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Scarlet macaws spreading their wings in the Amazon canopy

Destination

The Amazon

More than half of Peru is rainforest. Fly in, take a boat up a river and wake to macaws and howler monkeys. It's low, warm and humid: a gift to your lungs after the Andes.

Altitude
~100–500 m (verify)
Best months
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct (verify)
Regions
3
Journeys
2

Regions in The Amazon

Where to go

A pair of macaws in the rainforest near Puerto Maldonado

Tambopata

~200 m

The easiest way into the rainforest: a short flight, then the river

Canoes and stilt houses on the river at Belén, Iquitos

Iquitos

~105 m

The largest city you can't drive to, and the gateway to river cruises

Cloud forest on a misty mountainside in Peru

Manu

~350 m

From the Andes down to the jungle, for travellers with time

What to eat in The Amazon

Open the food map

  • Juane

    Rice, chicken, olives and egg wrapped in a bijao leaf and boiled. Traditionally eaten for the San Juan festival in June.

  • Paiche

    One of the world's largest freshwater fish, now farmed sustainably. Firm and mild, often grilled in leaves.

  • Camu camu

    A small, very sour river fruit packed with vitamin C, usually drunk as juice.

  • Tacacho con cecina

    Mashed green plantain with pork fat, served with smoked dried pork. The jungle breakfast.

  • Cacao

    Peru grows fine-flavour cacao, much of it from native varieties. The beans taste fruity long before they become chocolate.

  • Coffee

    Grown on the misty eastern slopes. Salkantay trekkers pass coffee farms on the way down to Machu Picchu.

Journeys

Journeys that go here

A riverboat on a rainforest river near Iquitos14 days

Andes & Amazon

The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, then down into the rainforest, and a last night by the Pacific.

From US$6,800 pp

Two young llamas on a mountainside11 days

Peru with Kids

Sea lions, Inca ruins, a train through the gorge and three days in the rainforest, at a family pace.

From US$4,600 pp

Accommodation

Where to stay

Ready when you are

Tell us when you'd like to go and what you'd love to see. Your Peru Specialist will come back with ideas, honest advice on altitude and timing, and a clear price.

Start planning