Camper & Nicholsons has announced a new addition to its charter fleet, the recently-launched 62.4 metre river expedition vessel Aqua Nera.
The Custom superyacht has just completed its maiden voyage following her launch in 2020 and is ready to welcome guests on board to explore the Amazon River in South America.
Owned by Aqua Expeditions founder Francesco Galli Zugaro, Aqua Nera is the sistership of the 45 metre Aria Amazon and can accommodate up to 40 guests across 20 cabins.
She was specifically designed to cruise the Amazon, with low impact smokeless engines and a shallow draft of just 1.5 metres to minimise disturbance and reduce wake as she explores the waters of one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.
Noor, the Architectural agency that designed the Raffles Hotel in Angkor Wat and Furaveri in the Maldives, designed Aqua Nera’s 20 suites with floor-to-ceiling windows for uninterrupted views of the ever-changing Amazonian backdrop. Each cabin is ensuite and measures a spacious 30 square metres in size.
Key features offered to guests on board include a gym, a billiard room and library, a spa, a medical suite, a tropical-styled lounge and a fine dining restaurant. The menu has been designed by consultant chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino who has incorporated local specialities into recipes such as river fish ceviche and coca leaf cookies.
To enjoy the views as she makes her way down the Amazon, Aqua Nera has been equipped with exterior observation decks, an open-air cinema, an outdoor lounge and bar and a plunge pool.
Camper & Nicholsons’ charter marketing director Sacha Williams said: “Francesco’s latest launch proves that he can place luxury vessels in the world’s hottest destinations, just as he did with Aqua Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam in 2014 and Aqua Blu in Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands in 2019.”
Aqua Nera has already undergone an impressive passage on her maiden journey. After hitting the water in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2020, she was transported through the Indian and Atlantic Oceans to the mouth of the Amazon, after which her owner joined her for a 2,000km voyage from Brazil to Peru.
Describing the journey, Galli Zugaro said: “Peru’s Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is inaccessible by road. That means we had to navigate Aqua Nera up the Amazon [...] The logistics of the 15-day voyage were mind-boggling. But the chance to spot pink river dolphins and red-faced spider monkeys made it well worth it."
For her first charter season, Aqua Nera will be cruising around Peru’s Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, which is home to jaguars, pink river dolphins and nearly 500 diverse species of birds such as white-throated toucans and capped herons.
Expert naturalist guides will lead groups on flooded forest encounters using four fast explorer skiffs, while other activities offered include kayaking to a secret freshwater "swimming pool" or mountain biking through an Amazon river town.
Aqua Nera is managed by Camper & Nicholsons with an all-inclusive, weekly charter rate of $359,000.