Delfin I
Deep in the Amazon
Built in the Iquitos docks and crafted by local artisans using sustainably sourced timber, the vessel reflects the Amazon at every turn. Shipibo textiles soften the lounges, tables are set with napkin rings made by Amazonian artists, and lamps shimmer with paiche scales. Every detail is thoughtfully curated to honour local culture and craftsmanship; an authenticity and excellence that underpin Delfin I’s place within the Relais & Châteaux family.
Location
Delfin I’s three‑ and four‑night journeys take you deep into this biodiversity, visiting remote communities, kayaking through flooded forest and exploring by skiff with expert naturalists.
Accommodation
The Master Suites on the upper deck set the tone: expansive 340‑square‑foot sanctuaries with floor‑to‑ceiling windows and private terraces that feel like open‑air living rooms. Panoramic glazing backs directly onto these terraces, so you can watch the river drift by without leaving your bed. They are large, calm and beautifully finished – the quintessential Delfin I experience.
Communal areas are equally refined. Travellers gather in the stylish lounge, where deep sofas, a big‑screen TV and wide rainforest views create a relaxed, elegant atmosphere. Handcrafted cocktails at the bar pair perfectly with stargazing under some of the clearest skies in the world. In the intimate dining room, Relais & Châteaux‑recognised cuisine showcases seasonal Amazonian and Peruvian ingredients, each dish shaped by local chefs and rooted in place.
A recent refit added stylish exterior touches, including an air‑conditioned observation deck and observatory balconies. All this completes the sense of effortless immersion in the Upper Amazon.
- Paddleboard the Amazon’s quiet tributaries, gliding over mirror‑calm water as herons, hawks and kingfishers lift from the banks.
- Accompany expert naturalist guides in motor skiffs, navigating narrow creeks and hidden lagoons to spot sloths, pink river dolphins, squirrel monkeys and the region’s extraordinary birdlife.
- Walk the 500‑metre canopy walkway, suspended 25 metres above the forest floor, gaining a treetop perspective on bromeliads, orchids, tanagers and life that rarely descends.
- Kayak or fish along the Marañón and Ucayali rivers, casting for peacock bass, catfish and arapaima before releasing your catch back into the reserve.
- Join guided hikes through flooded forest, searching for frogs, snakes, insects and medicinal plants — with boots and ponchos provided when the rain arrives.
- Venture out on a night safari, spotting frogs, bats and black caiman under the beam of your guide’s flashlight as the forest shifts into its nocturnal rhythm.
- Visit a wildlife rescue centre near Iquitos, meeting rehabilitated baby manatees, river otters and monkeys, and learning how local conservationists return them to the wild.
Why Delfin I is Included in Our Journeys
Its scale also unlocks rare possibilities. With just four suites, exclusive charter is entirely feasible, making Delfin I ideal for a group of likeminded friends seeking a private Amazon experience shaped around them.
Talk to us about designing your journey >
From the Team
“We’ve known Delfin I for many years. It has always been superb, but a brilliantly conceived refit lifted it into the extraordinary, making those private terraces and whirlpools possible. It’s a wonderful vessel – beautifully run, thoughtfully designed – and its intimate scale suits plenty of travellers.”
Why Plan with Journeysmiths
Every journey we design begins with listening. Whether you’re travelling as a family, a couple, or across generations, we take time to understand how you want to feel – not just where you want to go. From there, we carefully weave together exceptional places, trusted guides, and seamless logistics to create journeys that flow naturally and feel entirely your own.Every journey we design begins with listening. Whether you’re travelling as a family, a couple, or across generations, we take time to understand how you want to feel – not just where you want to go. From there, we carefully weave together exceptional places, trusted guides, and seamless logistics to create journeys that flow naturally and feel entirely your own.
Positive Impact
We prioritise working with properties that address location-specific needs from education to conservation and environmental sustainability. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.We prioritise working with properties that address location-specific needs from education to conservation and environmental sustainability. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.
Great Places to Combine with a Delfin Journey
An adventure on a Delfin vessel works beautifully as part of a wider journey in Peru or Latin America. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.An adventure on a Delfin vessel works beautifully as part of a wider journey in Peru or Latin America. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.
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Lima’s Hotel B is a luxurious Relais & Chateaux property in a fabulous belle epoque house built as a seaside retreat for the Peruvian elite.
The Reserva Amazonica is in a unique location for a hotel. It’s in the depths of the rainforest, a 25-minute flight from Cusco, and the 35 cabanas are dotted amongst the trees.
The stunning Colca Canyon surrounds you as you take in the delights of the Belmond Las Casitas Arequipa. The 20 fairytale-worthy picturesque bungalows set in 20 acres blend into the striking landscape, and put you in the perfect location for contact with the local communities and exploring the unspoilt natural world.
Surrounded by the remote altiplano and an hour from any town, the Titilaka hotel is Relais & Chateaux property offering exceptional food and service in a stunning location.
Truly Amazing Experiences
Over the years we have been lucky enough to travel to a number of countries in Africa but also to Peru and Brazil/Argentina and wherever we have been, we have had truly amazing experiences. Quite simply this is because we have been dealing with a team who not only take the time and trouble to find out what we really want but also who have the detailed personal knowledge of the places that they recommend.
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