I arrived in Iquitos on the morning of Saturday 20 May. I went into the jungle two days later. I returned to the city on Friday 2 June and left Iquitos the next day. Iquitos is in Peru and where two smaller rivers flow into the Amazon River. Here is a summary of my experience.
Getting There
You have two options--by plane or boat. It is a city of about half a million that has no transportation by road or railroad. Cars are very rare in Iquitos, but are becoming more common.
If you are traveling to Iquitos from outside of Peru, you will have go through Lima. Four airlines offer flights, with one or two flights a day each way. It is the smallest commercial airport I've ever been to--four gates. Lima is about two hours away by plane.
If you have lots of time, you can go to Yurimaguas and travel downstream by boat. Many of these boats are cargo boats, and you might have to sleep on a hammock. You MIGHT find a boat with bunks. You can travel upstream on the Amazon from Brazil or Colombia, but this is obviously a slower trip.
Transport in Iquitos
Iquitos is still 2,300 miles (3,680 kilometers) from the Atlantic, so cars and trucks are quite rare there because they have to be shipped in. When you get to the airport, you can hail a taxi. Most of the taxis are motorcars or rickshaws and look like this:
![[Image: bible-quote-motorcar-belen-in-iquitos-de...dxmcxp.jpg]](http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/a53704d7f1524e028373aed377b06d29/bible-quote-motorcar-belen-in-iquitos-department-of-loreto-peru-dxmcxp.jpg)
You should negotiate a price before taking your trip. Trips to and from the airport are ten Peruvian soles, because only certain drivers are permitted there. Trips around town are two or three soles. In the city, just step off the curb and start waving your hand. You will get a ride in probably five minutes, unless it's a dead time. The drivers only take cash.
Iquitos has lots of grids, so walking is easier than any suburb. However, the sidewalks are poorly maintained and very uneven. If you are in a wheelchair, don't bother going there. You will see holes and trash on them as well. Many places don't have street signs, and numbers on buildings are not obvious either. Have a good pair of shoes.
Be careful crossing streets. People run red lights and disregard most traffic laws. It's hard to predict what drivers will do. Fortunately, most of them are just driving the rickshaws.
Food
Since this is the jungle, good food is everywhere. People stand on street corners and sell fruits out of baskets. You can also find fruit at the Belen Market, where people come from all around the jungle to sell fruits, plant medicines, and many other creations from their homes. You are close to nature, so it will be tough to find bad food.
Restaurants are also good, although they tend to be a lot slower than most in America. Most are also a combination of inside and outside seating.
Drinks never have ice, and I don't know if the restaurants have any ice. You will also pay for any refills.
I never got an official word on tipping customs in Peru. I just tipped the standard 20% anyway.
I went to excellent restaurants. Here is a list:
Dawn on the Amazon--closed on Sunday
Yellow Rose of Texas--open 24-7
Maria's Cafe--I didn't try the coffee
Huasai--great food, open 7:30am to 4pm
Amazon Bistro--great burger; electronic menu in French, English, and Spanish; open 6am to 2am
Small, Independent Businesses
I saw almost no chains or international companies there. The only American business I saw a Western Union office. I have also heard that there is a Best Western hotel. There was also a place to ship on DHL. I didn't see Starbucks or any other corporate junk food.
Since you are tourist and will stick out, prepare to be approached for anything. They will offer rides, tours, homemade jewelry, artwork, and anything else made at home. Remember that these are people just trying to earn a living. The best response is to say politely, "No gracias," and walk away.
I was never approached for illicit drugs or prostitution. Maybe I was just hanging out in the wrong neighborhoods. I also never saw anyone on the street who was just asking for money, unlike America.
Females and Game
I did nothing with regard to approaching women and game. If anything, I tried to game the other travelers I met.
The people of the Amazon are generally quite short. So, it's hard to tell if a person is just a big kid or an adult. If you are going to game, I suggest going to a place where you know the crowd is legal.
