued forms cutting through morning mist.
Meanwhile, black caimans emerge during nocturnal excursions, eyes glowing in torchlight.
Expert naturalist guides lead expeditions where three-toed sloths move through the canopy and the prehistoric hoatzin perches along waterways, and guests may occasionally spot giant river otters hunting in family groups.
They may also kayak though tributaries where piranha lurk beneath lily pads whilst scarlet macaws paint the sky above.
The arapaima, inspiration for the dining room’s artistic centrepiece, occasionally surfaces; these three-metre giants appearing just long enough to breathe before disappearing into the depths.
Through A&K Philanthropy, Pure Amazon also establishes meaningful partnerships transforming tourism into positive change.
A&K is raising the bar for community engagement with a formal agreement and investment plan with the Nueva Arica community.
Through an alliance with Amanatari, A&K supports sustainable bio-business initiatives: aguaje fibre, punga fibre, and honey production.
Amanatari introduces eco-friendly harvesting techniques like portable canopy climbers, preserving forest whilst creating fair income for families. Guests on Pure Amazon’s three-night itinerary enjoy exclusive access to the Nueva Arica project—an authentic experience no other operator offers.
Additionally, all Pure Amazon guests get to visit The Bilingual Teacher Training Program for the Peruvian Amazon (FORMABIAP) which strengthens Indigenous Amazonian communities through cultural and language preservation.
This innovative programme trains 212 young people from Kukama Kukamiria, Shawi, Kichwa and Achuar communities to become intercultural bilingual teachers.
Guests experience traditional bombo baile performances, witness medicinal plant cleansing rituals, and support students who are preserving ancestral knowledge for future generations.
The programme notably empowers young indigenous women, offering them the opportunity to continue their education whilst accompanied by their children and caregivers.
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