ACCESS ROUTES
By air: There are daily flights from Lima (1 h and 45 minutes flight). There is also service from the cities of Tarapoto and Caballococha.
By river: From port La Hoyada in Pucallpa (2,5 km from the city) it is possible to travel to Iquitos, by the Ucayali river, with stopovers in the Ports of Requena and Contamana. There are two types of boats:
- Speedboat: small but speedy boat. The trip takes 2 to 3 days depending on the river stream.
- Chata: A large boat with a capacity to carry about 250 passengers but traveling at a slow speed. The trip takes from 4 to 7 days depending on the river stream.

HISTORICAL OVERLOOK
Iquitos, the capital of the department of Loreto, was founded in 1 757 as San Pablo de los Napeanos, and is the first port on the Amazon river. A portion of its territory is inhabited by various tribes and nomad and semi-nomadic groups who speak diverse languages and have different customs. Sharing the same challenging habitat, these people developed very similar means of living, mainly based on hunting and fishing. The first western settlements were established by Jesuit missionaries who made their way into the most remote corners of the forest and founded towns such as Borja, Jeberos and Lagunas, among others.
Later, commerce between Peru and Brazil increased until, in 1 880, Iquitos really took a big step towards prosperity with the rubber extraction fever. Evidence of the economic heyday of those days are the buildings that can still be seen in the city.
Oil was first exploited in 1 938. Current oil reserves are considerable and Iquitos has important projects for the use of its forest resources.
There are many native groups living in the jungle today, many of which are in permanent contact with civilization. These groups live mainly along the banks of the Amazon, Napo, Ucayali, Marañón and Nanay rivers.

ATTRACTIONS IN THE CITY OF IQUITOS

Casa de Fierro (Iron House)
Corner of calle Próspero and calle Putumayo, facing the Main Square.
Open: Monday to Sunday 8:00-20:00.
This iron house was entirely made in the Belgian workshop Les Forjes D´Aisseau. Rubber industrialist Anselmo del Aguila bought it at the Paris International Exhibition in 1 889. Once disassembled, it was sent to Iquitos during the rubber years.

Former Hotel Palace
Corner of calle Putumayo and Malecón Tarapacá.
No visitors allowed.
This Art Nouveau, three-story building was completed in 1 912 and is considered to be the best and most sumptuous in the Peruvian Amazon region. The iron gates of its balconies were imported from Hamburg, the marble from Carrara, the multicolored Sevillian mosaic tiles and the arabesques in the corridors add to the 40 thousand gold pounds spent in the construction of this magnificent building which was the main accommodation facility for foreigners during the rubber heyday.

Tarapacá Embankment
Built during the golden days of rubber on the banks of Amazon river at the border of the city, this riverfront walk offers an attractive panoramic view of Port Belén and the Amazon river.

Port of Belén
Located on the banks of the Itaya river, the port is an important supply center with substantial ship movement. The houses that make up the quarters of Belén are built with simple material over piles to preserve them from the high water level the rainy season.

Town Hall
Jr. Napo 236 (third floor).
Visits: Monday to Friday 7:00-12:45.
Presently, this is the seat of the Municipality of Maynas. Its museum houses a selected collection of local, stuffed animals and interesting samples of handicrafts.

The Amazonian Museum
Malecón Tarapacá 386.
Visits: Monday to Sunday 8:00-21:00.
Reconditioned building home of 80 life-size sculptures depicting the different aboriginal communities of the Peruvian jungle including Brazil and Venezuela. The building also holds 40 photographs of early 20th century Iquitos. (National Historical Museum).

The Amazonian Library
Malecón Tarapacá 354 (third floor of the Prefecture).
Visits: Monday to Saturday 9:00-17:00.
One of the finest libraries specialized in regional issues in the Americas. Originally, it was a single-story building, the second floor being built in the year 1 903. To be noted is the series of big windows, protected by rounded bar iron gate.
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