Taking the “roughing it” out of remote river explorations since 2008, Aqua Expeditions offers three-, four-, and seven-night itineraries that are the cruise equivalent of a luxury safari. With its Peru-based ship, the 32-passenger Aria Amazon, and its newer 40-passenger Aqua Mekong, based in Southeast Asia, the company takes passengers up close to the flora, fauna, and people along its routes. Knowledgeable onboard guides lead multiple daily excursions by motorized skiff to spy on sloths, pink river dolphins, and hundreds of bird species along Amazon tributaries, and to explore temples, markets, and villages of Vietnam and Cambodia. Nightly briefings over cocktails in the lounge create a casual camaraderie.