Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Iquitos & the Amazon
It is a strange, sweltering, seductive country-within-a-country. Peru's Amazon Basin has a
vastness and an impenetrability that has long shielded it from the outside world. Remote
tribes still exist in its depths and uncatalogued plants still grow in the tropical mist. In fact,
more plant types flourish in a single hectare here than in any European country. And the
fauna? Totally sci-fi.
But as the 21st century dawns on this expanse of wilderness, exploitation of the rainforest's
abundant natural resources − be it oil or ranch land − threatens to irreversibly damage it.
For now though, this lush wilderness is still a paradise for adventure-seekers. It offers phe-
nomenal wildlife-spotting, exquisite forays into untamed forest and raucous city life unlike
anything you'll experience elsewhere in Peru. Forge through it by road or river and you'll
feel like the explorers who first brought international attention to this region.
