Peru Tours: The Jungle and the Amazon rainforest in Peru

Iquitos is the capital of Loreto that is located in the north east of Peru. On the north limits with Ecuador and Colombia, on the south with Ucayali, on the east with Brazil and on the west with Amazonas and San Martin. Because of the difficult geography, it has no roads, and the communication is through air or river.

Iquitos is a place for people who like natural tourism and want to get in touch with nature and Amazon forests, you could get into jungle shelters , and get to natural parks and reserves, full of wild animals and plants with lots of places to discover by science. It is one of the most natural areas in the world.

• Quistococha Park, has a zoo with exotic animals and snakes.
• Moronacocha Lake, in which there is a paiche reservoir.
• Amazon, Itaya, Yarapa, Manati Rivers, were there are many shelters.
• Last century houses, beautiful and rich houses that transmit the rubber fever, most of them are located in front of the river. You can see the very first house in America made of metal by Gustavo Eiffel brought from Europe into pieces (including screws) and assembled in the middle of the city.
• Belen neighborhood, called Jungle Venice, located in the middle of the city on the Amazon River and where you can only travel by canoe or swimming.
• Cruise service, the boats offer the possibility to travel through the Amazon during a week. You can also visit the cities of Leticia in Colombia and Tabatinga in Brazil, includes trekking in the Jungle visiting native towns, night expeditions and fishing.
• Ecotourism, the Amazon is the reserve of natural life most varied in the whole world, where you can find more than 25 plant species, 4000 butterfly species and 2000 fish species. It is a great opportunity to practice this kind of tourism.
• Camping over Sucusari River, it is considered one of the most attractive places in the whole world, because of the air hall in America. You can observe from the best place animals and plants. It is a hanging bridge with 200 meters long, made of steel and 30 meters high.
• Pacaya – Samiria National Reserve, has an extension of 21000 square kilometers. It is the biggest reserve area in Peru. It was created to preserve particular animals and plants on the low jungle. The access and guided visits can be done starting from a jungle shelter.

• Altitude: 106 meters above sea level.
• Weather: Tropical, warm, and humid.
• Temperature: From 90 to 70 °F – from 21 to 36°C approx.
• Raining season: From December to March. Sometimes throughout the year.

The most important are:

• Chonta or palmito salad, steam called pona.
• Cebiche de dorado, made of fish Inchicapi, hen soup, with peanut, cilantro and yuca.
• Timbuche, soup with fish and cilantro.
• Cecina, dried and salty beef or pork.
• Patarashca, fish covered with bijao leaves and roasted.
• Juanes, rice dough with pieces of chicken, covered with bijao leaves and steamed.
• Tacacho, cooked with green banana, mashed and roasted with fried pork combined with cecina.
• Inchicucho, cooked with corn, chili and peanut.

There is a great variety of tropical fruits like papaya, aguaje (palm with a purple fruit and orange inside), taperiba (called mango ciruelo), bananas, cocona, camu camu, maracuya and guayaba.

The typical beverages are:

• Masato: drink of cooked yucca and mashed, marinated with sugar.
• Aguajina, beverage made of aguaje fruit (palm).
• Chapo, prepared specially with mature banana (capirona).
• Shibe, prepared with farina (fermented yucca and toasted).

Shots:

• Huitochado, prepared with huito, sugar and alcohol.
• Chuchuhuasi, prepared with tree parts of the same name, marinated in alcohol.
• Siete raices, prepared with cumaceba, clavohuasca, marure, huacapurana, chuchuhuasi, cocobolo, ipururo, sweetened with honey and marinated with alcohol.
• Coconachado, prepared with “cocona” sugar and alcohol.
• Huarapo, caña fermented juice.
• Piraña bite, prepared with rum and cocona.

• First week in January, creation anniversary. City celebration.
• Third week in February, carnival. June 24th. San Juan Celebration. The population goes to the shore of the rivers Nanay and Amazonas taking their traditional juanes, prepared days before. There in front of the river they dance and drink in a general celebration day.
• Second week in August. Agricultural fair in Santa Clara of Nanay, 14 kilometers from Iquitos.
• September 7, Nuestra Señora de la Natividad Celebration, lord of Tamashiyacu, province of Maynas.
• December 8, Purísima celebration in Punchana, 3 kilometers from Iquitos.

Peru Tours: Discover The Jungle and the Amazon rainforest