Is Iquitos Safe for Backpackers? Exploring The Amazon Rainforest from Peru, What to Expect.

Reflections on if Iquitos is safe for tourists, backpackers and holiday makers, from someone who passed through the Peru Amazon Rainforest gateway.

Iquitos is the largest city in the world with no access roads. You can only get to Iquitos by water, or by air. It is the city of a million tuc-tucs, ayahuasca ceremonies and unexpected French architecture, it is also the gateway point for the Amazon River from Peru and once you are in ... you are in!

Iquitos is an anomaly for so many reasons and for that exact reason, I want to have a look at the safety of Iquitos. This one is for all those looking at heading to Iquitos.

🇵🇪 Welcome to Iquitos

Iquitos acts as Peru' spring board for excursions into the jungle. There are some great companies offering great experiences and once you are in and amongst this sort of offering you will be safe. Most people fly to Iquitos from Lima, this is a common domestic flight and is not overly expensive, you can check the prices on Skyscanner they run from as little as £45 one way!

👮🏻‍♀️ Is Iquitos Safe?

Iquitos

The thing with Iquitos is it feels extremely isolated! Perhaps due to only being accessible by boat of plane. It adds an extra dynamic that sticks in your subconscious that you are cut off. Petty crime is high in Iquitos, and police presence is low (see express robbing below).

Flying Dog Hostel recommended that we not walk around alone at night. So if you are solo, make friends with some people at your hostel. I did this, one evening we decided to all go out for dinner in the evening together. Ironically, I ended up walking to the restaurant on my own in the dark after having issues trying to book my plane ticket on the hostel computer. Slightly trepidatious following warnings of staying with the group, I walked quickly but did not feel unsafe! Arriving at the restaurant we grabbed some food from a modern (and rather westernised) restaurant called 'La Casa De Las Enchiladas' before walking back home again with no issues at all! The streets are dark and at the time they felt fairly unpopulated, so if you turned the wrong corner I could see how you could quickly find yourself on the wrong side of a mugging but no more so than any other unknown city.

If you are heading to Iquitos as part of a group or as a family you are going to be far less vulnerable and it is easy to get from the airport to your accommodation by tuc tuc.

Express Robbing

Generally this is your most vulnerable area as a solo traveller and exactly why you should not wander around alone at night. The express robbing is simply being marched to a cash machine under threat of violence and being asked to withdraw money. Ironically I heard more stories of this happening in Mexico than Peru, but it is still something to be mindful of especially in Iquitos!

Ayahuasca

One thing that greets you when you walk into hostels are warnings regarding ayahuasca. I did not know what ayahuasca was until arriving into Iquitos! It turns out a lot of people travel to Iquitos specifically for a spiritual ceremony that involves drinking a hallucinogenic tea made from the bark and stem of the tropical tree 'liana Banisteriopsis caapi' or B.caapi.

The warnings are unfortunately in relation to sexual assault. The ayahuasca ceremonies take place in the jungle, at night, with the effects making you entirely vulnerable.

Since leaving Peru, my naivety and curiosity has lead me to undertake research in what these ceremonies are for, and why people travel so far to take part in them.

In the UK ayahuasca is considered a Class A drug, however in Peru and around the Amazons, and as far north as Costa Rica, you are able to find retreats that are purely for undertaking the ceremony which takes place over several nights. The thing that varies greatly is cost. Costa Rica for example now offers 'luxury clinics' that can cost thousands for a few nights stay. Paradoxically you can find much cheaper solutions in places like ........ Iquitos.

I would never recommend participating in a ceremony, but if you are sure it is something you want to do, please please please do your homework. Look for reputable options.

More reputable clinics usually request you stay on a certain diet for up to a month before arriving and will guide you through the process from start to finish. Reputable clinics should also have specialist who you are able to help with questions, concerns and guidance.

Unlicensed or 'spur of the moment' ceremonies are not a good idea. If for what ever reason you do turn up somewhere and think its for you ... talk to your hostel.

The Borders

The latest advice from .gov (UK) updated in March 2025 is do not travel within 20km of the Peru, Colombia, Brazil border. This is due to criminal activity. However there is a small caveat of the border town at the Peru, Colombia and Brazil intersection (where we had come from).

