Loreto is the largest yet least populated department in Peru. It is covered by dense vegetation and by primary and secondary jungle with low hills and slightly rolling landscape, crisscrossed by the many rivers of the Amazon River basin, which is born at the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers.
Iquitos, the capital of Loreto, is the main port city on the Amazon River and the largest city in the Peruvian jungle. Different indigenous people groups like the Cocama, Huitoto, and Bora first inhabited the area. Then came the Jesuit missionaries who founded the city. At the end of the nineteenth century was when Iquitos experienced its greatest economic glory due to the rubber industry. The economic bonanza meant that luxurious buildings like the art noveau Palace Hotel and the Iron House, designed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel, were constructed there.
In contrast to these buildings, you find the homes in the Belen neighborhood that are constructed on top of rafts and pylons to protect them from the flooding of the river. One of the best attractions in Loreto is navigating on the rivers and lakes and enjoying the beautiful beaches.
The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve (2,080,000 hectares), the largest reserve in Peru, is located 183 kilometers from the city and is home to numerous plant and animal species, many of them in danger of extinction like the charapa river turtle, the giant river otter, the black caiman, and the river dolphin.
Likewise, the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (58,000 hectares) protects the largest concentration of white sand forests, or varillales as they are known in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. This happens to be one of the best areas to go for bird-watching. //In addition to these national reserves, there are also numerous private reserves, which have been created to satisfy all tastes.
Tourist Attractions
Province of Maynas
Main Church Main Square, Iquitos. This Neo-gothic church was built between 1911 and 1924. The building has just one nave and features a carved wood pulpit on the right hand side. The Swiss clock, installed in 1925, is an interesting detail.
Historic Buildings Iquitos harbors, between the jungle’s lushness and the Amazon’s mysterious murmur, a series of architectural gems that surprise the traveler for the beauty of their forms and for the peculiarity of their style; these are the traces left over from the rubber barons, powerful land owners that made the jungle of Peru a true commercial paradise at the end of the nineteenth century.
As part of the inheritance from the epoch, some singularly designed vestiges still remain: palaces richly decorated with Arabic bricks (the Rocha, Morey, and Cohen houses), Art Nouveau buildings (former Palace Hotel), or the celebrated residence designed by Gustave Eiffel, constructed with metal girders transported by hundred of men through the jungle.
Tarapaca or Boulevard Seawall One block from the Main Square on the banks of the Itaya River. It was built during the pinnacle of rubber fever and was named in memory of the fallen heroes in the war against Chile. From there, you can see the attractive landscape of the Itaya River and the floating neighborhood of Belen. There are many important historical monuments, houses, and cafes placed along its length. The wall has been remodeled, and now features wide sidewalks, small plazas with gardens, and one rotunda, a monument to the biodiversity, myths, and legends of the Amazonian region.
Municipal Museum of Natural Science Napo 224. Telephone: (065) 23-4272. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 7:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M.; Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. It exhibits dissected animals native to the department and a collection of local handicrafts.
Amazonian Museum Malecon Tarapaca 386. Telephone: (065) 23-1072 (prefecture); 23-4031 (INC). Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. It was built in 1863. What stands out the most in the museum are the large windows ending in semi-circular arches and protected by strong iron bars, the decoratively carved wooden interior walls, and the furniture designed in the fashion of the time. It preserves a collection of more than 80 life-sized fiberglass sculptures representing the main ethnic groups found in the Peruvian, Brazilian, and Venezuelan Amazon Rainforest and a photographic retelling of the city history. It shares the premises with the Military Museum.
Amazonian Library Malecon Tarapaca 354. Telephone: (065) 24-2353. Visiting hours: Mon. 3:30 P.M. – 6:45 P.M.; Tues. – Fri. 8:30 A.M. – 12:15 P.M. and 3:30 P.M. – 6:45 P.M. Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. The library keeps specialized books, photographic archives, newspapers and magazines, movies, maps, prints, and paintings; it also displays objects of historical value and ancient editions of the Bible. Local topics are its area of specialty. The library was built in 1873 to be only one-story, but the second was built in 1903. The successive, large windows protected with iron grates stand out.
