Delfin Amazon Cruises Marks One Year of BioRest, Expanding Community-Led Restoration Across the Peruvian Amazon
BioRest has planted 1,760 native plants across a 172-hectare corridor, working with 18 families in three communities along Peru’s lower Marañón River
Iquitos, Peru, (September 15, 2026): For 20 years, travelers have journeyed with Delfin Amazon Cruises (Delfin) deep into the Peruvian Amazon, enabling the family-owned and operated company to build a tourism model rooted in the communities and ecosystems that surround it. Now, one year after launching BioRest, a community-led biocultural reforestation program, Delfin is sharing the first measurable results of how that relationship is evolving from exploration to restoration.
Through BioRest, 1,760 native useful plants representing 17 species have been established across a 172-hectare (425-acre) biocultural restoration corridor along the Marañón River, in partnership with 18 families across three riverside communities. The program restores abandoned agricultural plots using native species selected for their ecological importance as well as their value to local communities, from food and medicine to artisanal uses, conservation and future biocommerce opportunities.
Founded in Peru in 2006, Delfin has spent two decades operating in some of the country's most remote river communities, building relationships with local families, guides, researchers and conservationists while introducing international travelers to the Amazon. Tourism sustains Delfin's presence in the region and creates the foundation from which it can invest in local capacity building, conservation and scientific research. BioRest represents the latest evolution of that model, transforming the economic value generated by travel into measurable restoration while placing local communities at the center of determining how their landscapes recover from degradation.
Restoring More Than the Forest
BioRest was created in response to abandoned monoculture plots along the Marañón River, the disappearance of culturally and economically important native species, and the gradual loss of traditional ecological knowledge between generations. Rather than approaching restoration simply as reforestation, BioRest seeks to restore both the ecological function of these landscapes and the cultural memory connected to them.
Three riverside communities within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve voluntarily entered into collaborative agreements with Delfin, with participating families helping identify and prioritize native species according to community needs and broader conservation challenges. Today, families work alongside Delfin's BioRest team through ongoing Field Schools focused on horticulture, wild-species conservation, restoration and seed banking. Delfin has also introduced a thesis fellowship through the Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana supporting research into restoring habitat for Neotropical butterflies.
“For us, restoration isn't simply about how many plants we put into the ground. It is about ensuring that the knowledge surrounding those plants, their uses and their importance to these communities continues into the next generation,” shares Gabriela Orihuela, Sustainability Lead at Delfin Amazon Cruises.
That knowledge is already resurfacing. Community members have recalled plants once used by previous generations for food and medicine, as well as traditions that have become less common over time. Among them is Muju, the Kukama concept of a traditional seed bank, which BioRest is exploring as a means of preserving native food plants and strengthening resilience during periods of scarcity. Plans for ethnobotanical gardens could similarly make useful native species and the knowledge surrounding them more accessible to participating families.
From Tourism to Long-Term Opportunity
Beyond restoring biodiversity, BioRest is exploring how native species can contribute to future economic opportunities through artisanal uses, food, medicine and biocommerce. The initiative is part of a broader model of Amazon tourism Delfin has developed over two decades, encompassing local guide training and capacity building, community projects and nearly a decade of support for Amazon pink river dolphin research. Through Delfin's Citizen Science initiative, travelers and guides can now participate directly in that research, collecting data alongside experts to contribute to national conservation objectives.
As Delfin celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026, BioRest demonstrates what two decades of locally rooted tourism have made possible. What began as a Peruvian family's ambition to share the extraordinary landscapes of their home country has evolved into a long-term relationship connecting tourism, communities, science and conservation.
“For 20 years, our guests have made it possible for us to navigate these rivers, employ local people and build relationships with communities that have become part of the Delfin family,” shares Lissy Urteaga, Owner and Co-Founder of Delfin Amazon Cruises. “BioRest is about taking what tourism has made possible and investing it back into the place that has given us so much.”
Delfin aims to grow BioRest toward 3,000 native plants by the end of 2026, while deepening Field School participation across all three communities. Beginning in 2027, guests will also be able to walk portions of the restoration corridor alongside BioRest community members, explore ethnobotanical orchards and see firsthand how the landscape is recovering. Delfin's longer-term ambition is to establish BioRest as a regional model for biocultural restoration, bridging science and traditional knowledge through community-led conservation.
Travelers can experience the Peruvian Amazon with Delfin on three- and four-night river safaris aboard its fleet of three boutique vessels—Delfin I, Delfin II and Delfin III—journeying deep into the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve alongside expert naturalist guides. To learn more about Delfin Amazon Cruises and plan a journey to the Peruvian Amazon, visit DelfinAmazonCruises.com.
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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.
