PeruNorth's musings on events & destinations in Northern Peru, Amazonia ... and beyond. Detailed tour reviews.
Peru's immense bio-diversity means that it is a treasure chest of fruits and grains, the marvellous properties of which are only now beginning to be appreciated by Western scientists and consumers. Supermarkets are beginning to feature products containing quinoa and maca - two famous Incan superfoods from the Andes mountain region - for example.
Meanwhile, in the Amazon rain forest, nutrient-rich 'superfruits' have been nourishing and healing the indigenous population for centuries.
The Museum of Historic Boats is a recent addition to Iquitos's tourist attractions and the culmination of a holistic restoration project, intended to preserve Amazonian history from the early days of exploration and conquest to the present day.
May 07, 2014: 14 years after first setting foot in Amazonia, I had finally arrived at the end of the Amazon River! But rather than this being a tale of an epic water-borne journey, battling vicious creatures, geographical challenges and bloodthirsty natives, in the style of the Conquistadors, I had rather mundanely arrived in the Brazilian city of Belem by plane from Sao Paulo
These days, nearly all Amazon river cruises travel upstream from Iquitos to the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers, and the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. However, when I first took one of these cruises, in the year 2002, the Rio Amazonas took me and my group downstream to the tri-border with Colombia and Brazil. It remains a very interesting - albeit busier - river journey, which can be visited using local transport or by chartering your own vessel.
Iquitos is well-known as being the most remote city in the world, only accessible by air or river.
For those wanting to experience the latter, there are several ways of going about it.
Peru is well known for its diversity, with the much-quoted triumvirate of Coast (Pacific), Mountains (Andes) and Jungle (Amazon) only providing a hint at the number of distinct eco-systems within her borders. To get an intense feel for this diversity, Peru North can recommend making the drive from Tarapoto in the department of San Martin, to Chiclayo in Lambayeque, on Peru's northern coast. And who better to have at the wheel for a journey as intensely spectacular as this, in the company of one's parents, than a driver called 'Elvis'. (This was not a nickname.)
