Top Ten Peru Classic Adventures

Swap stories with locals on the Amazon (Rob Rachowiecki)

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What's the best way to experience Amazonian culture? Certainly not on the luxury liners that ply this river. So hop aboard the two- and three-decked riverboats that are often the only regular transportation for people living in small towns on the Amazonian tributaries. Ucayali, Maraqsn and Huallaga Rivers. It's not a relaxing journey: People come aboard with animals, children, and anything else that needs to be moved (and we mean anything). On the top deck, passengers sling hammocks for what can be a journey of several days. It's a cheap adventure, rarely more than $10 a day, including dubiously clean rice-and-fish meals. (Okay, who brought the Power Bars?). Pass the time by swapping stories with the locals and watching the slow pace of life on the river.