The Peruvian Jungle

A February 2006 trip to Iquitos by maynard7

Trip to Iquitos and the nearby jungle.

  • 4 reviews
Iquitos is like no other city in Peru. There seem to be mostly motorcycles rushing around rather than cars, and almost no horn honking. I enjoyed Iquitos, and I think about 2 days would be enough to explore the city itself. The only way to get here is by air or boat. The round-trip fare from Lima to Iquitos in Feb, 2006, was round-trip. Currently, only LAN and AeroCondor fly here from Lima. It would probably not be worth your while to come all the way here just to see Iquitos; you would probably want to combine the city itself with a visit to the Peruvian Amazon jungle. The city itself is kind of pretty, but nothing like Cusco or Arequipa.

Quick Tips:

It is hot and humid here, but anything other than extreme budget hotels have air-conditioning. There are precious few reviews of hotels in this city, but at least when you make a reservation, you don't have to guarantee it with a credit card. If you end up not liking the hotel, you can just walk around and look at others since there are many near the main square. The people I met in Iquitos told me that the crime rate was lower than for the rest of Peru. I didn't get bitten by a single mosquito in Iquitos, but the jungle is the exact opposite. I got nearly 100 bites in 1 day while out on a boat excursion. They did not bite me where I put repellent, but they did bite me right through my shirt, especially on the shoulders. You'll need to spray repellent on the outside of your shirts as well. I wore long pants with ankle ties so they couldn't get up my pants leg. Other guests told me that they got bitten even where they did put repellent. As far as the jungle trips go, I was told that you have to go to a jungle lodge that's at least a 3- to 4-hour boat ride away from Iquitos to be able to see animals. I did that, and still didn't see that many. The lodge may be a rustic experience (cold water only, for example), and you need to decide if this type of trip is really for you. People who love camping will be OK, while those who must have warm water to shower may not be happy.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking will get you nearly anywhere you need to go. From the airport, you can take a mototaxi for 5 or 6 soles and nothing more. A enclosed car taxi will be about 10 soles. You can let the driver take you to a few hotels, and just choose one that way. I actually recommend that. He will be paid a commission by the hotel you end up staying at, but I have found this a good way to get a hotel all over Peru. If you want to take a moto taxi within Iquitos, pay no more than 3 soles. When it's time to return to the airport, your hotel can call a taxi and it should cost 10 soles. It's better to go in a car taxi because it can be dusty on the road to the airport.
The lodge is like a complex of tree houses connected by walkways. Most of the rooms have common walls, but there are a few that are like little bungalows (room nos. 7, 8, and 9). There is no ceiling on the rooms; instead, there is mesh to keep out mosquitoes and to let hot air go up and out. There's a giant thatched roof that covers all the rooms, however, to keep out the rain. You will be able to hear people snoring and talking in other rooms. The mattresses are super-comfortable. The beds are surrounded with gauze-like material to keep the mosquitoes out.

The guides who work at the lodge are great. They all seem to enjoy their jobs and are filled with information. Most of them are pretty good at speaking English. Whenever a guest had an idea for some type of excursion, the answer was always "yes." Even when the guides were pretty sure it was going to rain one night, they still took six people out for a night hike. They came back soaked, of course, but that's life in the rain forest. There are activities all day long. You can do any of them, or none. They have excursions to native markets, animal sightseeing, hikes, etc. On a night hike, we saw giant hairy tarantulas, bugs that light up, and a possum.

Most of the guests at the lodge were very interesting people. There's no TV here, so the guests hang out talking (probably the way many hotels were before the advent of television). You can always just rest in your room if you feel like being alone. The hammock room is great, too.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served every day. I wouldn't call the food "delicious," but it was tasty and healthy. Nothing was fried. You might want to bring some familiar snacks, such as peanuts or graham crackers, etc. There's plenty of purified water to drink.

They have laundry service (done by hand). The clothing is line-dried, so it will take a day or two to be ready.

The thing I missed most while staying at the lodge was hot water. You will have to bathe in cold water, as there are no heaters. I have taken cold showers before in Venezuela and Arizona, but the water here was colder than there. I almost had to force myself to take a bath.

There is no electricity, so oil lanterns are set up at night on the walkways. Bring a small flashlight to use in the bathrooms at night. A flashlight would also come in handy for night hikes (there are much fewer mosquitoes at night, for some reason, than during the day).

Some of these guests were there for 2 weeks. Several were repeat customers. I have not been to the other lodges, but I can't imagine they would be more hospitable than this one. Everyone treated me so nicely while there. Many guests were already talking about when they would return.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by maynard7 on March 4, 2006

Tahuayo Lodge
USA office Iquitos, Peru 33647
(800) 262-9669

Yellow Rose of TexasBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "The Yellow Rose of Texas"

I cannot recommend this restaurant because I ended up getting sick after eating here. Had it not been for that, I would have definitely recommended it since the service was exceptional, and the food was tasty. I ended up having to take antibiotics for a few days. If you'd like to take your chances, the daily set menu is 10 soles. You'll see this place walking around the city because of the tables set up on the sidewalk, and aggressive waitresses that will try to get you to take a table.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by maynard7 on March 2, 2006

Yellow Rose of Texas
Calle Putumayo 180 Iquitos, Peru
+51 231353

El RanchoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The best chicken and french fries I had in my many visits in Peru, bar none. It was worth the wait. I took a Peruvian friend, and got the quarter chicken meal for each of us. I got the breast, fries, and salad. We also got a pitcher of chicha morada to share. Absolutely delicious, and was only 20 soles for the whole thing. A bargain by any standard. No foreigners were here when I was there, just packed with Peruvians.
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by maynard7 on March 4, 2006

El Rancho
Huallaga and Napo Iquitos, Peru
221-937

About the Writer

maynard7
maynard7
Chandler, Arizona

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