Delfin Amazon Cruises Marks One Year of BioRest in the Peruvian Amazon
What is Delfin Amazon Cruises announcing?
Delfin Amazon Cruises is marking the first anniversary of BioRest, its community-led biocultural restoration program in the Peruvian Amazon.
One year after launching, BioRest has planted 1,760 native useful plants across a 172-hectare restoration corridor along Peru’s lower Marañón River, working with 18 families in three riverside communities.
What is BioRest?
BioRest is a biocultural reforestation and restoration program created by Delfin Amazon Cruises to restore abandoned agricultural plots in the Peruvian Amazon.
The program focuses on native species selected for both ecological value and community use, including plants connected to food, medicine, artisanal traditions, conservation, and future biocommerce opportunities.
Where does BioRest operate?
BioRest operates along the lower Marañón River, within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in Peru.
The program currently works with three riverside communities and 18 participating families across a 172-hectare, or 425-acre, restoration corridor.
What results has BioRest achieved after one year?
After one year, BioRest has established:
1,760 native useful plants
17 native plant species
A 172-hectare biocultural restoration corridor
Partnerships with 18 families
Collaboration across three riverside communities
Ongoing Field Schools focused on horticulture, restoration, seed banking, and wild-species conservation
Delfin aims to grow BioRest to 3,000 native plants by the end of 2026.
Why is BioRest described as biocultural restoration?
BioRest is designed to restore both ecological function and cultural knowledge.
The program responds to the loss of native species, abandoned monoculture plots, and the gradual disappearance of traditional ecological knowledge between generations. Participating families help identify and prioritize native species based on community needs and conservation value.
How are local communities involved?
Three riverside communities voluntarily entered collaborative agreements with Delfin Amazon Cruises.
Community members work alongside the BioRest team through Field Schools and help guide decisions about which native species should be restored. The program also supports the recovery of traditional knowledge, including the Kukama concept of Muju, a traditional seed bank used to preserve native food plants and strengthen resilience during scarcity.
What role does science play in BioRest?
BioRest bridges science and traditional knowledge through research, conservation, and community participation.
Delfin has introduced a thesis fellowship through the Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana to support research into restoring habitat for Neotropical butterflies. The program also aligns with Delfin’s broader conservation work, including long-term support for Amazon pink river dolphin research and Citizen Science initiatives involving travelers, guides, and experts.
How does BioRest connect to tourism?
BioRest represents the evolution of Delfin’s tourism model from exploration to restoration.
For 20 years, Delfin Amazon Cruises has introduced travelers to the Peruvian Amazon while building relationships with local communities, guides, researchers, and conservationists. BioRest channels the economic value generated by tourism into measurable restoration and local capacity building.
What is Delfin’s goal for BioRest?
Delfin aims to expand BioRest toward 3,000 native plants by the end of 2026 and deepen Field School participation across the three partner communities.
Beginning in 2027, guests will be able to walk portions of the restoration corridor with BioRest community members, visit ethnobotanical orchards, and see how the landscape is recovering.
Why is BioRest important for the future of Amazon travel?
BioRest offers a model for regenerative travel in the Peruvian Amazon by connecting tourism, conservation, science, and community leadership.
The program demonstrates how luxury river travel can support long-term restoration, protect traditional ecological knowledge, and create future opportunities for local families through native plants, conservation, and biocommerce.
How can travelers experience the Peruvian Amazon with Delfin?
Travelers can explore the Peruvian Amazon with Delfin Amazon Cruises on three- and four-night river safaris aboard Delfin I, Delfin II, and Delfin III.
Each journey travels deep into the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve with expert naturalist guides, offering access to Amazon wildlife, river communities, and conservation initiatives.
About Delfin Amazon Cruises:
Delfin Amazon Cruises was launched in early 2006 by its founder and CEO, Aldo Macchiavello. The company is the culmination of a dream shared with his wife, Lissy Urteaga, to run a boutique travel business that should showcase the natural beauty of their country, Peru. Delfin Amazon Cruises sets the highest standards for impeccable 5-star hospitality, authentic Peruvian design, and superb local cuisine. The Delfin I, II, and III effortlessly combine comfort and grace with the breathtaking wilderness setting of the Amazon. Each vessel thrives in harmony with nature and their panoramic suites and terraces offer guests a special “non-cruise” atmosphere with the opportunity to explore one of the world’s most pristine environments. Deep in the Peruvian Amazon, the boutique luxury vessels take guests on three and four-night itineraries into one of the world’s largest protected flooded forests, the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Experienced naturalist guides and experts showcase the immense biodiversity of the area with excursions and activities that include visits to local villages, kayaking, swimming near pink river dolphins, fishing, daytime hiking, and night safaris.
US media inquiries
Alexandra Avila,
REYA Communications
alexandra@reyacommunications.com
