A Bold Culinary Journey: Delfin I Returns to the Amazon

By Kristen Oliveri

In 2006, Aldo Macchiavello, founder and CEO of Delfin Amazon Cruises, launched the Delfin I with a bold idea: to create a refined, locally rooted experience in one of the most remote and biodiverse places on Earth: the Upper Peruvian Amazon. Nearly 20 years later, the company has relaunched the Delfin I, marking a new chapter in the evolution of the brand.

“The Delfin I still sets the benchmark. Now completely redesigned with elevated sustainability features, she’s become the most intimate and exclusive vessel in the region,” Macchiavello told Wealth Reimagined. “My wife Lissy has been the visionary behind how the Amazon is reflected onboard. She has made the Delfin I our second home, filled with soul and a deep sense of place. Her passion for the region shows in everything, from the textures and tones she brings onboard to the way she incorporates local materials and craft traditions into the design.”

For Macchiavello, the Amazon isn’t just a workplace, it’s shared land. “We feel a deep responsibility to give back: to the forest that sustains us, and to the people who call it home. That commitment is reflected in every layer of the Delfin I, from her reforestation-linked design choices to the partnerships we’ve built over the past two decades,” he said. “This relaunch is more than a facelift. It’s a reflection of who we are and how we grow, rooted in our values, respectful of our origins, and driven by a vision to protect what matters most.”

One of the standout experiences aboard the Delfin I is its culinary program. “We’ve just launched our brand evolution, which reflects this philosophy perfectly,” Macchiavello explained. “Like a carefully prepared dish, our brand is woven by nature, crafted for you—a thoughtful blend of authentic ingredients, skillfully brought together to create an experience that’s rich, meaningful, and uniquely Amazonian.”

At the helm of the onboard cuisine is Chef Isaac Saavedra, a native of the region who aims to transport guests into an Amazon rarely experienced by outsiders. “Presenting meals prepared with local ingredients from our rainforest means a lot to me,” said Saavedra. “Through my dishes, I convey how vast the Amazon is, offering ingredients the world still doesn't know about, which we are gradually showcasing in each dish. These delicacies remain unknown to many.” 

He highlighted unique fruits like cocona, taperiba, shimbillo, and wito, as well as aromatic peppers such as charapita, motelillo, and pucunucho, which together make Amazonian cuisine a true window into the region’s biodiversity.

Delfin Amazon Cruises also maintains its own organic garden near Iquitos, where native vegetables and even honey from Melipona bees are cultivated. The company offers a sustainable agriculture program for local high school students and supports a reforestation initiative with chonta (heart of palm) producers, planting three saplings for every palm tree harvested.

For those dreaming of an Amazonian river cruise, one example of what you might experience on board is thin slices of doncella (Amazon river fish) wrapped in heart of palm, served with mango tartare and a spicy camu camu reduction. “This dish brings together some of the Amazon’s most vibrant flavors, like tender, fresh doncella fish wrapped delicately in locally sourced heart of palm,” said Macchiavello.