Iquitos Travel Forum

Hello all!

I am planning to spend about 12 days in Iquitos in late June/early july, 9 of them spent at a location outside of the city.

Before I go, however, I was planning on spending 2 days in the city by myself.

How safe will it be for me to travel around the city alone (especially since I speak only rudimental spanish)? Would anyone recommend I be in before dark, etc? I'm not particularly afraid of being out at night(did some late night wandering alone in Shanghai and Hanzhou) but wanted some practical thoughts as safety is important.

Also, I tend to like to wander off the beaten path and try to avoid tourist laden areas. If anyone knows of any nice local places or things to check out (food, sights, etc.) your thoughts will be much appreciated.


Thanks!

Chris

I spent a week in Iquitos in November and as a 6' 215lb weight lifter even I felt uneasy in some parts of the city, but mostly at night. If you stay near the Plaza De Armas area you'll probably be safest, at least from common crimes. You may, however, run into more tourist traps, i.e., more beggars, more tourist agency's-hired-taxi-drivers trying to sell you tours etc.

Iquitos is itself off the beaten path. When people tell you that there are a lot of tourists there, it is comparison to the road to Iquitos. I went a week from just outside of Lima to just before Iquitos in a car/bus/boat without meeting a single english-speaking American. In Iquitos I saw about a dozen of them.

Nauta (Nautas?) is the furthest town by road from Iquitos and it has excellent shops, I recommend visiting it on a Saturday morning when the Market is at the strongest. It is about a 2 hour bus (Don't take the motorcars) ride from the city.

The agencies there are more than willing to bring you out into the middle of nowhere in the rainforest, and they predominantly speak English also.

I would feel uncomfortable saying that as a female you will have as easy a time as I did getting around, since I don't think that would be true. The culture is kind of sexist, for lack of an easier term.

Don't let that stop you though because that part of Peru is beautiful. 99% of visitors to Peru seem to spend their time solely in Cusco and to a lesser extent Lima. Don't let anybody help you with anything unless you want to pay them. Ask the price of everything ahead of time and a taxi motorcar to anywhere in the city should not cost you more than 2 soles, 3 at max but that's generally gringo price or if you are completely crossing the city and leaving its limits. Tip them well if they are honest with you.

Try the street vendor food if you have a strong stomach, the empanadas are amazing. Avoid the plaza 28 or something of a similar name-- all the pickpockets hang out there. Email me if you have any more questions.

Chris from Iowa/Virginia

Chris,

I'd be a little cautious, but no more than anywhere else. I'd defintely stay away from the Belen area alone, but if you visit in the day, just leave anything valuable at your hotel. I've been to Iquitos twice this year (and am going back in 2 weeks) and have never felt threatened, though "pickpocket" type crime does occur. I never carry much and ALWAYS have my hand on my camera and have not had a problem. Even the locals say violent crime is almost non-existent there.

If you stay around the Plaza de Armas, you shouldn't have any problem. I've walked all ove the city at night (except Belen) and no one paid any attention to the "gringo" walking in their neighborhood.

Go to the "Yellow Rose of Texas" restaurant -- it's right around the corner from the Plaza de Armas -- and ask for Gerald. He can give you advice and what to do and the best way to do it. He's always been very helpful and nice and knows the city well, especially the tourism industry since he used to be the tourism director.

You can ride a motocarro to the port of Bellavista and catch a boat to the Boras or Yaguas Indian "villages". The Boras, for instance, do dances and have lots of curious for sale. It's interesting, but don't pay more than 15-20 soles for the boat ride -- they will take advantage of you and charge a lot more. This is where Gerald can help a lot.

The zoo/resort at Quistococha outside of town is well worth the trip. It takes about 30-40 minutes to get there (just past the 9.5 km sign) so you'll start to get worried if you'll ever get there, but it's well worth it. They have a lot of jungle animals to see, though some look very sad in their really small cages. There will undoubtedly be an English-speaking guide at the gate who will take you through the zoo for a rasonable fee. (Entrance is 3 soles -- about $1.)

Iquitos is not really much of a tourist area -- just a jumping off point for tourists heading into the jungle. I'm like you -- I spend most of time hanging out with the locals and going where they go.

You're going to have a great time there.

Obviously, when you leave your stuff at the hotel make sure to put it in a safe. Dos Mundos is an excellent place to stay.

That Texas restaurant is smokey!

I agree strongly -- always keep valuables in the hotel safe. My passport never left the safe during my stay. I like staying at the Hotel Acosta which has in-room safes and you keep the key. (They don't even have a spare key on the premises. I found that out when the lock on my safe broke and the manager from their sister hotel had to over bring a spare. It didn't work, either, but they had it fixed within a couple of hours. While the locksmith was working, they stored my valuables in an unoccupied room and gave me the key.)

Hey..Iquitos is a very safe city. don't be afraid to come here, all that the other guys had say is true, I am a citizen of Iquitos and I agree all the comments of these guys.just in case this is my e-mail, tucanlodge@yahoo.com

Hi, Iquitos is a safe city. Also in the night. But dont go to dawn belen alown. Its the porest place of Iquitos and if you go solo. Thats asking for problems.

I just come home for my 3th time to Iquitos, and I stay 15 days at the jungle. It was realy nice!! Next year I go back. I always go whit this company www.royalemeraldforest.com . This company is a small familierum company whit kind and honest people. They do anything they can to make your trip.