View over lush valley and hills and Rio Magdalena
Rudi Schreiner’s dream of sailing the Magdalena River has come to fruition with the launch of two new ships that will sail the river in Colombia in 2024.
The AmaMagdalena and AmaMelodia will join the two dozen ships already in the Ama fleet, sailing itineraries between Cartagena and Barranquilla.
On a webinar about the plan in 2021 (Ama Waterways Finds a New Continent to Explore | Travel Research Online), the Ama co-founder and president said he began scouting “the whole area from Argentina to Bolivia” in 2020 in search of a new itinerary. He chose the Magdalena because it is “the prime river in Latin America—a place where you have, every day, something exciting, something different” to see and do, with “fantastic culture in the key cities and also fantastic nature, tons of birds and beautiful little charming towns.”
It also offers easy travel, being just two or three hours from Florida, the second-largest Carnival in the world, the world’s best chocolate and coffee, and some really good rum.
“After visiting and falling in love with this region, we are so excited to now offer our guests the opportunity to discover Colombia’s vibrant culture, unique traditions and natural beauty,” said Schreiner, who at the recent Dream Vacations conference spoke fondly of the Colombia itinerary as “my new baby.”
The ships will carry about 60 passengers each and sail year-round seven-night cruises that bring guests to six UNESCO World Heritage sites, with prices starting at $3,599 double occupancy.
The itineraries include a private Carnaval celebration in Barranquilla, birdwatching tours and a rich heritage of history and unique flora and fauna. There also are pre- and post-trip packages in Medellin, Cartagena and Panama City a post-cruise land package in Panama City, including the tropical rainforest of Chagres National Park.
