Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [415]
Parrilladas El Braserito (San Martín 498; mains S16-28; 11:30am-4pm daily, 6-11pm Mon-Sat) For good grills (steak, fish and venison) in a refined but somewhat bland atmosphere, this is a good choice.
Chifa Mey Lin (57-4687; Immaculada 698; mains S17-24; closed Sun) This place gets the gong for being the best of Pucallpa’s chifas (Chinese restaurants). A spacious, convivial eating environment.
Chez Maggy (57-4958; Inmaculada 643; medium pizza S22) Maggy serves up pizzas nothing short of superb, and from a wood-burning oven. The interior is modern and not plasticized like some neighboring restaurants. The unusual, tropical-tasting sangria goes down well with all dishes.
Mean cakes and ice cream can be found at other good cafes such as Fuente Soda Tropitop (57-2860; Sucre 401) and Las Vegas (57-1936; Raimondi 332).
For long trips, stock up at Supermercado Los Andes (Portillo 545).
Drinking
A few half-decent bars can be found along Inmaculada on the endearingly named ‘pizza strip,’ of which Cachigaga (Inmaculada 552) seems the liveliest.
Shopping
The local Shipibo tribespeople wander the streets of town selling souvenirs. More of their work is seen near Yarinacocha. For details on their handicrafts, Click here.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Pucallpa’s decent-sized airport is 5km northwest of town. LAN Peru (1-213-8200, ext 3; Tarapaca 805) has two flights daily to/from Lima, leaving the capital at the inconvenient times of 3:55am and 8:35pm and returning from Pucallpa at 5:35am and 10:15pm. Star Perú (59-0586; 7 de Junio 865) has an alternative similarly priced direct flight leaving from/to Lima at 9:30am and 2:25pm. Take up to 8kg luggage in the cabin or 25kg in the hold. The morning flight from Lima usefully continues to Iquitos at 11:10am. Departure tax is S11.46, payable at the bank in the concourse lounge before check-in.
Other towns and settlements (including Atalaya, Contamaná, Juanjuí, Puerto Breu, Sepahua, Tarapoto and Yurimaguas) are served by small local airlines using light aircraft. North American (57-2351; fax 57-3168; airport) flies to Contamaná daily and also to Tarapoto. Luggage on these flights is limited to 10kg per passenger.
BOAT
Pucallpa’s port moves depending on water levels. During high water (January to April) boats dock at the town itself, abutting Parque San Martín. As water levels drop, the port falls back to several spots along the banks, including Puerto Henry (Manco Cápac s/n) and eventually to about 3km northeast of the town center, reached by mototaxi (S3). The town port stretches some way: different boats for different destinations depart from different areas, usually referred to by the name of the nearest intersecting road.
Wherever the port is, riverboats sail the Río Ucayali from Pucallpa to Iquitos (Click here) (S100, slinging your own hammock and with basic meals, three to five days). Cabins with two or four bunks come with better food service and cost about S180.
Boats announce their departure dates and destinations on chalkboards on the boats themselves, but these can be unreliable. Talk to the captain or the cargo loadmaster for greater dependability. They must present boat documents on the morning of their departure day at the Capitanía (59-0193; M Castilla 860) – come here to check for the latest reliable sailing information. Many people work here, but only the official in charge of documents knows the real scoop and can give you accurate sailing information. Passages are daily when the river is high, but in the dry season low water levels result in slower, less frequent passages.
The quality of the boats varies greatly both in size and comfort. Choose a boat that looks good. The Henry V, when it is in port, is one of the better-equipped outfits, with a 250-passenger capacity.
This is not a trip for everyone; Click here for more details on boat travel. Come prepared – the market in Pucallpa