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Major city · Peru

Iquitos

Base 3 nights: 2 for a jungle lodge or reserve, 1 for the city. Fly in — there is no road. Skip if you want beaches or ruins.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
PEN
Best months
Jun–Sep (drier, lower river)
avoid Dec–Apr (wettest; high water floods trails and beaches)
Airport
IQT
Nights
3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
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Rules in force · 7Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the fir…
  • South America ↗Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the first day light; sleep lower where you can (Sacred Valley before Cusco) and descend if headache comes with vomiting or confusion.
  • South America ↗A yellow fever certificate is required on arrival in French Guiana, and asked for on some routes into Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname and Guyana, or when arriving from Amazon areas — vaccinate at least 10 days before travel and carry the card.
  • South America ↗Overnight buses are the norm in Argentina, Chile and Peru, but pick top-tier companies and keep valuables on your body; on-board thefts from overhead racks are the common loss.
  • Peru ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Peru's migration authority (Migraciones) or a Peruvian consulate; keep the entry record you receive, as hotels may ask for it.
  • Peru ↗Machu Picchu entry is by timed ticket for a named circuit, with daily caps; in high season tickets sell out weeks or months ahead. Buy tickets only from the official Ministry of Culture seller or a licensed agency.
  • Peru ↗The classic Inca Trail needs a permit booked through a licensed operator, often months ahead; the trail closes every February for maintenance.
  • Peru ↗Altitude sickness is common above 2,500 m: ascend gradually, rest on day one, and ask a doctor before travel if you have heart or lung conditions.

Iquitos is the largest city on earth you cannot reach by road: about 380,000 people, 106 m above sea level, ringed by the Amazon, Nanay and Itaya rivers. Flights from Lima take about 1 h 50 min. Most travellers come for three things — rainforest lodges and reserves, river villages, and ayahuasca retreats — and the city itself is a half-day of rubber-boom buildings and a riverfront walk. Heat is constant: 31–32 °C highs all year, rain in every month.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Iquitos, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealMenu del día (set lunch)S/10–20
  • Beerbar or shopS/8–15
  • Taxi, about 5 kmMototaxi across the centreS/2.5–3
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekS/30–60
  • Museum or sight ticketReserve or animal-centre entryS/3–50
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personPEN 30
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, mid-range hotel, a night, per roomPEN 180
  • High-end bedDouble room, mid-range hotel, a night, per roomPEN 350

A day, not counting the bed: Budget PEN 120 · Mid PEN 250 · High PEN 500

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Gateway to the Peruvian AmazonPacaya Samiria and Allpahuayo-Mishana reservesRubber-boom architecture and the Iron HouseAyahuasca retreatsMototaxis
Airports
IQT Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport (6.5 km southwest of the centre; mototaxi to town about S/10, car about S/20.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Iquitos: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

32°C

22°C

22 rd

Feb

32°C

22°C

19 rd

Mar

32°C

22°C

22 rd

Apr

31°C

22°C

21 rd

May

31°C

22°C

20 rd

Jun

30°C

21°C

18 rd

Jul

31°C

21°C

17 rd

Aug

32°C

21°C

15 rd

Sep

32°C

21°C

16 rd

Oct

32°C

22°C

18 rd

Nov

32°C

22°C

20 rd

Dec

32°C

23°C

22 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Mototaxis (three-wheeled motorcycle taxis) are the main transport: about S/2.5–3 in the centre, S/3+ to Belén, S/10 airport to centre. Agree the price first; drivers earn commission from hotels, so name your hotel and stay firm. Boats from Bellavista-Nanay port serve Padre Cocha, the animal centres and river villages; buy tickets at the port.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm and Amazon Animal Orphanage

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Mototaxi to Bellavista-Nanay port, then boat to Padre Cocha village

Butterfly life cycle plus rescued animals; Tue–Sun 09:00–16:00, adult S/30.

Amazon Rescue Center (Centro de Rescate Amazónico)

go

Door to door: About 45 min

Mototaxi along the Iquitos–Nauta road to Km 13.8

Manatee rescue centre; Tue–Sun 09:00–15:00, adult S/30, student or child S/15.

Quistococha

caution

Door to door: About 30 min

Mototaxi to Km 6.5 of the Iquitos–Nauta road

Lake, artificial beach, small zoo and museum; daily 08:30–17:30, adult S/3. A family half-day, not a wildlife highlight.

Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Mototaxi or tour van to Km 26.8 of the Iquitos–Nauta road

White-sand forest with endemic birds; go with a birding guide at dawn.

Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

overnight

Door to door: Half a day to reach

Boat from the city or Nauta, usually as a multi-day lodge or camping trip

Peru's largest protected area and the biggest floodable forest in South America; foreigners S/30. Two to four nights minimum.

Santa Rosa Island

caution

Door to door: About 1.5–2 h

Boat down the Amazon toward the Colombian border

Border island near Leticia and Tabatinga; check river levels and your entry stamp.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Plaza de Armas and Malecón Tarapacá

Walkable core: cathedral, Iron House, riverfront, most restaurants. Best for one city night.

Belén and the market edge

Cheaper beds and the floating market; busier and rougher at night. Use for early boat departures.

Punchana and the airport road

Quieter hotels with pools, 10–15 min by mototaxi from the centre; good with kids.

Jungle lodge (out of town)

Most visitors sleep 2–3 nights at a lodge on the Amazon, Nanay or a reserve; transfers included.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
S/120–200 excl. bed
Mid
S/200–400 excl. bed
High
S/400+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, mid-range hotel1 × 3 nights × PEN 180PEN 540
Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × PEN 250PEN 1,500
Airport mototaxi, one way2 × PEN 10PEN 20
Mototaxi across the centre2 × PEN 3PEN 6
Boat to Padre Cocha and back2 × PEN 30PEN 60
eSIM, about a week of data2 × PEN 40PEN 80
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgePEN 221
Trip total≈ PEN 405 per person per day, bed includedPEN 2,427

2026 estimate in soles; flights and lodge packages excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Menu del día (set lunch)S/10–20
Amazon river fish (paiche, gamitana) mainS/25–45
Beer, bar or shopS/8–15
Mototaxi across the centreS/2.5–3
Boat, Bellavista-Nanay to Padre CochaS/15–20 each way
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekS/30–60
Reserve or animal-centre entryS/3–50

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

The centre is busy and generally safe by day; take mototaxis after dark rather than walking Belén or the port area, watch for bag-snatching in markets, and treat ayahuasca only with a vetted retreat. Dengue and heat are the everyday risks.
  • No road in or out: flights fill up and cancel in heavy rain — build a buffer day before an international flight.
  • So-called serpentarios (snake shows) near the city are illegal animal-exploitation operations and pay boatmen kickbacks; some boats bound for Pilpintuwasi or the rescue centres drop tourists there instead. Confirm the destination before you board.
  • Ayahuasca is a strong psychedelic. Choose a retreat with medical screening, no alcohol or drug mixing, and a way to reach a clinic; avoid anyone who pressures you on the street.
  • Heat, mosquitoes and dengue: repellent, long sleeves at dusk.
  • Mototaxi drivers at the airport are pushy and may divert you to a hotel that pays them.

Emergency numbers

Police
105
Fire
116
Ambulance (SAMU)
106

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

IquitosIquitos

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police105
  • Fire116
  • Ambulance106

Embassy

No embassies in Iquitos; most countries keep embassies in Lima. The US, UK, Canada and Australia all operate from Lima.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Airport → centre, mototaxi: about S/10, 20–30 min
  • Airport → centre, car: about S/20
  • Mototaxi in the centre: S/2.5–3
  • Bellavista-Nanay → Padre Cocha, boat: S/15–20, about 20 min

Say or show

  • ¿Cuánto al centro? — How much to the centre? (KWAN-to al SEN-tro)
  • Pare aquí, por favor — Stop here, please (PA-re a-KI por fa-VOR)
  • Ya tengo hotel — I already have a hotel (ya TEN-go o-TEL)
  • La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please (la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR)
  • ¿Es seguro nadar aquí? — Is it safe to swim here? (es se-GU-ro na-DAR a-KI)
  • Necesito un médico — I need a doctor (ne-se-SI-to un ME-di-ko)

Carry a copy of your passport; the Amazon border with Colombia and Brazil is a short boat ride away.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Iquitos. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jun–Sep (drier, lower river) · avoid Dec–Apr (wettest; high water floods trails and beaches) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for IQT: fixed mototaxi and car fares, hotel-pickup fallback, late-arrival rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: Plaza de Armas and Malecón, Belén market, Punchana, Bellavista-Nanay port.
  3. Place pages with verified hours and prices (Pilpintuwasi, Amazon Rescue Center, Quistococha, Allpahuayo-Mishana, Pacaya Samiria) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Lodge and retreat vetting notes: medical screening, evacuation plan, animal-welfare red flags.

Meanwhile

Back to Peru

Sources