Things to do in Iquitos

Iquitos began around 1757 as a Jesuit mission on the Nanay River. The rubber boom made it rich. Things to do in Iquitos start with what that money left.

The square and the river front

The city sits on the left bank of the Amazon, hemmed in by the Nanay and Itaya rivers. The centre is flat and compact.

• Casa de Fierro. An iron house facing the main square, walled in iron sheets and assembled here in 1890. Guidebooks credit Eiffel, but research since 2011 points to a Belgian foundry.
• Cathedral. A neo-Gothic cathedral on the same square, built between 1911 and 1924.
• Malecón Tarapacá. The riverwalk above the Itaya, called the Boulevard, with bars, cafés and rubber-boom mansions. Boat trips on the river start there.
• Belén. A district of stilt and raft houses on the Itaya, built for a river that rises and falls by several metres.

Out on the water

Tours in Iquitos run on rivers. The longest are lodge trips of three and four days into Pacaya-Samiria, a flooded forest of about 20,800 square kilometres. The one road out of town runs 100 km south to Nauta, where the boats start.

• Pacaya-Samiria. A reserve since 1982, nicknamed the Jungle of Mirrors. Trips add pink dolphins, night walks and piranha fishing.
• Padre Cocha. A boat trip of about seven hours on the Nanay River to the Pilpintuwasi butterfly farm and animal rescue centre, with visits to Bora and Kukama villages.
• Piranhas. A two-hour private boat trip from the Boulevard pier.

Practical

• Weather. Afternoons reach 31C to 33C all year, and nights stay near 22C. About 2,800 mm of rain falls a year. Rain is heaviest in March, at about 300 mm, and lightest in July, at about 170 mm.
• Rivers. The Itaya, Nanay and Amazon rise and fall by several metres a year, and lodge programmes change with the water.
• Lodges. The lodge on these trips is basic, with generator power for a few evening hours and no Wi-Fi. The operator advises flights that land before 9 am and leave after 6 pm.
• Health. Ask a travel clinic about yellow fever and malaria well before you fly.
• Getting around. Flights from Lima take under two hours. In town, mototaxis are the cabs, so agree the fare first.