4 Days in Iquitos: Experience the Peruvian Jungle and Visit a Native Community

During the route, you will be able to observe the convergence of the brown turbid waters of the Amazon River with the dark waters of the Nanay River. After touring for some minutes, you will do a short stop at the monkey island, where endangered monkey species of the Peruvian Amazonia are protected and preserved. You can contemplate the different monkey species, which live completely free within this reserve.

Afterwards, you will continue the boat ride for around 1 hour. When you get to the lodge, you will be welcomed and you will receive a local fruit juice to refresh you. Then, you will check-in and move in your respective room. Right after, you will go to the lodge restaurant, so that you can enjoy your first dish in the Peruvian jungle.

In the afternoon, you will start your first tour through the Yanamono Reserve accompanied by professional guides for about 2 hours. There, they will teach you how to identify different flora species like Heliconia flowers, medicinal plants, and giant trees. During this tour, you can also observe different bird species like the turkey vulture (Cathartes Aura), the black fronted nun bird (Monasa-Atia) and if you are lucky, you can observe some little monkey family like the marmosets (Saguinus fusicollis), the titi (Callicebus Mollock Mollock) and the squirrel monkey (Saimiri Boliviense).

You will get back to the lodge to enjoy some hours of rest and relaxation, as well as being part of the sunset in the Amazon rainforest. At night, in particular, in the seasonal high water level of the river, you will enjoy a magical boat tour through one of the tributaries of the Amazon River. You will tour without any illumination, just accompanied by some flora and fauna glints from the jungle. If the sky is cloudless, you will contemplate the splendid shine of the moon, as well as the stars and constellations. When you get back to the lodge, you will have dinner and rest in order to recover energy.

After getting back to the lodge for an energy breakfast and a short break, you will be prepared to be part of the artisanal fishing expedition. Therefore, you will be transferred to one of the Amazon River tributaries, where you will learn about artisanal fishing techniques, as well as catching piranhas. Besides, during this tour, you will contemplate the friendly pink river dolphin (Inia Geoffrensis). If the expedition was successful, you will go back to the lodge with plenty of fish to be cooked and in that way, you can enjoy a delicious traditional Peruvian jungle dish for lunch.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to a lake in the Yanamono Island on a boat, where you will observe the majestic Victoria Regia, the queen of the water lilies. Currently, it is known as “Victoria Amazónica”; this native flower from the shallow water of the Amazon River basin, mostly grows in lakes and marshes. Also, you will probably be able to see some white flowers on their first day of flowering, turning into pink on their second day. This stunning plant could grow up to 40 cm in diameter and it is pollinated by beetles. The “Victoria Amazónica” is well known by its enormous circular leaf, which is usually shown with a kid sitting in the center of its leaf so that you can contemplate its size and strength.

At night, you will walk through nature within the perimeters of the lodge and witness the charming transformation of the jungle to a nocturnal environment. While adapting to the dark environment of the jungle, you will appreciate how nature adopts a different character and you can observe the different habits of the nocturnal animals of the jungle. It is the best time to appreciate frogs, timid snakes and other creatures that only move during the night. You will be able to differentiate a completely different range of fauna from what is usually found during the day, listening to the magical sounds of insects, birds, cats and owls. After 30 minutes of travel, you will return to the lodge to enjoy dinner and rest pleasantly.

Afterwards, you will return to the lodge for the farewell lunch, check out and then head to Iquitos. According to your return flight scheduled to Lima, the transport to the airport will be done and you will leave the Peruvian jungle (please book flights for later than 5.30pm).