Making the most of Iquitos
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Amazon riverfront boulevard Malecón Tarapacá has a pedestrian promenade running from the downtown focus of restaurants and bars near Plaza de Armas to the shabby yet picturesque Belén district.
Water-locked Iquitos is accessible only by boat or airplane. With around 400,000 residents, it is Peru's largest rain-forest city and the capital of Loreto Region and Maynas Province. It is generally regarded as the world's most populous city without a road connection.
Conditions are hot and humid, averaging 85% relative humidity. The wet season runs roughly November to May, and the river reaches its high point in May before falling to its lowest level in October.
A Belén boat tour is a common visitor attraction. In the dry season this Iquitos area can be reached on foot, but in the wet season it is accessible only by boat.
Getting around
Iquitos has painted and marked "formal" taxis, plus informal cars bearing only a "Taxi" windscreen sticker. The latter are best left to locals, particularly if you do not speak Spanish. Except for more upmarket, and more expensive, radio taxis, fares are neither fixed nor metered and must be agreed with the driver before entering.
Nearby places
Native tribes are a major attraction of Iquitos and the Amazon Rain Forest.
Iquitos chiefly serves as a base for Amazon trips. Single-day and multi-day journeys cost around 150 soles per person per day. Boat excursions can reveal monkeys, alligators, giant lily-pads, baby caimans, which are like mini-alligators, anacondas, boas, tarantulas and other wildlife.
Food and shopping
Iquitos' embankment is home to the floating market called Belén.
Money
Peru uses the nuevo sol. ATMs can be found in large cities, up-market hotels and tourist areas.
Staying connected
English is spoken in high-class hotels and visitor centres such as Cusco and Machu Picchu. For other sites, particularly in the countryside, Spanish is needed.
Peru's emergency numbers are 011 / 5114; in Lima, ring 105.
In Peru, customer free-WiFi cafes, known as cabinas públicas, are widespread across the country.
Opening Hours and
Most companies operate 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Shopping centers and stores open 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, although some companies now operate 24 hours a day.