Iquitos

Understand

Iquitos is the capital of the vast Department of Loreto, which covers most of the northern Amazon region of Peru.

Iquitos has a tropical climate year round. The population is very diverse: there were many periods of big wealth in Iquitos (mainly two with rubber and oil) that brought people from around the world and made it the most important fluvial port in the Peruvian Amazon. The city still has a lot of houses which were built during that age. 'Iquiteños' (or 'Iquitinos') are usually very friendly and like to party.

As a city not accessible by road, motorcycles and mototaxis dominate unlike anywhere else. Other results include remarkably fluid (if chaotic) traffic, a preponderance of motorcycle ads and repair shops, and a sub-industry of people who agree to guard your motorcycle while you shop (even placing cardboard on the seat to keep it cooler during the day).

Get in

Iquitos is widely considered the largest continental city unreachable by road. That leaves planes and boats as the primary means of entrance and egress for people and supplies.

Do not expect to see a city with all the trappings of the western world. This city is very basic as it has no road connection with the rest of the world. Vehicles are old and most vehicles on the meager roads are motocars or three-wheeler motorbikes which can carry three at a pinch. The people are friendly once you get past the taxi drivers at the airport.

Get around

The most common way to move around town is by motocar (or mototaxi), a motorcycle with a small, rickshaw-like passenger cabin in the back. Regular taxis are available too, but the heat and availability of the motocars makes it advisable to take a motocar. Sometimes the S/2.5-3 ride is worth the cost just for the breeze. Most places you will want to go within the city cost about S/2.5, but places further away (for example, from Plaza de Armas to Belen) usually costs about S/3 or more (Feb 2018) The drivers often make their money by kickbacks from the hotels they take you to.

It's hard to understate how available and prevalent the mototaxis are in the city. Near the city center, it's common for 2 or 3 empty mototaxis to pass you on the street in any given minute. The driver will make eye contact with you, hoping that you are interested in a ride. Not all mototaxis are identical in the quality of their ride; older ones will tend to transfer the vibration of the motorcycle to the passenger cabin, while newer and better maintained ones won't. When taking a mototaxi, it can be comfortable on longer rides to hail a newer-looking one.

If you're economically minded, it can be fun to learn about the economics of motocarros. As of May 2010, it is typical for the drivers to rent their taxis for S/10 per hour or S/25-30 per day.

Many mototaxistas (those who drive the mototaxi) make excellent city guides. Mototaxistas are extremely friendly and outgoing, in fact, they are too outgoing a…

See

The riverfront is just one block from the Plaza de Armas. In the low water season it will retreat and thus not be terribly visible. The waterfront walk also seems to be the place where local high schoolers go to canoodle, so if you stroll it be prepared to see lots of this. There is a somewhat big crafts market right below the walk, called Anaconda Center.

The Plaza de Armas is a mix of mostly modern and rubber boom styles. Cities like Iquitos turned into one long party during that age, where no expense was spared, nor eccentricity nor luxury lacking. As part of the legacy of this rubber boom age of abundance, Iquitos still bears traces of the extravagant taste of the rubber barons: mosaic tiles in Italian-style palaces, the bustling riverside walkway or the Iron House, a famous residence designed by Gustave Eiffel that was built from metal sheets. It was carried by hundreds of men through the jungle. There are a few street performers, a fountain, some statues, and one Catholic church. It is quite busy on a Saturday evening.

Today, in the city of Iquitos, the modest local homes - not without a certain kitsch charm - exist alongside French mansions, today largely used as public offices. When rubber seeds were smuggled out of the country, the rubber industry moved to Malaysia, signifying the end of the rubber barons. The memory of this past filled with abundance, however, lives on in the eccentric buildings which testify to an exuberant and wild era.

Do

thumb|Ayahuasca brewing Please refrain from purchasing any animals or taking selfies with sloths. Many people think they are rescuing an animal when in reality, they are making way for another animal to be brought in from the wild. Also, the "Indian tribes" close to Iquitos are tourist traps as are several versions of monkey island. If you want to see good wildlife and real people living off the river and rain forest, you have to get out of the influence of the city more than .

Buy

thumb|250px|Belén district thumb|Belén market

Belén is the poorest district of Iquitos, and is home to 60,000 people living along the river without sanitation.

Be careful as there are many thieves and pickpockets in this market. Take extreme caution, don't carry valuables in any outwardly accessible pockets, and dress down so you are not an obvious target. Consider striking up conversations with police as you walk through, to make yourself even less attractive. (Though many of the police can be corrupt, they also like helping tourists out.) The area is often patrolled by police, but many are corrupt. Police may even offer to escort you through more dangerous and illegal sections of the market where rare and endangered species are traded. If they don't ask you for a tip or charge a fee for their services, they receive a kickback from the illegal animal vendors.

Hiring a guide to take you there from the city centre is a really good idea. A guide will help you navigate through the alleyways, and provide some protection against scammers and pickpockets. But they will also explain to you what is being sold in each alleyway of the market — the tropical fruits and vegetables, the food and drink being sold for immediate consumption, and the jungle medicines, many of which seem to be aimed at improving male sexual performance.

It is possible to buy a wide variety of new and used boats at the waterfront. Types and conditions vary widely but include dugouts, canoes, and small fish…

Eat

If you are new to Iquitos and the Amazon, you are in for a real treat. The food in Iquitos is excellent. It is an exotic blend of Peruvian, Brazilian, and Colombian food with influences from the Andes and the Pacific Coast. Try the 'juane' and the 'tacacho'. If you want something cold (most likely you will need it because of the heat) there are excellent 'heladerías' (ice cream shops) like Shambo (see below), Giornata at Napa 151, and La Favorita at Plaza Sargento Lores.

Do not eat endangered species. Some locals do so as tradition, but many "guides" (pseudo-guides) and restaurants will offer you to taste caiman, majás, turtles, deer and other "carne de monte" (wild meat). Breeding farms for these species do not exist, so these animals come from natural environments.

Drink

Amazon Bistro and Dawn on the Amazon, listed under "Eat" above, are popular with travellers for drink the evening.

Try tropical fruit juices, like Cocona. Pineapple in the Amazon region is quite different to the one found in the rest of Peru, and makes really good juices. Aguaje and ungurahui are also a good choice: you can try everything in the entrance of the Upper Belen central market. You can try also native alcoholic drinks (some of them reputedly aphrodisiac). Pasaje Paquito is the best place to buy them.

Para Para (Up and up) made with honey. Aguajina, sweet beverage made with aguaje pulp. Masato- a traditional fermented beverage made with yuca.

Sleep

thumb|Ex Hotel Palace

Air conditioning is important and very welcome in the brutal heat of the tropical environment. If you are staying in Iquitos and are not enjoying yourself, consider splurging for a room with A/C, as it can make the difference between a good trip and a great one. Given the louder-than-average noise of traffic, ask for a room away from the street.

Stay healthy

The main danger in the jungle surrounding Iquitos is the same as any tropical zone: malaria. There is very little malaria in the city, but it is common outside the city in the jungle. You should get anti-malaria pills from a doctor before your visit. Malarone (if that's what you've been prescribed) should be taken two days before arrival and 7 days after leaving. Bug repellent can be purchased in pharmacies anywhere in Peru and should be applied liberally whenever going out, and especially if taking an Amazon tour.

Yellow fever vaccine is also recommended.