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Welcome to the jungle! Iquitos, a pocket of man-made urbanity in a seemingly incongruous river-and-jungle setting, is the largest city in the world with no road access, which means the only way to reach it is by boat or by air.

You may be wondering just how this steamy jungle metropolis came to be. Though a small riverside mission was set up here in the early 18th century, the settlement really took off during a 19th-century rubber boom, when barons made a fortune extracting the jungle’s resources. The ornate and lavish mansions of the city, including one designed by the famed architect behind Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower, were built by the foreign millionaires who came here for rubber and have now long since departed.

Among the highlights of this endlessly fascinating jungle city is the sprawling Belen Market, a giant souk where local vendors display a multitude of items, from fleshy fruits and plump vegetables to wild and domestic meats as well as fish only recently snatched from the river’s depths. Unlucky in love or finance? Stop by Pasaje Paquito alley and browse the jungle medicines that purport to heal every imaginable malady. You might pick up a love potion or a specially prepared herbal formula that is said to increase luck. Feeling particularly brave or adventurous? Consider sampling suri, an Amazonian delicacy that consists of roasted wood-boring larvae skewered on a stick.

In Iquitos, the options for how to fill your time are near endless. You can take an Amazon luxury cruise, go wildlife-spotting at nearby sanctuaries or experience jungle luxury at hideaway ecolodges. Here at Kuoda, we arrange personalized travel to Peru and can tailor your trip to Iquitos to suit your particular preferences.

Contact us today and get your free Peru trip quote.  At Kuoda Travel, all trips are custom and personally designed for you by one of our professional travel experts.