The Amazon rain forest is a bucket-list destination for any nature lover, and there’s no better way to encounter rain forest wildlife than cruising the Amazon River aboard a deluxe riverboat. A voyage along more than 400 miles of the Peruvian Amazon, its main tributaries and the river’s remote headwaters is the ideal way to explore this verdant ecosystem, which is also one of the most threatened natural environments on the planet.

Traveler Mark Schwartz joined an expedition along this famed river in the Peruvian Amazon in July 2017 and returned with these great photos.

Amazon River Cruise

Amazon bird

Amazon cruise sunset

Startled hawk in the Amazon

Amazon River expedition

All photos © Mark Schwartz.