Location: Iquitos
Top Things to do in Iquitos
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The 10 Best Things to do Adventurous in Iquitos, Loreto Region
Make the port town of Iquitos your base camp for exploring the Peruvian Amazon basin. The river and rainforest are the main attractions, of course, and once in Iquitos it's easy to book a stay at one of numerous nearby jungle lodges. Closer to town, travelers recommend visiting the market and "floating village" of Belen, seeing colorful creatures at the butterfly farm and animal rescue center, and taking a cruise on the great river.
Restaurants in Iquitos
1. Amazon River
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 320 reviews
Reviewed By NatayaL1_trip
If you have dreamed about Amazon river and jungles but do like extreme and do not want to sacrifice comfort - this journey is for you. Luxury tour on the very comfortable boat with high level service. Friendly staff, mostly local, haute cuisine, 2 boat / jungle tours per day, lectures on the Amazon geography and nature, cooking classes and many other interesting, enlightening, entertaining things. Amazon nature is amazing likewise local people. Highly recommended for any 6+ age wild life lovers
2. Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 127 reviews
Amazon tours and Amazon cruises on the upper Amazon River and its tributaries, and the rainforest, from Iquitos Peru. The Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises riverboats are big enough for you to be comfortable and relaxed, but small enough to access the tributaries and lakes where larger cruise ships can not go. If you have an extra day in Iquitos before or after your cruise, Dawn on the Amazon also provides fun, interesting, and educational day trips. Thank you for your consideration.
3. Tapiche Reserve
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 138 reviews
The Tapiche Reserve is a private Amazon rainforest conservation project based out of Iquitos, Peru. We preserve primary forest, rehabilitate disturbed areas, and support local communities with eco-friendly employment opportunities. We believe jungle animals belong in their natural habitat in the wild, not domesticated or manipulated for human entertainment or mass consumption. Come for an adventurous stay at our jungle lodge, where researchers and nature enthusiasts marvel at the high density of wildlife on our property. The income we receive from visitors provides wages for locals whose alternatives are logging and poaching; you can travel confidently knowing that you are making a direct, positive impact on local communities and the forest.
Reviewed By MrCarrie - Hamilton, New Zealand
One of the craziest adventures I have been on. My partner and I are from New Zealand and went to Tapiche reserve at the beginning of November 2019 (beginning of the wet season- we would have limited access to swamp areas but other areas would open up). We flew out of Auckland 6pm 1/11/2019 NZ time and arrived in Iquitos 11pm 1/11/2019 local time! We were picked up at the airport by the pre arranged private transport by Tapiche Reserve. We spent 2/11/2019 buying supplies for the tour to start on 3/11/2019. We met a tour guide from another company while exploring Iquitos, who tried to sell us a tour of the amazon, we advised we had already booked with Tapiche, he replied that we would see a lot, he had nothing but high remarks of Tapiche Reserve. Transportation entails a public 2 hour bus and 4hour hour speed boat ride to the last town ( where you have lunch and we were served this very nice honey water) nearest the reserve, followed by a 5 hour private speed boat ride. We went on a 3 night/ 4 day private tour, of which a total of 2 days were sadly dedicated transit. When we arrived we wished we could have gone for longer! Unfortunately due to travel constraints we could only do the 3 night tour, it was worth the travel. The lodge is very rustic; village huts which makes this unique and authentic. It was comfortable enough to sleep on the beds especially with the long days of adventuring. We were able to charge our cameras easily. Their permanent staff is : Patricia (operates the backpackers in Iquitos) - very warm and welcoming. Informative especially when she gives you the details on the transport to the reserve, she even made us a traditional breakfast on departure day. She can give good local information on shops for example mobile phone card shops that work well in Iquitos. Deborah (works from the US who deals with bookings and operations)- Quick to reply and informative. Very hard working and can make things happen! We very much appreciate her efforts for the planning and during the end of our trip. Katoo (founder/owner/operator/guide)- Fascinating person, with many stories. Expert in the jungle. Please follow his instructions and leads to have the best experience. Very friendly, funny and open. Make sure you ask him as many questions as possible and inform him on what you want to see and visit during your stay. He even made us a sound recording of the sounds we heard in the jungle. We were luckily to have Katoo on both days, possibly due to booking the private tour. Verdi (chef),- excellent cook, we enjoyed each meal. She made a lot of different quality food! Guides: Jose - We meet at Requena, he spoke little English but was very friendly and was . We had a good conversation at the restaurant with the help of Google translate. We even met his family! We didn't know much Español which is our fault, but the transport and hiking went well and he would pro actively show us the environment eg. Spotting out dolphins, monkeys and birds . Very knowable of the environment and good leadership. He is from the area so this is his backyard,. He is talented with taking images with the combination of mobile a phone and binoculars. Segundo- We had Segundo on the second full day hike and transport back. He spoke 0 English and we speak no Spanish (We were in his country so should have learnt Español ). He did initiate great service by trying to enhance the trip eg. Helping us see better from different advantage points and giving us pointers on how to use the binoculars. Friendly , expert in the jungle. He has the natural expert ability to track wildlife as he is from the area. There was a lot of charades, nodding and shaking of the head. Very hard worker to upkeep the service Tapiche operates. The mornings began with breakfast at 5am, leaving at 6am for a 7 hour hike and then a 3 hour boat ride