Amazon Rainforest

Iquitos is the largest city in the world that is not accessible by road. Half a million people live here, in the middle of the rainforest at the confluence of the Marañón and Ucayali into the Amazon. You can only get here by plane (2h from Lima) or by cargo ship (over a week from Pucallpa).

The city has a rough charm: The Malecón (riverside promenade) on the Itaya River is full of life in the evenings, the buildings in the center with their tiled facades recall the rubber era (1880–1912), when Iquitos was one of the richest cities in South America. The Belén Market is one of the wildest and most fascinating markets on the continent: Here you can find everything — from caiman crocodile meat to piranhas to medicinal plants for every conceivable ailment.

★★★ Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve

The largest protected area in Peru (20,800 km² — larger than Saxony!) is a flooded rainforest, accessible only by boat. Here live pink river dolphins, giant otters, sloths, squirrel monkeys, caimans, toucans, and hundreds of other bird species.

Multi-day boat tours take you deep into the reserve: You sleep in simple camps or on the boat, paddle in a canoe through side rivers, fish for piranhas (yes, really!), and observe caimans on night excursions, whose eyes glow red in the flashlight.

• Duration: At least 3 days/2 nights, better 5 days/4 nights
• Cost: €300–800 depending on duration and comfort
• Best time: May–October (dry season, better wildlife observation)

Lodges around Iquitos

For travelers with less time, there are comfortable jungle lodges 1–4 hours by boat from Iquitos:

• Ceiba Tops (Explorama): Luxury lodge with pool and air conditioning — for those who want comfort
• Heliconia Lodge: Good value for money, 80 km downstream
• Treehouse Lodge: Treehouse lodge high in the treetops — a unique experience!

Puerto Maldonado in southeastern Peru is the second major gateway to the Amazon — and for most Peru travelers the more practical option, as it is only 45 minutes by plane from Cusco. The region around the Río Tambopata and the Río Madre de Dios is one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth.

★★★ Tambopata National Reserve

The highlight of the region is the Colpas (clay licks): steep riverbanks where hundreds of macaws and parrots gather every morning to eat mineral-rich soil. The Colpa Colorado is the largest known parrot clay lick in the world — a natural spectacle in all the colors of the rainbow.

The lodges on the Río Tambopata offer guided tours: jungle hikes, night excursions (caimans, tarantulas, frog species), bird watching, canoe tours on oxbow lakes with giant otters, and visits to indigenous communities.

Top Lodges in Tambopata

• Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica: Luxurious cabins on the riverbank, canopy walkway in the treetops, excellently guided excursions. 30 min. by boat from Puerto Maldonado. From €250/night (all-inclusive).
• Refugio Amazonas (Rainforest Expeditions): Open wooden huts in the rainforest, community-based tourism, 32 m high observation tower. 3h by boat. From €150/night.
• Tambopata Research Center: The most remote lodge (8h by boat!), but right at the Colpa Colorado. For serious nature enthusiasts. From €200/night.
• Cayman Lodge: Budget-friendly, good guides, 45 min. by boat. From €60/night.

★★★ Manu National Park

The holy grail of ecotourism in Peru: Manu National Park (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) stretches from the Andean peaks to the lowland rainforest, encompassing almost all of Peru's ecosystems in a single protected area. The biodiversity is breathtaking: over 1,000 bird species, 200 mammal species, 15,000 plant species.

Access is highly regulated: The core zone can only be entered with permission and research authorization. Tourists visit the buffer zone and the area around the Cocha (oxbow lakes), where giant otters, jaguars, tapirs, and caimans live.

• Duration: At least 5 days/4 nights (access is difficult, but worth it!)
• Arrival: Overland from Cusco (2 days!) or flight to Boca Manu
• Cost: €500–1,500 depending on duration and comfort

Health in the Rainforest

The Amazon requires special preparation:

• Yellow fever vaccination: Strongly recommended for the Amazon region (mandatory in some areas). Get vaccinated at least 10 days before entry!
• Malaria prophylaxis: There is a risk of malaria in the Amazon lowlands. Discuss with a tropical medicine specialist — standby therapy or prophylaxis.
• Insect protection: DEET-containing insect repellent (50%+), long clothing in the morning and evening, impregnated mosquito net (usually provided in lodges).
• Water: Drink only bottled water. Lodges provide it.

What to bring?

• Light, long-sleeved clothing (protection from insects)
• Rubber boots (provided in most lodges)
• Waterproof bag/dry bag for electronics
• Binoculars (essential for wildlife observation!)
• Flashlight/headlamp for night excursions
• Sun protection and rain poncho

Ayahuasca — An Honest Word

Peru — especially the region around Iquitos — is the center of Ayahuasca tourism. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew that has been used for thousands of years by indigenous shamans in healing ceremonies. In recent years, there has been a real boom, with hundreds of "retreats" and "ceremonies" for Western tourists.

What you should know:

• Ayahuasca is legal in Peru and culturally rooted
• The experience is intense and unpredictable: strong hallucinations, vomiting (“purge”), emotional extreme experiences
• There are serious providers with experienced shamans and medical supervision — but also many unscrupulous ones looking for quick money
• There have been fatalities and serious incidents, often with providers without medical supervision or with interactions with medications (SSRI antidepressants are particularly dangerous!)
• Research thoroughly, choose only providers with good references, medical screening, and emergency protocol