Miscellaneous
People in Iquitos tend to be early risers. There are lots of people out and activities going on before eight in the morning. The sun rises and sets around six, and the days and nights are always equal. All of Peru is on Eastern Time in the US, and there is no "daylight-savings" bullshit.
The Plaza de Armas is the center of the social life in town. You will see lots of people there at most times. You will even see parades and similar activities.
The hotel where I stayed three nights was fairly old and still used the old-fashioned keys. American hotels phased these out in the early 1990's.
When you use a toilet, there will be a trash can. I'm not sure how the sewage system works, but they don't want toilet paper in their system. You just throw toilet paper in the trash.
The locals will generally try to help visitors. Most of them are quite generous. When I asked for directions, people helped the best they could.
I went to three gyms. Equipment wasn't very well maintained at any of them. You can go to a gym for about eight soles. They also use much smaller locks, so the lock I use here in the USA didn't work. Finally, they are all closed on Sunday.
Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve
I spent eleven days in the heart of this reserve. You can find a great map of it here.
We were on the Nanay River, which is a blackwater river. It's more acidic than other rivers and attracts different forms of life. Apparently, the mosquitoes weren't as bad. I didn't see any dolphins, alligators, or piranhas. I heard some interesting birds, and some people apparently saw monkeys. It was about the size of the Ohio River and didn't have any dams or other regulation.
We went on a couple hikes of over a mile. The jungle didn't seem all that much different from a forest in Appalachia, at times. We walked some established paths, and the government had even built a long walking bridge in the reserve.
Straight-line distance to Iquitos was only about thirteen miles. I wondered if we could have had a helicopter in case of an emergency. Another person said that the air currents from a helicopter's propellers would destroy the buildings in the little community where we were. So, we were still well over an hour from a medical facility if any medical emergency had arisen.
It was good to get away though. I was disconnected from everything, so I got a good recharge.
Amazonian Plant Medicines
I mainly traveled there to go to an ayahuasca retreat. There are centers everywhere. I have heard that you can also find retreats in the area for fifty soles, which is about one tenth of the price you'll get on American soil. We also went to a cool little shop where we bought other plant medicines which I took home with me. Only buy from recommended sources, and be careful.
Getting There
You have two options--by plane or boat. It is a city of about half a million that has no transportation by road or railroad. Cars are very rare in Iquitos, but are becoming more common.
If you are traveling to Iquitos from outside of Peru, you will have go through Lima. Four airlines offer flights, with one or two flights a day each way. It is the smallest commercial airport I've ever been to--four gates. Lima is about two hours away by plane.
If you have lots of time, you can go to Yurimaguas and travel downstream by boat. Many of these boats are cargo boats, and you might have to sleep on a hammock. You MIGHT find a boat with bunks. You can travel upstream on the Amazon from Brazil or Colombia, but this is obviously a slower trip.
Transport in Iquitos
Iquitos is still 2,300 miles (3,680 kilometers) from the Atlantic, so cars and trucks are quite rare there because they have to be shipped in. When you get to the airport, you can hail a taxi. Most of the taxis are motorcars or rickshaws and look like this:
![[Image: bible-quote-motorcar-belen-in-iquitos-de...dxmcxp.jpg]](http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/a53704d7f1524e028373aed377b06d29/bible-quote-motorcar-belen-in-iquitos-department-of-loreto-peru-dxmcxp.jpg)
You should negotiate a price before taking your trip. Trips to and from the airport are ten Peruvian soles, because only certain drivers are permitted there. Trips around town are two or three soles. In the city, just step off the curb and start waving your hand. You will get a ride in probably five minutes, unless it's a dead time. The drivers only take cash.
Iquitos has lots of grids, so walking is easier than any suburb. However, the sidewalks are poorly maintained and very uneven. If you are in a wheelchair, don't bother going there. You will see holes and trash on them as well. Many places don't have street signs, and numbers on buildings are not obvious either. Have a good pair of shoes.
Be careful crossing streets. People run red lights and disregard most traffic laws. It's hard to predict what drivers will do. Fortunately, most of them are just driving the rickshaws.
