ARIA AMAZON

Aria Amazon was built in 2010 for a single purpose: to carry people in comfort through the rainforest of northern Peru. Jordi Puig built her in steel, painted black, with decks laid in teak; she was refitted in 2015, and in 2016 readers of Condé Nast Traveler gave her one of their Readers' Choice awards.

Next to Aqua Nera, which also cruises the Peruvian Amazon, she is the compact choice, sleeping 32 rather than 40, and that changes how a charter feels. A group of thirty fills her properly, the dining room and lounge become one shared table and one shared bar, and nobody is a stranger by the second evening. Her operator also runs trips of four, five or eight days, so a family that cannot spare a full week still has a way in.

Outings happen twice a day in four aluminium launches, each taking eight passengers, led by naturalist guides who speak both English and Spanish. In the gaps people paddle, ride bikes or try their luck with piranhas, and the crew hands out rain boots and ponchos, because this is the jungle. Menus come from the consulting chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, and a sommelier pairs them with South American wines and local beers.

Suites run to about 22 square metres, each with armchairs set against a full-height pane of glass, and four open into one another, which is what makes her so easy with children. There is a massage room, a gym, a screening room and a jacuzzi up on deck for the heat of the afternoon.

Pick her for a multigenerational family, a group of friends with kids, or anyone who wants the Amazon without committing a whole week. Pick Aqua Nera instead if newer cabins and a plunge pool matter more than the price, and look elsewhere altogether if you want salt water, beaches or a garage full of motorised toys.