Iquitos: Getting there & around

Iquitos' small but busy airport is about 7km (4.3mi) south of the center of town - it currently receives flights from Lima. The airport is closed between 09:00 and 18:00 because of flocks of vultures in the vicinity. Until the problem is resolved, you can only leave and arrive before and after these times. Three main airlines link Iquitos with the outside world. LAN is the best and most expensive; Star Perú and Aero Condor also operate flights to and from Lima. Charter companies at the airport have five-seater planes to almost anywhere in the Amazon. There is an airport departure tax for both domestic and international flights.

Iquitos is Peru's largest and most organized river port. You can, in theory, travel from Iquitos to the Atlantic Ocean, but most boats out of Iquitos ply only Peruvian waters, and voyagers necessarily change boats at the Colombian-Brazilian border. Cargo boats normally leave from Puerto Masusa (Av La Marina) about 2.5km (1.5mi) north of the city center. The Henry boats to Pucallpa leave from their own port closer to town. Boats often leave many hours or even a few days late. There are upriver passages to Pucallpa (4-7 days) or Yurimaguas (3-6 days). Boats leave about three times a week to Pucallpa, more often to Yurimaguas. Some boats have cabins and charge more. Downriver boats to the Peruvian border with Brazil and Colombia leave about twice a week (2 days). Never leave gear unattended; ask to have your bags locked up when you sleep. Expreso Loreto (tel: 23 4086) has fast motor launches to the border. Amazon Tours & Cruises has weekly cruises on comfortable ships from Iquitos to Leticia, Colombia, leaving on Sundays.

Taxis are relatively few and are pricier than in other Peruvian cities. The ubiquitous motocarros (three-wheeled motorcycle rickshaw cabs) cost less than a taxi and are fun to ride. A trip around the city costs about US$0.70 . Always board from the sidewalk - traffic pays little heed to embarking passengers - and keep your limbs inside at all times.

Buses and trucks service several nearby destinations, including the airport - they leave from Plaza 28 de Julio and are marked 'Nanay-Belén-Aeropuerto'.

A paved road now extends through the jungle as far as Nauta on the Río Marañón, just beyond its confluence with the Río Ucayali. Riverboat passengers from Yurimaguas can now alight at Nauta and pick up a local bus to Iquitos, making the journey shorter by some six hours. Boats from Pucallpa do not stop at Nauta.

JB Moto-Rental (Yavari 702) rents motorcycles.