Our Destinations
LORETO - IQUITOS
Loreto is the largest yet least populated
department in Peru. It is covered by dense vegetation and by
primary and secondary jungle with low hills and slightly rolling
landscape, crisscrossed by the many rivers of the Amazon River
basin, which is born at the confluence of the Marañon and
Ucayali Rivers.
Iquitos, the capital of Loreto, is the main port city on the
Amazon River and the largest city in the Peruvian jungle.
Different indigenous people groups like the Cocama, Huitoto, and
Bora first inhabited the area. Then there came the Jesuit
missionaries who founded the city. At the end of the nineteenth
century was when Iquitos experienced its greatest economic glory
due to the rubber industry. The economic bonanza meant that
luxurious buildings like the art noveau Palace Hotel and the
Iron House, designed by the famous French architect Gustave
Eiffel, were constructed there.
In contrast to these buildings, you find the homes in the Belen
neighborhood that are constructed on top of rafts and pylons to
protect them from the flooding of the river. One of the best
attractions in Loreto is navigating on the rivers and lakes and
enjoying the beautiful beaches.
The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve (2,080,000 hectares), the
largest reserve in Peru, is located 183 kilometers from the city
and is home to numerous plant and animal species, many of them
in danger of extinction like the charapa river turtle, the giant
river otter, the black caiman, and the river dolphin.
Likewise, the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (58,000
hectares) protects the largest concentration of white sand
forests, or varillales as they are known in the Peruvian Amazon
rainforest. This happens to be one of the best areas to go for
bird-watching. //In addition to these national reserves, there
are also numerous private reserves, which have been created to
satisfy all tastes.
