Iquitos is a city of 380,000 people (2017) in the Amazonas region of Peru. (Don't confuse it with the Department of Amazonas where Chachapoyas is located.) For travellers, Iquitos offers a vast selection of activities not found elsewhere in Peru, such as Amazon boat rides and great wildlife viewing. One way to see Peru is to visit the 3 areas — Coastal, Andes, and Amazon — and Iquitos is the best way to see the Amazon. Iquitos is also gateway to some of the top national parks and reserves for ecological conservation and wildlife viewing.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Iquitos is the capital of the vast Department of Loreto, which covers most of the northern Amazon region of Peru. Iquitos has a tropical climate year round. The population is very diverse: there were many periods of big wealth in Iquitos (mainly two with rubber and oil) that brought people from around the world and made it the most important fluvial port in the Peruvian Amazon. The city still has a lot of houses which were built during that age. 'Iquiteños' (or 'Iquitinos') are usually very friendly and like to party. As a city not accessible by road, motorcycles and mototaxis dominate unlike anywhere else.
The most common way to move around town is by motocar (or mototaxi), a motorcycle with a small, rickshaw-like passenger cabin in the back. Regular taxis are available too, but the heat and availability of the motocars makes it advisable to take a motocar. Sometimes the S/2.5-3 ride is worth the cost just for the breeze. Most places you will want to go within the city cost about S/2.5, but places further away (for example, from Plaza de Armas to Belen) usually costs about S/3 or more (Feb 2018) The drivers often make their money by kickbacks from the hotels they take you to. It's hard to understate how available and prevalent the mototaxis are in the city.
The riverfront is just one block from the Plaza de Armas. In the low water season it will retreat and thus not be terribly visible. The waterfront walk also seems to be the place where local high schoolers go to canoodle, so if you stroll it be prepared to see lots of this. There is a somewhat big crafts market right below the walk, called Anaconda Center. The Plaza de Armas is a mix of mostly modern and rubber boom styles. Cities like Iquitos turned into one long party during that age, where no expense was spared, nor eccentricity nor luxury lacking.
Jungle trips. Jungle trips are the main reason to visit Iquitos as it serves as a launch point for trips into the Amazon. Single day or multi-day trips can be booked. You are taken out on a boat and can view wildlife such as monkeys, alligators, giant lily-pads, baby caimans (sort of like mini-alligators), anacondas, boas, tarantulas, and more.Your taxi driver or hotel concierge will be more than happy to contact a tour guide for you, as they get a kickback for the referral. However by using this kickback referral system, you will be guaranteed the highest possible price and lowest possible service.
If you are new to Iquitos and the Amazon, you are in for a real treat. The food in Iquitos is excellent. It is an exotic blend of Peruvian, Brazilian, and Colombian food with influences from the Andes and the Pacific Coast. Try the 'juane' and the 'tacacho'. If you want something cold (most likely you will need it because of the heat) there are excellent 'heladerías' (ice cream shops) like Shambo (see below), Giornata at Napa 151, and La Favorita at Plaza Sargento Lores. Do not eat endangered species. Some locals do so as tradition, but many "guides" (pseudo-guides) and restaurants will offer you to taste caiman, majás, turtles, deer and other "carne de monte" (wild meat).
Amazon Bistro and Dawn on the Amazon, listed under "Eat" above, are popular with travellers for drink the evening. Try tropical fruit juices, like Cocona. Pineapple in the Amazon region is quite different to the one found in the rest of Peru, and makes really good juices. Aguaje and ungurahui are also a good choice: you can try everything in the entrance of the Upper Belen central market. You can try also native alcoholic drinks (some of them reputedly aphrodisiac). Pasaje Paquito is the best place to buy them. Para Para (Up and up) made with honey. Aguajina, sweet beverage made with aguaje pulp. Masato- a traditional fermented beverage made with yuca.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Iquitos typically sees ~29°C daytime highs and 22 rainy days.
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