at 3pm. We booked a private tour but expected other tourists at the lodge. Surprisingly we had the entire lodge to our self's from the Sunday until 4 friendly German backpackers arrived on the Tuesday night. The breakfasts, lunches and dinners are the open parts to communicate with all staff and other clients. Definitely be proactive as you will learn a lot. Our lodge had a private bathroom with running cold water. The food was good! Processed ingredients were almost always non existent. We had a mix of known and local food with hints of Mexican and Incan food ideas especially with the hard corn. During the nights you could spend hours just listening to the sounds and guessing what they were coming from. During those 2 full days in the reserve, we witnessed many various types of monkeys in close proximity (10-50m away). The list includes the Woolly monkey, Squirrel monkey, Tamarin, Brown Fronted Capuchin, Red Howler, Red Uakari, Pigmy Mimisota, White Fronted Capuchin (potentially new species or sub species in the world). Other interesting sights include: Endless beautiful birds such as Parrots, Eagle's, Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, Toucans, Owls, Herons and Falcons. Caimans, Pink Toed Tarantula, Viper snake, Gian Cane Toad, Centipedes and also 15 dolphins(grey and pink species)! 3 Toed Sloths and butterfly's including the Tiger. Different species of turtles, huge Bullet Ants, Fishing bats and fresh Jaguar foot prints. We heard a large pack of boar maybe 100m away and boy did they leave a stench. the main ingredient to Ayuwaska nicknamed the cannon ball fruit ( monkeys take it to cleanse their bodies, not sure how they would react on it). We saw how nature can recover when there isn't any human interference and impacts. We witnessed many symbiotic relationships. Whether it was Katoo providing the reserve with protection and in return the nature would provide clients or with ants and the trees. The tree would provide the ants with nutrients and a home, in return the ants would make sure that the tree didn't have to compete with other trees and plants. Imagine what else we would've witnessed with an extra day :D We witnessed much much than what was describe or even captured. Tapiche reserve has a small group of knowledgeable hard working individuals in the common goal to protect, preserve and grow the reserve. Their operation is exceptional. We were comfortable and their service helped the experience even with our limited Español. We will hopefully return in the next 6 years! Our YT video is titled "Tapiche Reserve - Amazon Adventure Iquitos Peru". Insta is "djzecarri " for more images.
4. Amazon Explorer
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 114 reviews
Amazon Explorer is a tour company offering one day trips in Iquitos and expeditions to the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve; the Matses Indigenous Reserve, Jungle Survival Training Courses and expeditions to real and non-touristic indigenous territories.
5. Jungle Reps
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 113 reviews
Jungle Reps: We are Amazon Rainforest adventure Expedition / Tour operators located in Iquitos, Perú, and we specialize in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. We offer distinctive Expeditions to the Pacaya Samiria,Tahuayo and Yarapa reserves . In aggregate, we represent a presence in all of the significant points of interest the Pacaya Samiria and another protected areas have to offer.Our specialty is, wildlife sighting. We don`t showcase caged animals.
6. El Purguero
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By JohnSalomon28
Thank you for everything Don Ron. I am forever grateful for your Wisdom, Guidance and Strength. I really appreciate your beautiful stories, funny jokes, and the healing through my visit. This has been one Amazing - Loving - Healing adventure and I will see you soon! John Salomon - Guardian Of The Light.
7. Selva Madre Ayahuasca Retreat
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 126 reviews
Selva Madre welcomes guests from all over the world and is considered one of the best places for healing therapy and an authentic spiritual retreat. Love, Family, Trust, and Integrity are the foundations of our work here at Selva Madre. We provide a protected, nurturing, peaceful, and loving environment in the heart of the Amazon Rain Forest. With the help of Maestro Curandero Don Luis Rimachi and the sacred medicine, Ayahuasca; we are dedicated to offering the best spiritual retreat experience. Most importantly, we hope to create a bridge for those seeking an awakening and expansion of their consciousness.
Reviewed By amristau - Bad Segeberg, Germany
I am a solo female traveler under going my first Ayahuasca experience and I could have not asked for a better place! We had 4 ceremonies in total. Don Lucho (main shaman), Luis Jr and Anderson (both shaman in practice) offered spiritual guidance to participants throughout the Ayahuasca experience. They checked in with us frequently and made sure we are safe. In between the ceremonies we did different activities and had some good amount of time with Don Lucho himself. He is an incredible healer who likes to share his knowledge regarding plant healing with everyone who has any interest in learning. He truly cares for the human species to be healed! If you are looking for a good and safe place to do your Ayahuasca ceremonies I can highly recommend this place
8. Amazon Expeditioners
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 84 reviews
AMAZON EXPEDITIONERS, is an experienced adventure travel operator, made up of a well-selected team of local native guides, all from different Amazonian backgrounds, experts in the conduction of nomadic jungle survival expeditions.
9. AWA Expeditions
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 83 reviews
The Agency located in the city of Iquitos, right in the heart of the Amazon jungle of Peru. Specialized in expeditions that will make your Holiday full of enjoyment and adventure.
10. Green Wild Amazon Expedition
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 36 reviews
Green Wild Amazon Expedition's unsurpassed reputation as one of Iquitos' best tour operators is due in great part to the more than 25 years experience and dedication possessed by the company's founder Percy Ycomena. A global clientele, as well as many locals, know, trust and have recommended his company's services.
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