Uniworld Expands River Cruises to Peru's Amazon in 2020

(3:55 p.m. EST) -- Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is expanding its roster of exotic luxury river itineraries in 2020 by adding Amazon River sailings in Peru.

The sailings will debut in September 2020 on a chartered ship, 32-passenger Aria Amazon. Two cruise tours will be offered: a 15-day tour that begins in Lima and ends in Peru's Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, with a seven-night cruise on the Amazon in between; and an 11-day trip that starts in Lima before the cruise. The cruise portion of both trips is roundtrip from Iquitos.

 "We're beyond thrilled to launch these extraordinary trips in South America, a completely new destination for us," says Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO of Uniworld. "We've seen great success with our exotic cruises and know these Peruvian Amazon itineraries have the perfect combination of luxury, active adventure and comfort that our guests appreciate."

2020 is shaping up to be a big year for Uniworld. The company has new ship Mekong Jewel debuting on the Mekong in January, as well as a new ship, S.S. Sphinx, coming to Egypt in the fall.

Further, the line is adding two "super ships" in Europe: S.S. La Venezia, which is a complete revamp of River Countess and will sail the Venetian Lagoon and Italy's Po River, and S.S. Sao Gabriel, which will ply Portugal's Douro River.

On the Amazon, all sailings will boast native-born natural guides that can assist in getting up close with the wildlife. Aria Amazon is an all-suite ship and sails all-inclusive voyages with fares that bundle unlimited spirits and wine, airport transfers, onshore and onboard gratuities, shore excursions and entertainment.

Members of Uniworld's loyalty program, the River Heritage Club, will have priority access to book the Amazon itineraries. The sailings will go live to the public on Uniworld's website on December 16.