Our first impressions visiting Iquitos, Peru

We've done a lot of travel in Peru; however, we've yet to visit the Amazon basin jungle area up in the north. With an opportunity to take a river cruise in the Amazon we flew from Lima to Iquitos. Visiting Iquitos, the largest city in the region, was a place we stayed for two nights. Our first impressions of the city were favorable as we had an opportunity to take a tuk-tuk ride (known locally as motocar), explore markets, enjoy local delicacies and visit the Belen water stilt village and pet friendly cats and dogs. Come join us as we pound the pavement giving you a tour of Iquitos, Peru.
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Our first impressions visiting Iquitos, Peru Travel Guide Video Transcript:
After spending some time in Lima, we flew into Iquitos for the final leg of our Peruvian adventure. The landscape changed from arid deserts to mountains and finally to jungle as our flight crossed the country, and once we arrived, the first thing we did was hop into a tuk-tuk to take us into the city.
So we have made it to Iquitos. We had some lunch, we had a nap. It is now time to explore but first up we have to show you our hotel. It is called Hotel Epoca and it is super cool. It is a colonial building with a cute terrace and you just have to see it. So let's go. I know.
Iquitos is a really fascinating city. It is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road, which means that if you want to visit, you either have to take a plane or a boat to get there.
For many, Iquitos is just a quick stopover en route to an Amazon river cruise or a jungle stay, however, we were pretty excited to get to explore this colonial city.
So favorite part of the city so far is walking along the riverfront. We've got the Rio Amazonas just over there. And it is a really scenic walk. It is, it reminds us so much of Luang Prabang in Laos. Yes. Like it is bringing us right back. So similar.
Rrrrrr. We can hear those engines purring. Yes, something that also reminds us so much of Southeast Asia is all of the tuk-tuk. It is a city of tuk-tuk. You see motorcycles and rickshaw drivers everywhere.
It is an Iron House and that was built by Gustav Eiffel and brought piece by piece all the way from France in 1890. Wow! Or so rumor has it! There is little evidence tying Eiffel to this building, but the mystery keeps people visiting .
We spent the rest of the afternoon just wandering around Iquitos on foot. We didn’t have a map and we didn't have a guide, but we somehow managed to hit a lot of the main landmarks and then some.
Well I would say it has been a pretty fun first half day of exploration. We're really enjoying the town so far. Yes. This is a place I have wanted to visit for such a long time because my Grandma is actually from this area. Not from the city but from like a tiny little colony in the middle of the jungle that no longer even exists. I know. So it is pretty cool here. I feel like we have a much greater appreciation of where she is from and the kinds of food she has been eating because if you stay tune to our channel we're going to be filming a lot of food vlogs of all the regional cuisine from the Amazon.
Okay, so we made it to Belen which is the little village on water stilts. We ended up in the more residential area of Belen, however, there is a more touristy area where you can hire a peke-peke boat to take you out on the water. While we didn’t get to experience this, it could be a cool way to see the village from a different vantage point.
So Audrey, what are you seeing so far? Mostly fresh produce. Fruits and vegetables. Lots of colorful fruit. And I can smell cilantro in the air. So we just went through a really busy market. Now we're heading back into a different section of the water stilt village.
So that is a wrap from Iquitos. Tomorrow we are off to stay in a tree house lodge in the middle of the jungle. And from there we're going to be cruising down the Amazon. Yeah. Can't wait for that. So the adventures continue and we'll have many more videos to come. Ciao. Ciao.
This is part of our Travel in Brazil video series showcasing Brazilian food, Brazilian culture and Brazilian cuisine. Iquitos turismo & iquitos amazonas.
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network