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A cruise on the Peruvian stretch of the Amazon River reveals one of the world’s few remaining vastly unexplored regions. This is where biodiversity is at its greatest and the rainforest is at its most incredible.
The Amazon started to form over 200 million years ago when its highlands were formed. The new river flowed west to the Pacific. Then, 140 million years ago, the South American plate collided into the Nazca plate and the impact formed the Andes Mountains, which blocked off the former mouth of the Amazon River, creating a huge freshwater lake. Over the next 50 million years, the continent began to tilt, causing the lake to burst through its stony barriers and form the Amazon River Basin.
The Amazon River basin has been inhabited by indigenous tribes for over 10, 000 years and possibly even 15,000 years. But the area wasn’t “discovered” until the Spanish conquistadores arrived in South America. The first Europeans to explore the Amazon date back to 1541 when Francisco de Orellana of Spain led a group of men down the river’s length to the Atlantic Ocean. During this navigation, stories of fierce battles between the Spanish expedition and mighty tribes of female warriors emerged. These tall tales eventually led to the naming of the Amazon, inspired from Greek mythology. After the first navigation, Orellana returned to Spain where he received permission from the crown to return to the Amazon to found and settle what would be called, New Andalusia, in the Amazon basin. However, his second trip in 1546 to the Amazon was not as fruitful as his first. His four ships and men were lost at sea or to illness, desertion, hunger, and ultimately Indian attack.
The next three centuries brought numerous explorations of the area by the Portuguese, French, Germans, and the US. Along with the arrival of the foreigners came western diseases which in turn decimated the native Indian population by 90 percent. In the early 19th century, the missionaries and scientists arrived leading to vast development of the area. Steamship service on the river was introduced in the mid-19th century which led to the rubber boom of the 19th and 20th centuries. These ships made it viable to export the Amazon’s most valuable resource, rubber, to the rest of the world. Towns along the banks of the Amazon flourished during this period with populations increasing 400% and incomes 800%. During this time, the area was redefined – cities and states were put on the map, regional governments were formed, and territorial rights were defined. In essence, the Amazon region became a major stakeholder in the region’s economy and development for the future. Modern cities now existed along the banks of the Amazon with the development of Iquitos and Manaus.
Today, these cities remain as major cities in Amazonia and serve as the main ports to one of the world’s longest rivers, the Amazon.
The Amazon River in Peru gives adventure-loving travelers the chance to encounter fascinating cultures and intriguing flora and fauna while cruising in first-class luxury. From pink dolphins, playful squirrel monkeys, and colorful macaws to remote villages, flooded forests, and massive water lilies, travelers will come away with a true appreciation for life along the mighty Amazon.
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