A company called Aqua Expeditions has launched the first luxury cruise on the Amazon, a region previously immune to the charms of 280-thread-count sheets and en-suite air conditioning. Their first ship, the M/V Aqua, resembles a floating boutique hotel with a dining room, indoor and outdoor lounges, an observation deck and boutique.

Accommodation-wise, there are eight suites and four master suites with giant picture windows affording 180-degree views of the river scenery. The trips, which are organized around the Flooded Season (June-November) and Dry Season (December-May), run for three, four and seven nights. They begin in Iquitos, Peru (an hour and 40 minutes from Lima), and center on a visit to the five million acre Pacaya Samiria Reserve, a remote sanctuary for all kinds of exotic wildlife including monkeys, jaguars and pink dolphins. Rates start at $1950 per person.

[via UrbanDaddy]