Published on May, 2023
This was an absolutely fantastic excursion with Kelwin in Iquitos Peru. He picked me up at my hotel & we rode in a moto taxi to meet our boat in front of the malecon. The boat, called a Peke Peke, is actually a huge wooden canoe with a thatched roof to block the sun. As our driver navigated the boat along the Itaya River, Kelwin talked about all of the different structures, huts, boats & businesses along the shore of Iquitos. We saw many different aquatic plants & river birds along the way.
When we reached the meeting point of the Itaya & Amazon Rivers, our driver stopped the boat in an area of calm waters & the show began. We saw both gray & pink dolphins swimming & jumping. It was a special sight to see.
We continued up the river until we went ashore for our short jungle walk to the butterfly farm. My guide here was a young man from Germany working as a volunteer at the farm. Not only are butterflies raised here, it is a sanctuary for various jungle animals that cannot live in the wild. I watched a jaguar be fed lunch, different types of monkeys be given ‘toys” & a curiious ant eater stick his long tongue through the fence. And a monkey named Ted joined in on the tour. This farm is run totally by donations & is not supported by the Peruvian government in any way.
The next stop was to the Kukamas Tribe & they live very close to the farm. The women sang songs & danced while the men played drums. I was shown different hand goods made by the tribe & I was even able to purchase some handicrafts to bring home with me.
Kelwin & I got back in the boat & our driver brought us to an area back towards the city where we went fishing. We stepped out of the boat onto a dock so we could fish for piranha. Three boats filled with local children joined us & went swimming while we caught some small piranha. We fished with sticks that had fishing line attached to them with fish hooks on the end. And our bait was raw chicken that the fish loved.
When we got back to the city, Kelwin brought me to a local restaurant on the Malecon called El Mejor. I ate a fantastic pescado lunch so much so that I ate lunch there the next day.
Kerwin was a great tour guide & I learned so much about Iquitos & it’s people. He is a local so he knew all of the ins & outs of this wonderful city in the Peruvian Amazon. I mentioned to him that I wanted to visit the Belen Market so he took me on a tour there the next day. He actually grew up there & I met his aunt who had a booth there. It was pouring rain but that didn’t slow down the market or dampen any spirits. There is booth after booth of fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, fish, meats & other goods for sale. And there is also a section where traditional natural Peruvian medicines are sold.
Then we got into a small wooden canoe with a motor for my tour of Venice Loretana where the Belen people live. The locals live in small huts on stilts that are built above the water. We floated by the Catholic Church & the school. In order to get anywhere the residents need to travel in their small boats.
We then went back to the Malecon & rode a Peke Peke to a fish farm on the Amazon River. I was able to feed alligators, turtles, huge piranha & young Arapaima (Paiche) fish. The Arapaima were young but they were at least 3 feet long!
These 2 days touring with Kelwin were not only fantastic but very special. I was a solo traveler & he did everything he could to make me feel welcome in his community. This was an experience I will never forget. And I am so grateful & thankful to Kelwin. Mucho gracias!
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