Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [434]
* * *
BORDER CROSSING: THE PERU-COLOMBIA-BRAZIL BORDER ZONE
Even in the middle of the Amazon, border officials adhere to formalities and will refuse passage if documents are not in order. With a valid passport and visa or tourist card, border crossing is not a problem.
When leaving Peru for Brazil or Colombia, you’ll get an exit stamp at a Peruvian guard post just before the border (boats stop there long enough for this; ask the captain).
The ports at the three-way border are several kilometers apart, connected by public ferries. They are reached by air or boat, but not by road. The biggest, nicest border town, Leticia, in Colombia, boasts by far the best hotels and restaurants, and a hospital. You can fly from Leticia to Bogotá on almost-daily commercial flights. Otherwise, infrequent boats go to Puerto Asis on the Río Putumayo; the trip takes up to 12 days. From Puerto Asis, buses go further into Colombia. (Click here for more on safety issues in this area.)
The two small ports in Brazil are Tabatinga and Benjamin Constant; both have basic hotels. Tabatinga has an airport with flights to Manaus. Get your official Brazilian entry stamp from the Tabatinga police station if flying on to Manaus. Tabatinga is a continuation of Leticia, and you can walk or take a taxi between the two with no immigration hassles, unless you are planning on traveling further into Brazil or Colombia. Boats leave from Tabatinga downriver, usually stopping in Benjamin Constant for a night, then continuing on to Manaus, a week away. It takes about an hour to reach Benjamin Constant by public ferry. US citizens need a visa to enter Brazil. Make sure you apply in good time – either in the USA or in Lima.
Peru is on the south side of the river, where currents create a constantly shifting bank. Most boats from Iquitos will drop you at the small village of Santa Rosa, which has Peruvian immigration facilities. Motor canoes reach Leticia in about 15 minutes. For travelers to Colombia or Brazil, Lonely Planet has guidebooks for both countries.
If you are arriving from Colombia or Brazil, you’ll find boats in Tabatinga and Leticia for Iquitos. You should pay US$20 or less for the two-day trip on a cargo riverboat, or US$60 for a mas rápido (fast boat; 12 to 14 hours), which leave daily. Cruise ships leave Wednesday and arrive in Iquitos on Saturday morning.
Remember that however disorganized things may appear, you can always get meals, money changed, beds and boats simply by asking around.
* * *
Amazon Adventure Expeditions (065-24-1228; www.amazonadventureexpeditions.com; Putumayo 155, Iquitos; 14-day wilderness adventure per person US$750) is a recommended outfit for providing lengthy excursions into the jungle. These are true (guided) adventures where you can catch your own food and survive in the wild for up to two weeks. The operator has a basic lodge, the Yarapa, 220km from Iquitos, a starting point for trips out to its wilderness camp, 450km from Iquitos on the Aucayacu tributary. Prices are tailored according to distances traveled and time spent. Based out of the same office is independent guide José López Pérez (lopez.jose87@yahoo.es), who can take travelers upriver on tributaries toward the Ecuador border. He charges US$100 per person per day for about 10 days. Contact with the outside world really is severed on these trips, provisions are limited and transportation is by dugout canoe.
Return to beginning of chapter
PEVAS
Pevas, about 145km downriver from Iquitos, is Peru’s oldest town on the Amazon. Founded by missionaries in 1735, Pevas boasts about 5000 inhabitants but no cars, post office or banks (or attorneys!); the first telephone was installed in 1998. Most residents are mestizos or indigenous people from one of four tribes, and are friendly and easygoing. Pevas is the most interesting town between Iquitos and the border and is visited regularly (if briefly)