International Expeditions Offers Free Wi-Fi on Peruvian Amazon Voyages

La Estrella Amazonica, International Expeditions’ Amazon riverboat, launched onboard Wi-Fi in October, making the vessel the first passenger ship in the Peruvian Amazon offering Internet. IE offers two Amazon River cruise itinerary options aboard La Estrella Amazonica — a 10-day Amazon Voyage and a seven-day Amazon Riverboat & Lodge tour.

Onboard Internet also offers an added safety measure, including satellite communication in a region where cell coverage is limited, and International Expeditions has enabled additional functionality allowing the Operations team to track the riverboat via GPS location. IE anticipates hosting live chats and webinars from the ship.

Past IE guests will enjoy complimentary 30mb of Internet service while on their Amazon cruise, sufficient for checking email and light social media use. A 100mb option will also be available for a small fee.

The addition of onboard Internet access is just one of the program enhancements International Expeditions has introduced aboard La Estrella Amazonica. Naturalists currently use hydrophones during excursions, allowing guests to listen to the sounds of the river dolphins, and spotting scopes are essential for spotting birdlife in the dense rainforest. In summer 2014, IE began offering guests optional overflights of the river and rainforest aboard float planes for a different perspective of the Amazon’s network of forest, rivers and lagoons.

La Estrella Amazonica, which launched in late 2013, offers accommodations for a maximum of 31 guests in 15 outward-facing cabins. Each air-conditioned cabin measures approximately 220 square feet and has furniture hand-crafted by Peruvian artisans, native handicrafts and textiles from Amazonian tribes and river villages, and private baths decorated with Italian tile. Private balconies for each cabin are equipped with two cushioned chairs, providing a retreat where travelers can unwind while surveying the passing jungle.

Pricing for 10-day Amazon cruises starts at $4,398, and includes daily naturalist-guided excursions; complimentary laundry service while onboard; nightly receptions with complimentary wine and beer; most meals; transfers; pre-cruise accommodations at Lima’s Swissôtel; post-tour dayroom; tours of Colonial Lima and Iquitos; services of an experienced expedition leader and two local naturalist guides.

For more information, visit www.IEtravel.com.