Loreto Department · Peru
Where to stay in Iquitos
Iquitos is a city in Loreto Department, Peru, home to about 378,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- IQT9 km · Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport
- Currency
- PENNuevo sol
- Time zone
- America/Lima
- Language
- Aymara, Quechua, Spanish
About
About Iquitos
Iquitos is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the ninth-most populous city in Peru.
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.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Iquitos
See
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.
- Iquitos Cathedral
- La Plaza 28 de Julio
- Casa de Fierro
- Ex Hotel Palace
- Amazon Rescue Center
- Complejo Turístico de Quistococha
- Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve
- Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
- Fundo Pedrito alligator farm
- Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm & Amazon Animal Orphanage
- La Isla de los Monos
- The River Amazonas and the Amazon rainforest
Do
- Jungle trips
- Ayahuasca
- Ayahuasca Medicine House
- Amazon Explorer
- Amazonia Expeditions Tahuayo Lodge
- Curassow Amazon Lodge
- Maniti Expeditions Eco-Lodge & Tours
- Tapiche Jungle Reserve
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Iquitos to stay in
Air conditioning is important and very welcome in the brutal heat of the tropical environment. If you are staying in Iquitos and are not enjoying yourself, consider splurging for a room with A/C, as it can make the difference between a good trip and a great one. Given the louder-than-average noise of traffic, ask for a room away from the street.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Iquitos
3 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Dream Hostel With A/C | 1.5 km | |
| Amazon House | 1.8 km | |
| Lodge Jungle Wolf Expeditions | 1.2 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Iquitos
Iquitos has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. September is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; March is the wettest, with about 364 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Iquitos: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport (IQT), about 8.7 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
Iquitos is widely considered the largest continental city unreachable by road. That leaves planes and boats as the primary means of entrance and egress for people and supplies. Do not expect to see a city with all the trappings of the western world. This city is very basic as it has no road connection with the rest of the world. Vehicles are old and most vehicles on the meager roads are motocars or three-wheeler motorbikes which can carry three at a pinch. The people are friendly once you get past the taxi drivers at the airport.
Getting around
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.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
IQT · Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Iquitos
Eat
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).
Drink
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.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Iquitos: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Iquitos?
Iquitos has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. September is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; March is the wettest, with about 364 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Iquitos?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport (IQT), about 8.7 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Iquitos?
Nuevo sol (PEN).
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.