# Travel >> Destinations >> South America

Cruises to Peru

Peru, the South American land of the Incas, has an amazingly diverse topography: an arid western coastline, snow-capped central Andes peaks and eastern tropical Amazon basin. Add to that its ancient Incan heritage and Spanish colonial history and you have a complete vacation experience. It's little wonder that tourism is now one of modern Peru's major industries. According to the Cruise Critic site, cruise ships now make Lima a regular port stop. For a complete Peruvian vacation, you can visit Peru as part of a world cruise or Caribbean-South American cruise itinerary, disembark at Peru and switch to a river cruise along the Peruvian Amazon or take an in-depth land tour.

Fort Lauderdale to Lima
- The Regent Seven Seas Cruises regularly offers a 14-night cruise package aboard the ship Seven Seas Mariner, which goes from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, all the way to Salaverry and Lima in Peru, with bonus stops along the way at Aruba, Curaçao, Colombia and Ecuador, plus the experience of crossing the famous Panama Canal.
  
  Regent Seven Seas Cruises
  
  1000 Corporate Drive, Suite 500
  
  Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334
  
  877-505-5370
  
  rssc.com
World Voyage
- If you're in the mood for a world voyage that spans half the globe, you can have this and still end up in Peru, too. The Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines offer a long, world-voyage cruise that starts from Southampton in the United Kingdom, goes through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, traverses the Indian and South China seas and finally crosses the great Pacific Ocean until you reach Lima (Callao).
  
  Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines
  
  Fred.Olsen House, White House Road
  
  Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5LL
  
  United Kingdom
  
  011-44-0-1473-742424
  
  fredolsencruises.com
Peruvian Interior
- After you arrive in Lima, you can join a Peruvian Amazon riverboat cruise to see the jungle wildlife in person. These riverboat operators also offer post-cruise land tours to the rest of Peru's most important sights.
  
  Lindblad-National Geographic gives a river cruise aboard the Delfin II, running at 10 days and devoted entirely to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve in the upper Amazon. Afterward, you can take their "Land of the Inca" eight-day land tour program, which includes visits to the ancient Incan capitals of Cusco and Machu Picchu.
  
  Aqua Expeditions offers a more complete Peruvian Amazon cruise on the M/V Aqua, covering nearly all the tributaries. Itineraries run only three to seven days, but you'll see everything in luxury. Ship guests are treated to stylish suites with large windows, Peruvian haute cuisine, and skiff excursions to see the tributaries' flora and fauna up close.
  
  If you can't get enough of water, Aqua Expeditions can also arrange visits to other Peru sights after the river cruise. Ask them to arrange a visit to Lake Titicaca, the world's highest mountain lake. There you'll row out to see the ancient man-made Uros Islands and the island of Taquile to see local Quechua people in traditional dress. For availability and actual rates of this and other extra trips, contact Aqua Expeditions directly.
  
  Aqua Expeditions
  
  Calle Huallaga 215
  
  Iquitos
  
  Maynas, Loreto
  
  Peru
  
  011-51-65-60-1053
  
  aquaexpeditions.com
  
  Lindblad Expeditions
  
  96 Morton St.
  
  9th Floor
  
  New York, NY 10014
  
  800-397-3348
  
  expeditions.com