Food
Since this is the jungle, good food is everywhere. People stand on street corners and sell fruits out of baskets. You can also find fruit at the Belen Market, where people come from all around the jungle to sell fruits, plant medicines, and many other creations from their homes. You are close to nature, so it will be tough to find bad food.
Restaurants are also good, although they tend to be a lot slower than most in America. Most are also a combination of inside and outside seating.
Drinks never have ice, and I don't know if the restaurants have any ice. You will also pay for any refills.
I never got an official word on tipping customs in Peru. I just tipped the standard 20% anyway.
I went to excellent restaurants. Here is a list:
Dawn on the Amazon--closed on Sunday
Yellow Rose of Texas--open 24-7
Maria's Cafe--I didn't try the coffee
Huasai--great food, open 7:30am to 4pm
Amazon Bistro--great burger; electronic menu in French, English, and Spanish; open 6am to 2am
Small, Independent Businesses
I saw almost no chains or international companies there. The only American business I saw a Western Union office. I have also heard that there is a Best Western hotel. There was also a place to ship on DHL. I didn't see Starbucks or any other corporate junk food.
Since you are tourist and will stick out, prepare to be approached for anything. They will offer rides, tours, homemade jewelry, artwork, and anything else made at home. Remember that these are people just trying to earn a living. The best response is to say politely, "No gracias," and walk away.
I was never approached for illicit drugs or prostitution. Maybe I was just hanging out in the wrong neighborhoods. I also never saw anyone on the street who was just asking for money, unlike America.
Females and Game
I did nothing with regard to approaching women and game. If anything, I tried to game the other travelers I met.
The people of the Amazon are generally quite short. So, it's hard to tell if a person is just a big kid or an adult. If you are going to game, I suggest going to a place where you know the crowd is legal.
Miscellaneous
People in Iquitos tend to be early risers. There are lots of people out and activities going on before eight in the morning. The sun rises and sets around six, and the days and nights are always equal. All of Peru is on Eastern Time in the US, and there is no "daylight-savings" bullshit.
The Plaza de Armas is the center of the social life in town. You will see lots of people there at most times. You will even see parades and similar activities.
The hotel where I stayed three nights was fairly old and still used the old-fashioned keys. American hotels phased these out in the early 1990's.
When you use a toilet, there will be a trash can. I'm not sure how the sewage system works, but they don't want toilet paper in their system. You just throw toilet paper in the trash.
The locals will generally try to help visitors. Most of them are quite generous. When I asked for directions, people helped the best they could.
I went to three gyms. Equipment wasn't very well maintained at any of them. You can go to a gym for about eight soles. They also use much smaller locks, so the lock I use here in the USA didn't work. Finally, they are all closed on Sunday.
Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve
I spent eleven days in the heart of this reserve. You can find a great map of it here.
We were on the Nanay River, which is a blackwater river. It's more acidic than other rivers and attracts different forms of life. Apparently, the mosquitoes weren't as bad. I didn't see any dolphins, alligators, or piranhas. I heard some interesting birds, and some people apparently saw monkeys. It was about the size of the Ohio River and didn't have any dams or other regulation.
We went on a couple hikes of over a mile. The jungle didn't seem all that much different from a forest in Appalachia, at times. We walked some established paths, and the government had even built a long walking bridge in the reserve.
Straight-line distance to Iquitos was only about thirteen miles. I wondered if we could have had a helicopter in case of an emergency. Another person said that the air currents from a helicopter's propellers would destroy the buildings in the little community where we were. So, we were still well over an hour from a medical facility if any medical emergency had arisen.
It was good to get away though. I was disconnected from everything, so I got a good recharge.
Amazonian Plant Medicines
I mainly traveled there to go to an ayahuasca retreat. There are centers everywhere. I have heard that you can also find retreats in the area for fifty soles, which is about one tenth of the price you'll get on American soil. We also went to a cool little shop where we bought other plant medicines which I took home with me. Only buy from recommended sources, and be careful.