A few days ago I made a trip that will forever remain in my memory. I'll review our itinerary and the means of transportation for the round-trip.
Lima-Pucallpa: We took a bus from Transmar: Semi bed for S/80. There are cheaper options, but I recommend to those who can afford it to buy the Semi bed ticket as the journey is very long and tedious. Also, the road rises to 4600m in the mountains and the entire trip is full of twists and turns. When the altitude hit me, the driver offered some coca leaves and my ears popped immediately. I was told that earplugs are a good idea. Early in the morning, the driver told us that the area is full of UFOs! The road is unpaved before reaching Pucallpa and since the rainy season was not over yet, the bus got stuck in the mud. After 3 hours of work they finally got us out of the mud and moving again.
Pucallpa-Iquitos: When we got to Pucallpa we immediately went to the harbor where the boats leave to Iquitos. We arrived there at 1400hs and we were told that the boat would leave in two hours. At 1600hrs we were told the same thing and after 1800hrs, I did not ask again. The boat finally took off at 0600hrs the next day, but we were able to sleep there. We were eager to get to the community of San Francisco, which is one of the largest settlements of the Shipibo tribe of Peru and I was told that they receive visitors gladly.
The trip is approximately 4 nights long. We traveled on the Henry and the crew was friendly and helpful. The ticket costs S/100. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. You need to pack a hammock, a container for food with fork and knife and plenty of water for the whole trip. I also recommend a small water heater, for those who are mate/tea/coffee lovers because the boat has electricity for several hours per day (perfect for charging a battery too). We were told, especially when reaching Iquitos, to keep our bags in sight at all times. Nothing should happen to them, but sometimes things go missing when nobody is looking... The journey is unbelievable!
IQUITOS: as you can see in this website, Iquitos is a beautiful city!
IQUITOS-NAUTA: To save time, we decided to take a bus; it takes about 4 hours and costs S/8. There is also the option of taking a shared taxi, which goes faster, doesn’t make stops, and costs s/10.
NAUTA: Nauta is a beautiful town. We could sleep there for S/20.
PACAYA SAMIRIA NATIONAL RESERVE: There we met Elvio Lomas, from Casa Lupuna.
SAN MARTIN DE TIPISHCA - YURIMAGUAS: We took the boat El Eduardo in the Marañón River. We had to pay S/40 (the hole trip, from Iquitos y Yurimahuas, is S/140).
YURIMAGUAS-TARAPOTO: A bus called Glimse costs S/15. There are also taxis, which carry 4 people and charge S/25 per passenger; it takes two hours to get there and the route is quite dangerous, especially during times of landslides (rain).
TARAPOTO-LIMA: We traveled back to Lima with MOBIL TOUR: Full Bed S/145, Semi bed S/125. There are cheaper options, but I think that it is a good investment to pay a bit more for your safety and comfort.