Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The town's main street has simple eateries and even an internet cafe.
Trucks to La Merced leave around 6am; this arduous journey has been improved to
around six hours with the new 'semi-paved' road. Continuing north, the road deteriorates,
although this too has undergone an upgrade. The rough ride to Pucallpa via Ciudad Con-
stitución and Puerto Inca is by truck (12 hours) and now by
colectivo
taxi (six to eight
hours). During the dry season, the river may be too low for passage, and the road is a bet-
ter bet. During the wet months, the road can still be nigh-on impassable, and boats are bet-
ter. There are no flights to Puerto Bermúdez anymore.
Pucallpa
061 / POP 205,000 / ELEV 154M
The busy port of Pucallpa has a distinctly less jungle-like appearance than other Amazoni-
an towns. Although this is an important distribution center for goods along the broad,
brown Río Ucayali, which sweeps past the city en route to join the Río Amazonas, the
rainforest feels far away. After all those miles of tropical travel to get here, Pucallpa
seems underwhelming and bland, and hasty modern development in the center barely dis-
guises the shantytown simplicity a few blocks further out. Still, it's a starting point for a
spectacular river adventure north to Iquitos and, if time and inclination allow, on to Brazil
and the Atlantic.
Beyond the city sprawl, there is a reason for the traveler to linger: the lovely Lago Yar-
inacocha, with river lodges to relax at and interesting indigenous communities to visit.
Sights
Many travelers visit nearby Yarinacocha, which is more interesting than Pucallpa and has
some good accommodation options.
