The same owner as the Delfin III, and three competing brands
The Delfin II belongs to a Peruvian shipowner based in Iquitos. The line has
chartered her since 2010 for its own departures on the upper Amazon. The hull is
also sold directly by her owner, and another international brand markets her as
well: there is no exclusivity, and it should not be suggested otherwise.
Thirty-seven metres, three decks, 14 suites, 28 travellers. Built locally in
Peru in 2009 by craftsmen from the region. The ship belongs to a prestige
hotel association, which both the owner and the line put forward.
What the Amazon imposes
Navigation depends on the water level, which varies by several metres with the
season. The owner publishes two distinct seasons for that reason. At high water
the skiffs enter the flooded forest; at low water you walk on beaches that do not
exist the rest of the year. Those are two different trips, not a good one and a
bad one.
Aboard: open bridge, spa, small exercise room, library, upper-deck bar lounge,
full air conditioning and river-facing windows in every suite. No lift is
documented, across three decks linked by stairs.
One divergence worth flagging: the capacity announced by the line is
twenty-eight travellers; the owner's rises to thirty according to a third-party
database. We use the figure of the company selling you the trip.
The other ships in the fleet
The National Geographic Islander II and the National Geographic Gemini hold the Galapagos. The The Jahan sails the lower Mekong. The Charaidew II
runs up the Brahmaputra.
The hull, the owner and the brand
Three separate things that often get confused. The hull belongs to a local
shipowner. The trip is designed and sold by the line, which charters the ship.
And the National Geographic name comes from a brand licence agreement, extended
to 2040, which makes National Geographic neither the owner nor the organiser.
Why it matters: because when something goes wrong, knowing who answers for
what changes everything. And because the same ship is often sold under several
banners, with inclusions and capacities that differ from brand to brand.
The line's technical sheets and the owner's do not always agree. When they
diverge, we say so rather than picking the more flattering figure.
What this trip asks of you from Montreal
An international flight not included in the fare, and often an internal flight
on top. Total travel time surprises many people: these regions are not reached
in a day.
Arrive the day before at the very least. It is the only margin that absorbs a
delay, a lost bag or a sleepless flight. Many of our clients take two nights on
site before embarking and have never regretted the expense.
Our advisors bring flight, expedition, hotels, transfers and insurance into a
single file protected by Quebec's compensation fund for travel agency customers.
We verify the real dates before anything is booked.
