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Tags: Pirates / Crime / Cruises / Amazon Travel / → All Tags

Amazon River Pirates Return For Second Raid In Two Weeks

This has not been the best summer for cruising, both on the ocean and in rivers as swine flu and pirates proliferate. It's been especially cruel to Aqua Expeditions, whose luxury riverboat M/V Aqua has fallen victim to Amazon River pirates twice in two weeks.

Around dawn this morning, the 20-some passengers onboard the Aqua were awoken by nine masked bandits wielded guns and hand grenades, who then bound passengers by their hands and feet and made off with their valuables when police arrived. Apparently the theives used bad weather and poor visibility to their advantage for the raid, overtaking two police officers who were stationed on the boat after the last ambush.

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Tags: Pirates / Crime / Cruises / Amazon Travel / → All Tags

Pirates Pop Up In The Amazon To Rob Luxury River Cruise

Although we'd love to believe that Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow is the only noteworthy pirate of the last few years, the reality is that pirates are back in a big way, and an event this week proves that they aren't just confined to the treacherous waters off of Somalia.

On Sunday, the Aqua, a luxury river cruising boat just beginning a turn down the Amazon, was boarded and raided by six weapon-wielding bandits who robbed the vessel's 24 passengers of money and other valuables. Luckily that's all the pirates took as no cruisers were hurt. After returning to port in Iquitos, Peru, the passengers were sent home care of Aqua Expeditions, who also refunded them for the entire cruise—prices per person for the cruise began at $4,500—and tried to mollify them by offering a free future cruise.

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Tags: Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / Amazon Travel / → All Tags

Summer Vacations with an Edge: Backpacking in the Amazon

Sitting on the beach is nice, but Amazon Travel & Tours is more our style. The group takes backpackers on hikes through untamed trails and floats them down winding rainforest streams in a dugout canoe. They trek across the rainforest floor and climb through its canopy, too.

With a wide range of options there's something for everyone, from seven days in the Ecuadorian Amazon to a nine-day biosphere explorer. There are longer 16-day wildlife tours and a 15-day adventures through the Andes and the Amazon.

One traveler had this to say about his tour through the Amazon:

All the guides brought their culture to us by sharing their wealth of knowledge, experience, and other local interactions that helped bring Peru closer to us. Victor had a haunting way of finding things at night in the jungle that was simply amazing. I also came to realize how much trust and comfort there was in his presence as he navigated us through the jungle paths and the waterways. Your guides are the best! Overall, the tour was very good and we will definitely use Adventure Life again for future South American travels.

Sure it's no day on the beach, but according to Amazon's website, there's still plenty of time for lounging.

Related Stories:
·   Brazil Travel [Jaunted]
·   Brazil Hotels [HotelChatter]
·    More Summer Vacations with an Edge [Jaunted]

[Photo: Batcon]