So you probably read a few articles of people going to Iquitos by other forms of transportation rather then plane. If you decide to follow my path, keep reading on, you will find some very useful information that other bloggers don’t include.
To this day I’ve finally learned that nothing runs on time, so is the information never correct. Later on in this article I’ll back up my argument with facts.
First step is taking bus from Mancora to Piura (2.5h), make sure to leave early, as you need to be in Piura by 12pm, otherwise you’ll have to spend a night there, as all buses leave at midday. Company I’ve used, lets you out in it’s own station in Piura, like all other bus operators in Peru, you’ll then have to take moto taxi to another terminal that has buses to Tarapoto. I came too late and had to stay in a dodgy local hostel, that was sprayed for dengue fever the next morning without informing it’s guests and nearly gave me a heart attack. Learn from my mistakes!
Piura- Taropoto bus departs at 12:30pm once a day only and arrives to Tarapoto at 5am.
Then follows up another moto taxi from bus terminal in Tarapoto to collective that goes to Yurimaguas, takes 2 more hours in a mini van type bus. Then another moto taxi to the port. I know, it seems like many motos but believe me, all of this happens in like 27hour window.
Every blog says that boats from Yurimaguas leave daily. It seems to me that first person wrote this information and others just starting rewriting it without checking it’s correct. Let me update you: 2015 June- boats don’t leave everyday. When we came, there was no boat till next midday, so I asked a local guy working in a shop and he said, that boats don’t have schedule to this day and definitely aren’t leaving daily. But I was happy to discover a new express boat service that leaves everyday at 3am and arrives to Nauta 6pm the following day. It’s a small seating boat with no hammocks but has reclining seats and you get lunch/drinks on board included. Also costs the same as 3day boat with an upped deck space. As slow boat is 100soles plus 20soles for a hammock, it makes worth just taking a faster one for 130soles. I know it’s all about the experience but with a faster boat you also stop in villages and see amazon around you, just for a shorter time.
From Nauta to Iquitos take another collectivo and when you’re there congratulate yourself, you’ve reached your destination!
Where, when and how much.
Mancora- Piura 16soles ($5) 2.5h
Piura- Tarapoto 70soles ($23) 16h
Tarapoto- Yurimaguas collectivo 20soles ($6.5)
Yurimaguas- Nauta speed boat 130soles ($41) 17h
Nauta- Iquitos
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