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Major city · Peru

Pucallpa

Go for 2 nights if you want a river port and Lake Yarinacocha; skip if you expect jungle wildlife — fly in, don't bus the Tingo María road.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
PEN
Best months
May–Oct (drier, cooler)
avoid Dec–Mar (heavy rain, and December has the worst robbery record)
Airport
PCL
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
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.

Pucallpa is a working river port on the Ucayali, Peru's second Amazon port after Iquitos, and the gateway to Lake Yarinacocha 6 km north. There is little classic sightseeing: the draw is the lake, the boat traffic, the markets and the food. Two nights covers it; three lets you add a slow boat leg or a lodge. Most visitors fly in, because the overland road from Lima via Tingo María has a robbery history and is slow and fog-prone.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Pucallpa, 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 mealVegetarian set breakfastS/6–9
  • Taxi, about 5 kmMototaxi in the centreS/2
  • Metro or bus rideBus Lima–Pucallpa18 h or more; checkAbout S/100
  • Budget bedHostel bed near the Plaza de Armas, a night, per personPEN 10
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, fan or aircon, a night, per roomPEN 70
  • High-end bedDouble room, fan or aircon, a night, per roomPEN 160

A day, not counting the bed: Budget PEN 90 · Mid PEN 180 · High PEN 350

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.

Ucayali River portLake YarinacochaMercado 3 hammocks and craftsMototaxis
Airports
PCL FAP Captain David Abensur Rengifo International Airport (About 4 km northwest of the centre; mototaxi to the Plaza de Armas, about 10 min)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Pucallpa: 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

31°C

23°C

18 rd

Feb

31°C

23°C

16 rd

Mar

31°C

23°C

17 rd

Apr

31°C

22°C

14 rd

May

31°C

22°C

12 rd

Jun

31°C

21°C

10 rd

Jul

31°C

20°C

9 rd

Aug

32°C

21°C

9 rd

Sep

32°C

22°C

11 rd

Oct

32°C

22°C

14 rd

Nov

31°C

23°C

16 rd

Dec

31°C

23°C

18 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 (motor-tricycle taxis) are the standard transport: about S/2 in the centre, S/3 from the outskirts, up to S/6 from the suburbs, about S/4 to Yarinacocha. Colectivos (shared cars on fixed routes) cost about S/1, S/1.50 to Yarinacocha, and get crowded. Downtown is small enough to walk, but directions you are given are often invented — use a map.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Lake Yarinacocha and La Isla de Amor

go

Door to door: About 30–45 min

Mototaxi or colectivo to Yarinacocha, then a short boat to the island

Boat about S/2; the lake is the reason most people come.

Parque Natural (Pucallpa zoo)

caution

Door to door: About 20–30 min

Mototaxi, or a bus from near the Plaza de Armas

Small cages and close contact; skip if that bothers you. No need to buy it as a tour.

Atalaya

overnight

Door to door: A day or more

Boat upstream on the Ucayali

River transport, not a day return.

Iquitosovernight

Door to door: Several days

Boat downstream on the Ucayali and Amazon

Slow cargo-passenger boats; check departures locally.

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 centre

Cheap hostels, banks, markets and restaurants on foot; mototaxis for everything else.

Yarinacocha

6 km north on the lake; quieter, few places to eat, best if the lake is your main plan.

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/80–140 excl. bed
Mid
S/140–260 excl. bed
High
S/260+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, fan or aircon1 × 2 nights × PEN 70PEN 140
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × PEN 180PEN 720
Mototaxi, centre trips, per day2 × PEN 15 · checkPEN 30
Boat to La Isla de Amor, return2 × PEN 4 · checkPEN 8
eSIM, about a week of data2 × PEN 40PEN 80
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgePEN 98
Trip total≈ PEN 269 per person per day, bed includedPEN 1,076

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

Prices of common things

Mototaxi in the centreS/2
Mototaxi to YarinacochaS/4
Colectivo rideS/1–1.50
Quarter chicken with fries (pollo a la brasa)US$3 at 2026 rates; checkAbout S/11
Vegetarian set breakfastS/6–9
Seafood lunch for two with a shared starter and drinkscheckAbout S/100
Hostel bedFrom S/10
Bus Lima–Pucallpa18 h or more; checkAbout S/100

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

The city is ordinary for a Peruvian river port; the real risk is the Tingo María–Pucallpa road, which has a robbery history — fly if you can, never travel it at night, and be extra careful in December.
  • Do not travel the Tingo María–Pucallpa road at night; buses have been robbed by passengers who board as riders.
  • December and event weeks are the worst for robberies; police corruption peaks then too.
  • The road past Huánuco is foggy with almost no visibility, and landslides near Tingo María slow it to a crawl.
  • Zoo animals at Parque Natural are in small cages and you can get close to big cats behind a single fence — keep your distance.
  • Lake beaches have muddy sand and basic stalls; don't count on swimming-quality water.

Emergency numbers

Police
105
Fire
116
SAMU ambulance
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.

PucallpaPucallpa

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police105
  • Fire116
  • SAMU ambulance106

Embassy

No embassies in Pucallpa; the US, UK, Canada and Australia all run embassies in Lima. Consular help for the region comes from Lima.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Mototaxi airport → Plaza de Armas: about S/4–6, 10 min (check)
  • Mototaxi centre → Yarinacocha: about S/4
  • Colectivo Pucallpa → Yarinacocha: about S/1.50

Say or show

  • ¿Cuánto a Yarinacocha? — How much to Yarinacocha? (KWAN-to a ya-ree-na-KO-cha)
  • Pare aquí, por favor — Please stop here (PA-re a-KEE por fa-VOR)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (KWAN-to KWES-ta)
  • La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please (la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR)
  • ¿Dónde está el mercado? — Where is the market? (DON-de es-TA el mer-KA-do)
  • No quiero tour — I don't want a tour (no KYEH-ro tour)

Cash is king outside hotels; carry small soles notes for mototaxis and market stalls.

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 Pucallpa. 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: May–Oct (drier, cooler) · avoid Dec–Mar (heavy rain, and December has the worst robbery record) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 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 PCL: mototaxi fare bands, late-arrival fallback, first-night rung.
  2. Walking clusters: Plaza de Armas, Mercado 3 and the riverfront, Yarinacocha lakefront.
  3. Place pages for Lake Yarinacocha and Parque Natural with opening hours and boat fares checked.
  4. Road-risk fixture for the Tingo María corridor so the overland option can be shown as caution or skip.

Meanwhile

Back to Peru

Sources