Moon Peru by Ryan Dubé

Author:Ryan Dubé
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Publishing
Published: 2017-03-17T04:00:00+00:00

Rainforest Lodges

Though more expensive than Peruvian hotels of the same category, rainforest lodges are an excellent deal when you consider that transportation, an English-speaking guide, food, lodging, and a full range of activities are included in the rates.

In general, you get what you pay for, and the better guides tend to work at the more expensive lodges. Because the main cost of any lodge is gasoline for the outboard motor, the lodges farther away from Iquitos become progressively more expensive but offer the chance to see a wider array of animals.

Adventurous River Travel to Iquitos

To reach Iquitos, you have two options: travel by air or travel by water; there are no highways. There are plenty of direct flights from Lima, but if you are looking for adventure, you can hop aboard a cargo boat from either Yurimaguas or Pucallpa. As you lounge in a hammock, the rainforest will pass by while the ship meanders through the muddy waters of the Marañón or Ucayali River, flowing into the Amazon under a bright blue sky. Just when the heat and humidity become unbearable, a refreshing afternoon rain might fall to reveal a spectacular clear sky dominated at night by the Southern Cross. With a little preparation, the right attitude, and some patience, a river journey through the rainforest can be a comfortable, safe, and a unique travel experience.

Yurimaguas is located in northeastern Peru, two or three days from Iquitos down the Río Marañón. This small city is reached by a two-hour drive from Tarapoto. Comfy minivans and colectivo station wagons offer daily trips on the 120-kilometer highway that crosses the Cordillera Escalera, the last mountain range with cloud forests, before descending into the Amazon basin.

Cargo boats from Transportes Eduardo (Yurimaguas tel. 065/35-1270 or 965/63-5356) depart Yurimaguas around noon, with accommodations ranging from covered decks for slinging hammocks (US$38 pp) to cabins with huge beds and private baths (US$60 pp). The company has seven boats (Eduardo I, II, III, and so on) and different services available in each. Be warned, however, that boats wait until their cargo deck is full, and confirmed departures are quite often be delayed.

The other option is Pucallpa, on the shores of the Río Ucayali, a commercial hub four to five days upstream of Iquitos. The city is unattractive but is the southern gateway to the northeastern Amazon rainforest. The wharfs are always busy loading and unloading goods—bananas, cars, passengers—to and from Iquitos and other small towns along the river.

From Lima, Pucallpa is reached by daily flights or by a gorgeous 15-hour bus journey from the desert coast to the Andes to the rainforest, reaching an elevation of almost 5,000 meters crossing Ticlio. The bus ride can be broken up in two parts with an overnight stop in Huánuco or Tingo María, which are opening up to travel after being shut down for years by drug trafficking in the area.

Gilmer I, IV, and V, also owned by Transportes Eduardo, and the Baylón I and II are the boats we recommend.

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