Capital of the Department of Loreto and chief town of Peru’s jungle region, Iquitos is some 800 km downstream from Pucallpa and 3646 km from the mouth of the Amazon. It is a pleasant tropical city, an urban oasis, completely isolated except by air and river. It is active, friendly, generally safe and is gaining a reputation for its gastronomy and fine restaurants. It remains the best place for access to the Peruvian Amazon proper. With its jungle lodges and natural areas such as Pacaya-Samiria, this is the only part of the Peruvian jungle where Victoria Regia lilies and pink dolphins can be seen. In the city it may seem that Iquitos is attempting a new world record for the highest concentration of motorcycles in a built-up area. As a result of the motorcycle noise, televisions and music are played at top volume, adding to the din.
Francisco Secada Vigneta airport is in the southwest, T065-260147. Thereare several ports in Iquitos, but the main one for all long-haul service in large vessels is Masusa, 2 km north of the centre. The rise and fall of the river is such that the islands off Iquitos are constantly moving. Ports for river boats are described in Transport, page .
Iquitos is the best kept secret of the Amazon. Fortunately, more and more people discover this unusual place in the Amazon rainforest. I have been living here since 2006 and have never been bored since.
1Create your personal travel guide:
Give a title and description about where you plan to go and what you plan to see throughout your trip!
2Plan and organize your trip:
Browse tripwolf and click the (+ add to my trip) button next to any location that you find appealing. Add sights, restaurants, bars, hotels - whatever you like! Arrange the location in any order by dragging and dropping them.
3Print and share your guide:
Finish planning and download your personal printable PDF guide for your trip and share it with your friends. (Soon you will also be able to download your trips to your tripwolf iPhone application!)
more Iquitos photos
Iquitos videos