Port and Village of Belen Located on the left bank of the Itaya River, southeast of Iquitos. Morning visits are recommended. Its origins date back to the beginning of the twentieth century, and it is composed of homes built on top of balsa wood rafts that float on the waters during the flood season. It is a traditional regional style. With the passage of time and the increase in population, the style has changed and more houses are built on a fixed construction on top of wooden pillars, some of them of two stories.
During the dry season, people use both floors, but during the flood season, only the second floor is used; since the entire lower zone of Belen remains under water, the population uses boats and canoes for transport, which is why it is considered the “Venice of Loreto”. Belen has two districts: the upper zone where the Belen market and main warehouse are and the lower zone, an informal port and lively commercial center for jungle goods. Today, there are buildings of high quality materials.
It is possible to take boat rides on the Amazon and Itaya Rivers.
Quistococha Tourist Center Close to kilometer marker 7 of the Iquitos-Nauta highway, southwest of Iquitos (30 minutes by car). Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
The center is located near Lake Quistococha. The complex covers an area of 369 hectares of natural forest and also an artificial beach where visitors can swim, sunbathe, and enjoy the white sand and lovely landscape. You can row a boat on the lake and hike in the nearby areas.
Puerto Almendra 12 km / 7 miles from the Iquitos Airport control booth (30 minutes by car). Turn off 100 meters / 328 feet before Quistococha.
The El Huayo Arboretum and Botanical Garden is located there. It is managed by the Puerto Almendra Center for Forestry Research and Training. The center maintains parcels of representative tree species of the Nanay River basin. You can walk the ecological paths, hike, and visit the local farms.
Lake Zungarococha 12 km / 7 miles from the Iquitos Airport control booth (30 minutes by car). It is located on the left bank of the Nanay River and is perfect for swimming or taking canoe rides through the beautiful countryside. Close to the lake is a small pond, Corrientillo, where you can eat traditional food. Santo Tomas Village 16 km / 10 miles from Iquitos (45 minutes by car). It is situated on the banks of the canal that links the Nanay River with Lake Mapacocha, an excellent spot to water ski and to take boat or canoe rides. Nearby, there is a motocross track. The area is inhabited by a Cocama Cocamilla indigenous farming community whose main economic activities are fishing and ceramic making.
Santa Clara 12 km / 7 miles south of Iquitos on the banks of the Nanay River (30 minutes by car). Turn off 500 meters / 1640 feet before the airport.
During the dry season (July – December) when the Nanay River water level decreases, beautiful, white sandy beaches are formed in front of Santa Clara and other areas, perfect for swimming, tanning, or even camping. It is one of the most attractive spots in the area around Iquitos.
Lake Rumococha 4 km / 2 miles from the Iquitos Airport control booth on the banks of the Nanay River (15 minutes by car). It looks like a closed arch and is known for calm waters full of fish.
San Juan Artisanal Market Kilometer marker 4.5 of Avenida Abelardo Quiñónez. This market produces and sells a large diversity of regional handicrafts like knitted plant fiber articles, wood carvings, diverse ceramic pieces with typical motifs, “llanchama” tree bark paintings, typical clothing, leather goods, typical drinks, and many others. There is a room for Amazonian culture exhibitions and a wooden amphitheater for artistic presentations.
Bellavista Nanay Pier North of Iquitos (10 minutes by motorcycle taxi) on the left bank of the Nanay River. From here, boats depart towards different destinations like the Boras indigenous community of San Andres and the Padre Cocha and Manacamiri farming communities, where tourist activities related to the traditions of the villages are available. You can rent a boat to ride on the Nanay River and to visit the nearby communities.
Padre Cocha 20 minutes from the village of Bellavista by motorboat on the left bank of the Nanay River. The Cocama Cocamilla people live here, a community of artisans mainly dedicated to making ceramics. From there, you can visit the Boras tribe and go to the Pilpintuwasi butterfly farm.
Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm 15 minute walk from Padre Cocha. Visiting hours: Tues. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Last guided visit at 4:00 P.M. Pilpintuwasi is a Quechan word for “house of the butterflies”. It houses more than forty varieties of exotic butterflies in a beautiful habitat surrounded by waterfalls and tropical flowers. Visiting the center allows you to witness butterfly reproduction, an interesting process, medicinal and ornamental plants, and different birds, monkey species, a tapir, an anteater and a jaguar.
