Tourism in Iquitos and Amazon River
Iquitos and Amazon River are an ideal place for
lovers of the eco-tourism, and for the ones who want to feel an intimate contact
with the virgin nature of the Amazon rainforests. From the city you will be able
to go to jungle lodges, and for the most adventurous and fearless you can arrive
to protected natural areas, full and plethoric with exuberant flora and fauna,
with many undiscovered places, and many alive species unknown by science.
Iquitos city is the capital of the department of
Loreto, located in the heart of the Peruvian rainforest, less than 4° south of
Ecuador, and next to the left river bank of the Amazon River. Iquitos is the
world's largest city that cannot reached by road.
Iquitos was a village inhabited by the wild tribe
called the "Iquitos" from whom the name was taken in the moment of its
foundation in 1864. During the Spanish Colony and the gold fever caused by the
legends of "El Dorado" (The Golden) and the "País de la Canela" (Country of the
Cinnamon), Iquitos never had historical figuration. In 1883 began in this city
the era and peak of the rubber, the exploitation of their latex and trade made
that some reached immense fortunes, it brought the prosperity of the city and
the construction of mansions of rubber barons began, some with tiles brought
from Portugal.
In those days, Iquitos had better communications,
with Europe, through the Amazon River, better than with the city of Lima. Part
of the characteristic of this time was the acquisition of a house built by
Gustave Eiffel in Paris and today located in the Main Square of Iquitos, the
Iron House. The end of the era of the rubber arrived in 1912.
From then on, Iquitos has always been the main
fluvial mean and principal Amazon port of Peru; its economic activity has been
centered in the commercialization of its natural resources and lately the
exploration and production of petroleum.
The people of Iquitos in its great majority are
natural descendants of regional aborigines tribes and of the miscegenation. The
people's temper is very noble and cheerful, lover of the amusement. Iquitos is
also famed by the quantity of men that arrived to the city and lost their
bachelorhood, because of the affection that women in this region give to the
visitors. The population has many myths and legends, some occult; there is a
great diffusion of the folkloric medicine and the faith to be cured with those
medicines based on the great quantity of medicinal plants that exist.
The typical public transportation in the city is the
"mototaxi" or "motocar", it is a motorized tricycle used for passenger
transportation with a very economic rate. There are also taxies in conventional
cars that generally don't have air-conditioning. In the city you can rent a
motorcycle or an automobile..
Visiting Iquitos
and Amazon River
Iquitos City: The highlights of the city are the historic
buildings as the majestic Iron House and the Belen Village. Its main square and
Tarapacá seawall concentrate the social life and amusement centers. Some a small
museums, commercial area in the Próspero Street, craft markets of the native
tribes, as well as enjoy an excellent cuisine and typical drinks and beverages
and fast-moving nightlife.
Amazon River: The
longest and mightiest river by volume on the planet, the only one where you can
actually see the curve of the Earth, as if you were on the ocean itself. One can
sail to the confluence of its two great tributaries: the Marañón and the
Ucayali, also the exact location for the entryway to the Pacaya Samiria
National Reserve, land of lakes and pink dolphins, a paradise for nature lovers.
The Amazon river and its thousands of tributaries rivers are the way to know the
dense rainforest where you can enjoy a cruise and sail in the river, is an ideal
place for sport fishing.
Pacaya Samiria
National Reserve: "The Mirrored Jungle" With 2 million hectares,
it is the biggest National Reserve of Peru, also it is the largest protected
flooded forest of the world and one of the richest places in biological wealth
on the planet. Between its biological diversity we find 449 of tropical bird
species, 102 of mammals, 256 known species of freshwater fish, 69 of reptiles
and more than 1000 varieties of plants, as well as species in danger of
extinction like the giant otter, the black lizard, the manatee and the pink
dolphin of the Amazon. The place's beauty, as well as its biological wealth
makes the reserve a particularly important destination for scientific
investigators, nature lovers and bird watchers.
Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve:
This reserve contains an enormous and
peculiar biological wealth and numerous endemic plant and animal and restricted
distribution species stand out, many of them still without scientific
classification. Up to now, there have been more than 1780 plant species, 522
butterfly species, 155 species of fish, 83 species of amphibians, 120 reptile
species, 476 bird species, and 145 species of mammals registered; the most
important ones among them are the equatorial sakis (Pithecia aequatorialis) and
the black titi monkey (Callicebus lucifer). New plant and animal species are
continually being discovered.
Exploring the Jungle: Excursions to the jungle, stay in a jungle lodge for
wildlife encounter, a cruise on a riverboat, or camping and walking trips, all
from Iquitos city. The Amazon basin is the natural reserve of more extensive and
more variety life of the Earth. Abundant botanical and zoological species, in
amazing landscapes.
Native Communities: In the immense territories of the department of Loreto,
exist populations of native and aboriginal communities that can be visited in
their towns. The great majority of these groups has been civilized by Catholic
missions and they maintain ingrained many of their ancestral habits, such as
their art, language, dances, feeding, etc. For those visitors interested in
getting acquainted and interacting with other cultures, visiting the Amazonian
communities becomes the main motive for their trip. Within this same search, the
possibility to get closer to the artistic work of artisans represents a crucial
factor during their stay in Iquitos area.
Around Iquitos: You will be able to visit the tourist complex of Quistococha
and its mini-Zoo for a first encounter with the regional fauna and flora, the
rescue center of manatees, the picturesque neighborhood of Santo Tomás and
Zungarococha lagoon, San Juan Artisans Market, Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm and
the native towns of Boras and Yaguas and another places.
For all those are always dreaming of escaping from their routine to distant
adventures, all of those living in mass consumer societies dream of escaping and
discovering adventure in exotic lands, Iquitos is an ideal place. If you want to
have a close encounter with paradisiacal place in the pristine jungle of the
Amazonian, without any other noise than the one the birds, monkeys or insects
make, Iquitos is a great opportunity and an excellent selection.
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
