Amazon is a unique place in our planet with over 400 indigenous tribes living around the rainforest. The Amazon River Basin is home to the largest rainforest on Earth and spans across eight countries – Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
I had an opportunity to spend 4days/3nights exploring beautiful jungle during an Amazon jungle tour through the Peruvian rainforest and indeed had a fantastic time! So stay tuned to find out more about this epic adventure.
The beginning of Amazon Jungle tour. Day 1
Amazon jungle tour started in Iquitos, early morning in June. Little truck picked us up from our hostel (as always being late) and took to Nauta city, which is around an hour drive away, where boat already awaited us. After one hour into the journey, we arrived to the point where the Marañón and the Ucayali river meets- a spot, where famous Amazon river begins. You would never tell it’s different from any other spot in a river, but somehow, just knowing THIS IS where it starts made it special.
After 2.5hours boat ride we were 270km away from Iquitos, somewhere deep inside the jungle. And to prove that, massive longlegs spider greeted us in our Amazon Lodge. I should mention, that being a typical female, didn’t take it too well. Lodge itself had 5 double ‘rooms’ with a few shared toilets, dinning area, a bucket shower and two wild chickens inside. Everything was super basic but somehow I wasn’t expecting otherwise. Most importantly, beds had thick mosquito nets, that somehow made me feel safer. If spider falls on me, I should be fine, and lets not think about bigger creatures.
After being shown our rooms, we had a chance to meet our guide Fran, who will be taking care of us for the next 4 days in the Amazon. He was born and grew up in a rainforest, hence being an expert and choosing to work as a guide.
Sometime after having our morning coffee and introduction to the program, we took a walk deep into primary forest, getting to know the flora and fauna of the area. The variety of the flora in the jungle is so immense and even for our experienced guide it was sometimes hard to identify the type of tree. It got incredibly humid once we dived into the forest, which made it hard to be energetic for long. Guide also showed us some survival skills, in case you get lost in a jungle. We’ve also seen a fresh leopard footprints, which apparently means, he’s somewhere around in out neighbourhood. For me, it’s a sign to get back to the lodge:)
After lunch, we took our full bellies into little gondola and went to explore the Ucayali and Yarapa river and observe the grey and pink dolphins in their natural habitat. The lush green of the rainforest was impressive and everywhere we could hear different animal sounds. It was the end of rainy season and almost every piece of land was still flooded. We’ve seen many dolphins within a close proximity. It was the first time I actually encountered a pink dolphin, even tho they look somehow weird. And after many attempts to try and take a picture of them, I realised that it’s time to give up, they’re just too fast and unpredictable. So you not going to see one here I’m afraid…
Dinner was followed by the Cayman hunt. They are alligator like animals, that grow up to 4 meters and live around South America. We went into the night looking for little red caymans eyes. And it was insane when another guide David jumped into the water and grabbed one with his bare hands! Since that moment, I realised that he is a fearless, mad one:)
Todays shocking fact was that canopy of the Amazon rainforest is so thick that it takes around 10 minutes until rain water reaches the ground!
More adventures. Day 2
That early 5am ring of alarm clock would set me crazy back home. But here, it’s different. Am I excited, tired, or both? An early rise is essential for bird watching, as later on, there will be more boats and birds are not the biggest fans of boat engines. Once we’re back into the non ending waters, sounds are immaculate! It’s hard to pick where’s a frog and where’s macaws screaming. But thanks to our guide and fellow group members binoculars, I’m able to see birds up close.
After late breakfast aka lunch, our guide decided to spend the afternoon visiting local village and watching some monkeys on the way there. And because it was raining on the way, it was hard to get up closer to them. But with the help of an awesome camera, I was able to meet them real close. 
On the way to the village, at the very top of the highest tree our guide spotted a sloth. I always wanted to hold one! Like, with that smile, they look so cute and shy. ‘Please please, get it down!’- was my current response. And our crazy guide no2. went up to the top like a monkey. 10min and he was in the boat with a little sloth in his hands. Although I don’t like to treat animals like on a petting farm nor to disturb their wild life, I have to admit that I enjoyed holding it in my arms. It was favourite part of this journey so far! 
A quick local village visit was incredible. People live in houses at the river and their life totally depends on the food the river gives them. None of the houses have windows, nor doors and some of them have no walls either.
It was a strange feeling when we, people from the “western world” with their big cameras and money in their pockets, arrived and realized in what conditions these children grow up. I guess they’re happy children and appreciate the things they have. 
Camping in the Jungle. Day 3
Sleeping in a Jungle lodge is alright, but sleeping in a Jungle minus lodge, I’m not sure how I feel about it. I mean, all those spiders, snakes, tarantulas, they can get to me, I don’t have walls around. Fearing all of that, we packed the food, cooking utensils and hammocks and headed to the spot to build up the camp for tonight. And the purpose of this is to give you a taste of how people live in a jungle with minimum comfort, how they prepare a camp and how it feels to sleep in a rainforest. After hammocks were up and camp is in order, we went on a piranha fishing trip. Oh boy, exciting it was! Although it took me more then an hour to catch one, I was like a little child, stomping around the boat when it happened:) My first piranha bought on a stick and meat! And look at her teeth! No wonder these little bastards are so famous.
So you guessed it right, we had piranhas for dinner. Catching process was more pleasurable than tasting. I think i’m going to stick with cod and salmon. After such an exhausting day of fishing, building, cooking and swimming in the amazon, everyone was ready to fall head first into their hanging beds- hammocks. First checking for trespassers and 5min later I’m out. It was raining during the night, which helped me to sleep even tighter, unfortunately made it harder in the morning, mud was everywhere. I’m bowing to those, who invented welly boots!
The way back. Day 4
As soon as the daylight arrived, we started packing up and heading towards the lodge. What an amazing time in the Amazon jungle! Tired but happy we arrived to the lodge, packed damp clothes and repeated the 3.5hour journey back to Iquitos. I’m so proud we all survived the night in the wild! 
Where and how much?
There are numerous agencies in Iquitos that offer jungle trips. Some look serious, some very dodgy. After careful checking some agencies and recommendations online we decided to book with Ecological Jungle Tours. Also because it was very last minute booking, we were able to knock down the price insanely. As I remember we paid around 750 soles (250$) per person for 4 days. I wouldn’t necessarily say this company was our best choice but getting other people feedback later, it turns out none of the agencies deliver everything they’ve promised. They always blow a massive bubble of tales and label an outstanding prices. So always remember the rule- negotiate.
The tour includes three meals a day (except breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day), drinking water, transportation, English speaking guide, camping equipment, rubber boots and 2 night accommodation in the lodge.
How to get to Iquitos, read here.
Other important info:
Make sure you bring enough mosquito repellent, as they get really nasty to foreigners (high deet factor). Also, pack enough clothes, as humidity won’t let your washing to dry. Plus, invest in a good raincoat, this will be your survival gear.
Congrats, you’ve reached the end of my longest post!
Have you ever been to the Amazon? If so, how was your experience?
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