Boras of San Andrés From the Bellavista Nanay port by chartered boat on the Nanay and Momon Rivers (20 minutes), on the banks of the Momon River.
The inhabitants are originally from the area of the upper Putumayo at the border of Colombia, and attracted by rubber fever, they migrated to the place where they live today. They still maintain their customs and cultural traditions, and their festivals and ceremonies are associated with their myths and legends. They paint their bodies for their dances, the usual pattern among men and women being a stylized snake. The “Fiesta del Pijuayo” and the “Danza de la Viga” are the most important festivals, when people wear masks to represent mythical beings and to dramatize mythological episodes about the origin of the world, humans, and the Bora culture. You can purchase local handicrafts in the area.
Requena 157 km / 98 miles from Iquitos at the confluence of the Tapiche and Ucayali Rivers (19 hours by boat). There, you will find a cathedral that was built under the direction of the first Vicar, Father Luis Arroyo. Basic services for tourists can be found there.
Avispa Lake You can reach it from Requena by chartered boat (8 km / 5 miles - 20 minutes), motorboat (8 km / 5 miles - 1 hour), or through a footpath during the dry season between June and September (2,5 km / 1,5 miles - 30 minutes).
It is a smooth surfaced lake of around 6 hectares in surface and 5 meters deep. It connects to the Tapiche River, which is characterized by an irregular water flow in the form of meanders. It is the closest lake to Requena and a frequently visited spot by the local population for swimming, whitewater rafting, and fishing. A variety of fish live in the waters, the most important being the boquichico, the yulilla, the palometa, and the sardine. There is also a great number of aquatic birds.
Province of Alto Amazonas Yurimaguas
388 km / 241 miles southwest of Iquitos by river (4 days) on the banks of the Huallaga River. The surrounding countryside is beautiful. Its name comes from the tribes, Yuri and Omagua, which together form the word, Yurimaguas. They celebrate Tourism Week from 5th -15th August, and their patron saint is the Virgin of the Snows. The nearby area includes beautiful beaches during the dry season in the Shanusi River gorge. Basic tourist services are available there.
Lake Rimachi 545 km / 339 miles southwest of Iquitos (13 hours and 30 minutes by chartered boat).
Located in the Pastaza River basin, a tributary of the Marañon River, this lake is considered to be the largest in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest with a perimeter of 75 km / 47 miles, a depth of 10 meters / 33 feet, and numerous islands that measure up to 2 hectares.
Its waters are cold and dark, and a large amount of fish live there such as paiches, pacus, palometas, red pacus, tarpons, and boquichicos. You can also find dolphins, crocodiles, reptiles, and Amazon River turtles. In the nearby areas,live different animals like horned screamers, hoatzins, toucans, parrots, and macaws as well as jaguars, little spotted cats, deer, peccarys, monkeys, etc. It is a great place for sport, fishing, trekking, whitewater rafting, and swimming.
The members of the Candoshi indigenous community, located close to the lake, create works in plant fibers, carved wood, fine metals, and masks. There are no basic services. Tourists must bring tents, food, etc. Province of Ramón Castilla
Caballococha 311 km / 193 miles from Iquitos, located on the right bank of the Amazon River in the Caballococha Gorge close to the Amazonian trapezoid (2 days by boat). The city and the province play a very important role in the border communication with the neighboring countries of Brazil and Colombia. Basic tourist services are available there.
Cushillococha Lake 6 km / 4 miles south of Caballococha and 3 hours from the borders of Brazil and Colombia. During the dry season, it is possible to reach Caballococha on foot. During the flood season, it can only be reached by boat. This lake, connected to the Amazon River, is where you can practice whitewater rafting, hike, fish, or swim. The waters, relatively dark and deep, up to 8 meters / 26 feet, are rich in different species like the gray and red dolphin, tarpon, boquichico, and yulilla. The Cushillococha indigenous community of 1700 inhabitants is located on its shores. They are from the Ticuna people who live from farming, hunting, wild fruit and green picking and fishing. They are also skillful artisans and produce works from the chambira palm fibers, hammocks, and jicras, a type of knitted bag of chambira palm fibers.
