Iquitos

To begin the Amazon rainforest extension of my trip I flew from Lima to Iquitos. Upon arrival in Iquitos, the Capital of the Peruvian Amazon, the weather was humid and warm with temperatures in the low 80s (oF). Iquitos is located in the heart of the Peruvian rainforest, less than 4° south of the equator, and alongside the bank of the Amazon River in northeastern Peru. The city can be reached only by plane or boat, with the exception of a road to Nauta, a small town some 100 km (62 mi) south. Iquitos is the largest landlocked city in the world. With nearly 1/2 million residents it is Peru's sixth largest city.

Iquitos is a noisy, bustling and congested city. During my very short stay I had a blast zooming about the city in a three-wheeled motorcar and visiting the Belen open-air market situated on the city's southeastern edge along the Itaya River. A couple of nuevo soles can get you about anywhere in the city by motorcar, the primary mode of transportation here. I think there are some 20,000 of these vehicles buzzing about the city at any given time. Understanding the traffic rules is a challenge, but, to be fair, I didn't see any accidents.

The rubber boom (1880-1912) spurred tremendous growth in Iquitos. Evidence of the immense wealth, enjoyed by a select few during the boom, can be seen throughout the city in the ornate architecture of the mansions once owned by the rubber barons. These mansions were constructed almost exclusively of materials shipped in from Europe. Many of them are faced with exquisitely painted azujelos or ceramic tiles imported from Spain and Portugal and have lavish mahogany and tiled interiors.

Just a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas, the city's main plaza, down on the river front is Belen, Iquitos' floating neighborhood and market. Because I traveled in September, during Peru's dry season (June through November), the thatched-roof shacks of the floating city were grounded in a mudflat. I was told the water level can fluctuate as much as 40 feet from the low to the high water season (December through May). The city itself receives an average of some 260 cm (102 in) of rain per year.

I spent an hour or so in the market at the edge of the waterfront. It was filled with hundreds of stalls with vendors selling an incredible variety of products including tropical fruits such as maracuyá (passion fruit), aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa palm fruit), bananas, plantain, cocona (Solanum sessiliflorum), camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) and ungurahui (Oenocarpus bataua palm fruit), vegetables, chonta (heart of palm), herbal medicines, fish (i.e., paiche, paco and gamitana, the later are both close relatives of the piranha), chickens, pork, CDs and clothing.

Accommodations: Casa Morey; Tasty Dining: Casa Morey offers a full buffet breakfast of fresh fruits, breads, egg dishes and various beverages; Buccaneer; El Meson

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Amazon Rainforest


Nauta

In Nauta, a small town in the Peruvian Amazon, located 100 km (62 mi) south of Iquitos, I got onboard a peke-peke for a trip up the Marañón, Amazon and Yanayacu rivers to the Amazon Wildlife Conservation Refuge, a private jungle reserve. The peke-peke is basically a modified dug-out canoe fitted with a small outboard motor. The motor is on a gimbaled (pivoting) stand with a long shaft to the propeller that enables the boat driver to lower and raise the propeller when necessary to clear debris, logs and sand bars in the waterways. The 40-mile trip from Nauta to the Refuge took four hours. It was a trip of a lifetime - smooth motoring and incredible scenery: river banks lined with palm trees, remote villages, fisherman, and river commerce. Unfortunately, there where no sightings of pink freshwater dolphins, the largest of all river dolphins, as there so often are where the Marañón and Ucayali Rivers converge, forming the Amazon River.

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Amazon Rainforest


Amazon Refuge

The Amazon is a vast region that encompasses some 1.7 billion acres in nine different countries in South America. Eighty plus percent of the Amazon is covered by tropical rainforest. The majority of the Amazon Rainforest is in Brazil, with 60%, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with smaller percentages in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. The Amazon Rainforest is the single largest remaining tropical rainforest in the world and is home to a remarkable diversity of wildlife and more than 30 million people. According to the World Wildlife Fund, one in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon Rainforest. Huge numbers of species of birds, freshwater fish, insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and plants live here, including endemic and endangered flora and fauna.

The Amazon Wildlife Conservation Refuge is a crucial protected area of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. Since it’s founding the Refuge has hosted and provided local expertise and logistical support to visiting scientists, birders, photographers, students, volunteer groups and nature lovers from around the world. It is built on 100 acres of primary rainforest between the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Peru's largest preserve, and the Tamshiyacu Community Reserve, a 1 million-acre protection zone owned by local Indians. The Refuge ecosystem is biologically diverse and includes flood plains, rivers, streams, lakes and upland primary forest. With the cooperation and support of the San Juan de Yanayacu Indians 100 acres of their land was granted to the Refuge for the construction of a research and conservation center. The mission of the Refuge is to strengthen the rainforest ecosystem of the Yanayacu area by facilitating sound conservation practices, supporting protection of the community reserve and providing employment for the local people so they may live productive and sustainable lives, in harmony with nature.

The Refuge lodge was built by local Indians using local materials. It is a complex of eight structures including a dining hall, kitchen, staff housing and five bungalows. Buildings are interconnected by covered walkways. The main entrance extends from the dinning hall across a covered bridge with an observation platform. The walkway continues to the bungalows. The thatched-roof bungalows are completely screened and each one has a private bathroom and hammock porch. A solar power system and generator generate the 110 and 220-volt electricity for outlets, lights, fans and refrigeration needed for creature comforts.

From the Refuge lodge, my homebase in the Amazon rainforest, I went on wildlife-spotting hikes in the jungle, ventured up the Yanayacu River, a remote tributary of the Amazon River, visited local Indians and was lulled into a peaceful sleep by the jungle after each day's adventure.

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Amazon Rainforest