About Iquitos
Iquitos is a city of 380,000 people (2017) in the Amazonas region of Peru. (Don't confuse it with the Department of Amazonas where Chachapoyas is located.) For travellers, Iquitos offers a vast selection of activities not found elsewhere in Peru, such as Amazon boat rides and great wildlife viewing. One way to see Peru is to visit the 3 areas — Coastal, Andes, and Amazon — and Iquitos is the best way to see the Amazon.
Iquitos is also gateway to some of the top national parks and reserves for ecological conservation and wildlife viewing. Some of the best reserves are the Allpahuayo-Mishana, renowned for endemic bird species seen nowhere else; the Pacaya Samiria, which is the largest track of flood forest in the upper Amazon basin and is home to a stunning variety of freshwater aquatic life, including large arrau turtles, jabiru storks and large black caiman; and the Area de Conservacion Reserva Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo, which holds the world’s record for diversity of species of monkeys in one reserve (16 species) as well as for mammal diversity. Iquitos has attracted a lot of travellers from around the globe who are interested in the ancient shamanic ways of plant healing. The most popular shamanic medicine is Ayahuasca, a powerful psychedelic brew that is gaining increasing popularity worldwide.