Pevas Located on the banks of the Ampiyacu River, some 500 meters / 1640 feet from where it flows into the Amazon River. It was founded in 1735, initially on the banks of the Sisita River, but it was later moved where it is found today. In the city, you can visit the “Casa del Arte” (Art House), an art gallery that contains works from the painter, Francisco Grippa, who painted local Amazon Rainforest customs. The house is also a great location to see the city, the Ampiyacu and Amazon Rivers, the Amazon Rainforest, and beautiful tropical sunrises and sunsets. 500 meters / 1640 feet from the main square, you find the spring called “El Chorro”, where the people draw their water. The tradition says that whoever drinks from the spring stays in Pevas.
From Pevas there are tourist routes along the Ampiyacu River, and it is possible to visit Yaguas, Boras, Huitotos, and Ocainas indigenous communities that have preserved their folklore and customs. They are skilled when it comes to making textiles from plant fibers (bags, hammocks), paddles, and baskets. You can also hike in the area to see the Amazonian flora and fauna and to arrive at the mouth of the Sisita River.
Province of Loreto
Nauta 115 km / 71 miles from Iquitos (by river). It is located on the left bank of the Marañon River, seven miles from the confluence with the Ucayali River. Founded in 1830, it is one of the oldest population centers in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. Due to its strategic location as a linking point between the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers (to see the two rivers unite is an extraordinary sight), it has gained importance, and has become the main trade and communication center. There are basic tourist services in Nauta.
Amazon River
The Amazon River springs up more than 5000 masl / 16.404 fasl in the snowy mountain peak of Mismi in Arequipa and crosses extensive amounts of tropical jungle in an approximate 4500 km / 2796 mile-route. It has more than 500 navigable tributaries, an average depth of 50 meters / 164 feet, and a width that varies from 4 to 6 km / 2 to 4 miles. A large part of its meandering has no definite course; it has formed a complex of smaller rivers that constitute a network of canals with numerous islands.
It is the river with the largest water flow in the world and makes up an enormous hydrographical network, unique for its size and huge amount of water. The Spanish, Francisco de Orellana, discovered the river in 1542. It is most accessible from the city of Iquitos where the Amazon River Tourist Corridor is located, in a huge animal and plant life biodiversity and where different types of boating expeditions take place, including a visit to the source of the Amazon River and a trip to the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.
Some of the excursions even reach as far as the borders of Colombia and Brazil. It is also possible to visit Boras, Yahuas, and Witotos de Pucaurquillo indigenous communities as well as some farming communities.
Nearby, there are tourist lodges to suit all tastes, from the most comfortable (air conditioned rooms) to the most rustic. These oases in the middle of the jungle represent a launching point for hikes to seek out medicinal plants, visits to indigenous communities, and bird-watching expeditions. Likewise, it is possible to take a walk on the Canopy Walkway, a bridge suspended over the tops of the trees, from where you can appreciate the beauty of the Amazonian fauna.
Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
183 km / 114 miles southwest of Iquitos. The shortest route is Iquitos – Nauta by highway and then a trip on the river from Nauta to the village, Comunidad of 20 de Febrero (15 hours by boat or 4 hours by chartered boat). To be able to enter, you must request permission from INRENA and pay the corresponding fees. Comprising a large part of the provinces of Loreto, Requena, Ucayali, and Alto Amazonas, it has an area of 2’080.000 hectares making it the largest in the country and in South America. It is also known as the most extensive area of protected floodable forest (vareza) in the Amazon Rainforest. It is bordered by two large rivers: the Marañon in the north and the Ucayali – Puinahua Canal to the south.
