Best Amazon Rainforest Tours & Destinations in Peru for 2025

Charles Darwin had once described the Amazon Rainforest as “a view in the Arabian Nights”. The shafts of sunlight filtering through tree branches (what the Japanese call 'komorebi'), the light giving a godly glow to the hundred hues of the charcoal-green forest, colourful birds and more magnificent Indigenous tribes, the adorable views from the forest canopy towers and lodges, the meandering mighty river, the Amazon, its mist-covered surreal mornings, the giant lilies and tarantulas, the clay licks teeming with exotic animals – the list of wonders that make the Peruvian rainforests mesmerising goes on and on.

The Amazon rainforest covers nine countries. You cannot visit all of them on a single trip without spending many months on it. Hence, this plan will provide you with a simple and exotic travel plan to visit the rainforests of Peru.

From Iquitos, you can travel to Yurimaguas, Tarapoto, by taxi or ferry. This region has the most diverse butterfly and orchid biodiversity in the world. It is at the northern end of Peru, and the road ends here. On the eastern side, there are only uninhabited forests.

There is a jungle market where you might be disturbed to find an occasional jaguar skin or live turtles piled up for sale. If you trek to the remote village of Balsapuerto, you can visit the Piedra de Cumpanama, a mammoth rock with ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) from an ancient civilisation.

Before you visit the Amazon, you need to get anti-malaria pills from your doctor or pharmacy. The pill usually has to be taken two days before the visit and 7 days after the visit.

You will also need to apply anti-bug creams generously on your skin before you venture out into the forest.

Chicama has the longest left surfing wave in the world. If you are a surfer and if it is your passion, you must visit this beach that can be reached from Iquitos. The road to Chiclayo leads through thick forest, where you will spot many beautiful birds.

Puerto Maldonado is a city in Peru near the borders of Bolivia and Brazil. It is on the shores of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers. The ferry will take 7 days to reach this city from Iquitos. Flights operate from Iquitos, and the journey will take five and a half hours.

Cusco is the gateway to Machu Picchu, and if you have gone from Iquitos to Machu Picchu, you can take a bus ride to Puerto Maldonado. It will take only 2 hours and 25 minutes to reach.

Apart from undertaking guided jungle trips, you can also visit Sandoval Lake here. You could easily spot a rare species of river otter, the giant river otter, which is endangered and declining rapidly in numbers, in the lake. You may also get to see a Peruvian pink-toed tarantula while on a jungle trek. Many giant tarantula species are endemic to the Amazon. Pygmy marmosets, the smallest monkey species in the world, also belong to these forests. Tapirs are mammals similar to pigs and inhabit these regions.

From this city, you can travel to the eco-lodges deep inside the forest. One such remote eco-lodge is the Tambopata Research Centre in the Tambopata National Reserve.

This lodge is the nearest to the largest macaw clay licks. Clay licks are clay deposits in the soil where macaws and parrots go to lick the clay. The spectacular sight of them flocking to the clay licks in hundreds and thousands alone attracts tourists worldwide to the Amazon. These birds and animals lick clay to get the minerals that their body has a deficiency of. Researchers, stationed at the lodge, study macaws. You can learn more from them about their research if you are interested.

Canopy climbing is another exciting activity that tourists can undertake at the lodge.

Posada Amazonas Lodge, a community-owned lodge, is located near Puerto Maldonado. Staying at such lodges will impart a special additional meaning to your visit by providing income for the Indigenous community members.

Chachapoyas is the abode of ruins from a less explored pre-Incan period. The tallest waterfall in Peru, the Gocta Falls, is here. Its height is 2530 ft. Clouds are visible at the top of the waterfall and sometimes mask the top portion.

The Chachapoya people, who lived before the Incas on the eastern side of the Andes, were called 'Warriors of the Clouds'. The Incas conquered them.

Tourists can visit the ruins of the Great Fortress of Kuelap, renowned as the Machu Picchu of the North. The settlement of Gran Saposoa, the Atumpucro Complex, and the burial sites in Revash and Laguna de las Momias are also worth a visit.

Chiclayo and Trujillo are places similar to Chachapoyas, where you can find more pre-Incan ruins.

You can also combine your trip with a Machu Picchu tour. Trains take only 13 hours to reach Machu Picchu from Iquitos. You can also fly from Iquitos to Ayacucho and rent a taxi to Machu Picchu. The flight takes approximately 4 hours.

The Amazon is a difficult place to travel. Yet, the extraordinary experience makes it more than worthwhile. July to December is the dry season when the water level in the rivers is low, and there is a greater possibility of spotting wildlife on boat cruises.

Or you can visit between January and May when it rains. As the water level rises during this time, the rivers will give you better access to the inner recesses of the forest.

You can choose what level of comfort and luxury you need on this trip. If you do not mind a little hardship, you can travel cheaply in wooden ferries and stay in small lodges.

Nothing can beat the travel experience of Amazon if you are a real adventurer and nature lover.