Loreto Peru Overview:
- Location: Noreste del Perú.
- Area: 368 852 km2.
- Capital: Iquitos (104 masl).
- Altitude
Minimum: 70 masl (Amelia)
Maximum: 220 masl (Balsapuerto)
Iquitos:
Iquitos, capital of the department of Loreto, is Peru's main port along the Amazon River. Founded in 1757, the city began to boom from 1880 onwards as a result of the rubber tapping industry. One can still see signs of that economic bonanza in buildings such as the old Hotel Palace, built in Art Nouveau style with materials brought from Europe, and Casa de Fierro, designed by French architect Gustave Eiffel. These constructions contrast with the rustic homes that line the Belén quarter, where all constructions rest on pilings due to the fact the river rises several meters during the rain season. A boatride along the major rivers and lakes around Iquitos is particularly bewitching for visitors. Native tribes mainly live along the banks of the Amazon, Napo, Ucayali, Marañón and Nanay Rivers.
The most popular beaches are Tunchi Playa, on Lake Quistococha, and Santa Clara and Santo Tomás along the Nanay River, which are ideal for water sports. Some 150 km from Iquitos lies the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, the largest reserve in Peru, the second-largest in the Amazon Basin and the fourth-largest in South America. The area is home to an astonishing biodiversity of fauna and flora.
The Festival of San Juan in June is an ideal time to taste the local cooking at some of the many good restaurants in the city, as well as to buy superb quality arts and crafts and take in the joyful music of the people of Iquitos.
Access Routes
By land:
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.
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