Inside the reserve, there are three river basins: the Pacaya River basin, the Samiria River basin, and the Yanayacu-Pucate River basin. There are also numerous lakes, gorges, canals, and oxbows. It has an annual monthly temperature between 20ºC (68ºF) and 33ºC (91ºF) and an annual rain fall of 2000 to 3000 millimeters, which allows for its huge biodiversity: 527 bird species, 102 mammal species (among them the pink dolphin), 69 species of reptiles, 58 species of amphibians, 269 fish species, and 1024 species of wild and cultivated plants. The reserve is a refuge for different endangered species like the charapa turtle (Podocnemis expansa), the spider monkey (Ateles sp.), the giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), the red macaw (Ara macao), cedar trees (Cederla odorata), and others.
Furthermore, there are diverse protection and natural resource management projects like the one aimed at repopulating the taricaya and the charapa river with turtles in the artificial beaches of the reserve. It is truly amazing to watch the final stage of the process, the freeing of the newborns into the rivers, gorges, and lakes of the reserve. The level of involvment of the local population is remarkable. On the edges of Pacaya-Samiria on the banks of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers, more than 42.000 people live grouped in ninety-four communities and another 50.000 inhabit the 109 villages in the buffer zone. Almost all of them make a living from fishing, farming, or hunting and wild fruit and greens picking.
Allpahuayo–Mishana National Reserve
The entrance is 26,5 km / 16 miles from Iquitos on the Iquitos-Nauta highway (30 minutes by car). Leaving from the Bellavista Nanay port, it takes 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the engine. This reserve of barely 58.000 hectares protects the largest concentration of white sand forests or “varillales” known in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. Here live numerous one-of-a-kind species of plants and animals. Protected here is also a specimen of forests flooded by the black waters of the Nanay River, unique to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.
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. Among the birds, there are two dozens noteworthy species living in the white sand forests, unknown in Peru until just recently. In the last five years, four new bird species have been described by scientists associated with white sand forests. Three are ant eating species (Herpsilochmus gentryi, Percnostola arenarum, and Myrmeciza castanea) and the other eats flies and other insects (Zimmerius villarejoi). There is a fifth one that now has a scientific description (Polioptila clementsi). To these, we have to add another dozen bird species that were unknown to Peru until recently like the beautiful pompadour cotinga (Xipholena punicea) and the saffron-crested tyrant-manakin (Neopelma chrysocephalum).
Climate The weather in Iquitos is hot and rainy all year long. The average annual maximum temperature is 31ºC (88ºF) and the minimum is 21ºC (70ºF). The dry season (July – November) and the flood season (December – July) feature particular differences in the plant and animal life as well as in the climate.
Access Routes By land:There is no overland access to Iquitos.
By air: Regular flights to Iquitos from Lima (1 hour and 30 minutes), Tarapoto (50 minutes) and Pucallpa (1 hour). Sporadic flights to Iquitos from Yurimaguas (40 minutes) and Leticia, Colombia (1 hour).
By river: It is possible to travel from Pucallpa (Puerto La Hoyada, 2,5 km / 1,5 miles from the city) to Iquitos by boat via the Ucayali River with stops at Requena and Contamana in a chartered boat, small but fast, built for 10 to 15 people, hired as a private service. The trip lasts 1 to 2 days, depending on the level of the river. If you elect to travel by “motonave”, a larger boat with room for 250 people, the trip then takes longer, 4 to 5 days, depending on the river current. Distances: From Iquitos to The Followings Cities: Loreto
Yurimaguas (Province of Alto Amazonas) 388 km (241 miles) / 4 days by boat. Nauta (Province of Loreto) 115 km (71 miles) / 2 hours by bus or 14 hours by boat. Caballococha (Province of Mariscal Ramón Castilla) 311 km (193 miles) / 2 days by boat. Requena (Province of Requena) 157 km (98 miles) / 19 hours by boat. Contamana (Province of Ucayali) 431 km (268 miles) / 3 days by boat.
Directory
Airport Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport Kilometer marker 6, Av. Abelardo Quiñones. Telephone: (065) 26-0147 / 26-0151.
Health Center Loreto Regional Hospital Av. 28 de Julio s/n. Punchana, Iquitos. Telephone: (065) 25-2004 / 25-2733. Attention: 24 hours.
Loreto is the largest yet least populated department in Peru. It is covered by dense vegetation and by primary and secondary jungle with low hills and slightly rolling landscape, crisscrossed by the many rivers of the Amazon River basin, which is born at the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers.