Iquitos

Where should I stay?

Where should I eat?

• Mercado de Belén · Belén · Amazonian market food: Iquitos' huge, chaotic main market, where stalls sell juane, tacacho with cecina, grilled suri grubs and jungle fruit juices.
• Al Frío y al Fuego · Río Itaya · Amazonian: A floating restaurant on the Itaya River, reached by a short boat ride, serving refined dishes built on paiche and other river fish.
• Huasaí · Centro · Peruvian, Amazonian: A busy local favorite near the Plaza de Armas known for cheap set lunches and regional dishes like juane and cecina.
• Ari's Burger · Plaza de Armas · Diner, burgers: A long-running open-front diner on the Plaza de Armas, handy for burgers, ice cream and people-watching.
• Dawn on the Amazon Café · Malecón · International, Amazonian: A traveler-friendly riverfront café serving both Western comfort food and local fish dishes.
• Amazon Bistro · Malecón Tarapacá · French-Peruvian bistro: A bistro on the riverfront promenade with a mixed European and Amazonian menu and views over the river.

What should I do?

• Barrio de Belén · Belén: A riverside district of stilt and floating houses that is best seen by canoe, especially in the high-water season.
• Casa de Fierro · Plaza de Armas: A prefabricated iron house shipped in during the rubber boom and often attributed to Gustave Eiffel's firm.
• Museo Barco Histórico Ayapua · Plaza Castilla: A restored 1906 rubber-era riverboat turned museum about the Amazon rubber boom and its human cost.
• Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm · Padre Cocha: A butterfly farm and animal rescue center a short boat ride from town, home to rescued monkeys, a jaguar and other animals.
• Centro de Rescate Amazónico (CREA) · Carretera Iquitos-Nauta: A rescue and rehabilitation center for orphaned Amazonian manatees, where you can see them up close and learn about conservation.
• A stay at an Amazon jungle lodge · Amazon River: Lodges up and down the Amazon offer two- to four-day packages with guided jungle walks, night outings and canoe trips.