Three-thousand two- hundred kilometers upriver from the Amazon's mouth lies
the jungle-locked city of Iquitos (1000 kilometers northeast of Lima). With a population of 350,000, it has only rivers and one airport linking it to the exterior world.  The staging area for most excursions into the Peruvian rainforest, the boats for the Loving Light Amazon Lodge depart from this very special port city.

At one time the clearing house for the millions of tons of rubber shipped to Europe, Iquitos still displays the vestiges of its former status as one of the most important rubber capitals in the world.  Houses close to the main plaza are still faced with azuelos (glazed tiles) which at the height of the rubber boom were originally shipped from Italy and Portugal.

A home on the Amazon right outside of Iquitos, is built on stilts to accommodate the seasonal ebb and flow of the river.

On the main plaza is an iron house which was designed by Gustav Eiffel for the Paris exhibition in 1898.  The house is said to have been transported from Paris by a local rubber baron and is entirely constructed of iron trusses and bolted iron sheets.

Iquitos today is a quiet, colorful, and friendly city which seems to have a monopoly not on rubber, but on three-wheel taxis, Amazon views and atmosphere.  Exotic fruit juices are sold on the street corners as are ice creams which are flavored with mango, papaya, guanabana, granadilla, zapote, pochote, spondia and others.

Colorful and vibrant, many unique fruits and vegetables can be found in the Iquitos markets.

We recommend, if time allows, that you spend at least two days sightseeing in Iquitos which also boasts the beautiful Lake Quistococha which is set in the lush tropical jungle.  This lake reserve has a zoo where animals such as jaguars, ocelots, paiche, parrots and anacondas can be seen.

Iquitos can be reached by jet from Lima on AeroContinente. (If you need flight/rate info, we can assist you) Approximately a 1 1/2 hour flight over the Andes, airfares can be as little as $100 round-trip.   

Iquitos's mercado (market) is easily reached by three-wheeled taxis which cost around 50 cents for a ride within the city boundaries.

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United States: (425) 891-1778· 7016 248th Ave. N.E. · Redmond, WA 98053 or email: benm@junglelodge.com