The general guidance is against solo travel in and around these border towns. Usually I travel solo but fortunately I had met someone who was also heading to the Amazon so we stayed in touch and met up after our exhibitions in the Amazon had finished. Would I do it again solo now ... perhaps ... but I would constantly feel on high alert.

👩‍⚕️ Iquitos Safety (health)

There are some things to consider here and they mainly revolve around what is in your backpack, make sure to read the blog.

'Amazon Rainforest Essential Travel Items for backpackers and explorers'

You are going to have to look after yourself a bit as you are in a part of the world that is a long way form top tier medical facilities. Your nearest big city is Lima and it is a few hours away by plane. You can do everything right be be taken out of action by a mosquito carrying Dengue and to that ends it is essential to have insurance from someone like Safety Wings when travelling to or through Iquitos.

Vaccinations

I had been taking malaria pills before heading to the Amazon and I had also had a yellow fever injection before travelling. Yellow fever may be required to be presented upon entry to Colombia/ Peru/ Brazil especially if you are heading to the Amazon. It is worth checking for further requirements which you can find at Travel Health Pro and Fit For Travel. Make sure to check with your doc or pharmacist before getting vaccinations or taking any medication.

🚨 Iquitos Safety Tips

Taxi Tips

Ask your hostel/club/ restaurant, wherever you may be to order you a taxi/ tuc-tuc. As a pedestrian you are very vulnerable, especially when carrying your luggage. The same goes for the end of a night out. Hostels and even you club/ pub will have connections to safe taxi firms.

Contact your location, drop a message to hostel to let them know when you will arrive.

Never hand your phone to a driver, write the address of where you are going on a piece of paper and pass it that to the driver.

Don't pay in advance but do ask for the cost or an idea of the cost even if on a meter.

Street Tips

Safety in numbers. If you find yourself walking home alone at night for whatever reason, walk in close proximity of a group you are pretty sure are a good people, just making yourself look like part of the group adds a layer of protection.

Do not stand in the middle of the street with a map looking lost.

Public places and restaurants are your friend. If you feel vulnerable for any reason, go into the nearest cafe/ restaurant/ museum.

No flashy jewellery watched etc. Blend in as much as possible.

Hostel Tips

If the usuals are not available (reviews from Hostel work or booking.com) then your fellow backpacker is your asset here, ask where they stayed if it was good and if they would recommend it.

Lock up your valuables. Make sure your hostel of choice has lockers

Let them know when you will arrive.

Ask your hostel about excursions and finding local guides

Often there is a hostel that is known for something in the area. For example, Bigfoot Hostel in Leon Nicaragua is known for volcano boarding. It has a good reputation for it and therefore you can assume the hostel also has good hook ups with local people, taxis, guides, excursions. That hostel is also likely a safe place!

🦜 What is There to do In Iquitos?

The cool thing about being in the amazon and lets be honest one of the major draw factors for nature and cultural explorers is the rainforest, the river, the biodiversity and the indigenous amazonian people. The way of life is truly an experience that once you have seen you will find hard to forget.

Naturally they are not cheap, most companies running at around $100 dollar per day of the trip check out this 3 day 2 nighter from Iquitos. It is $300 without tip. However it is with a reputable company and frankly, you need the expertise here, there is no real way to 'budget tour' the amazon these guides have insane knowledge of the area that keep you out of trouble. Read my blog to see my own adventure from Leticia into the Amazon,

'Solo Backpacking the Amazon: A Three-Day Adventure of a Lifetime'

It should also be noted, as I mentioned in my own tour, the english is is not fantastic in this part of the world so check to see if English is an option and if not make sure to get some Spanish lessons stat!

If you want to learn a bit more about Iquitos then I have put together a piece on the history of Iquitos, its more than just a city in the middle of the Amazon! You can find out why it has a lot of French infusion,

'Visiting Iquitos Peru: A Brief History of the Amazonian City'

🎒 My Time in Iquitos; A Dodgy Encounter

Arriving into Iquitos dock by boat around mid morning following one of the most spectacular boat journey ... there really is no light pollution in these areas, and it turns out a speed boat glides through the amazon like a warm knife through butter! My friend and I hopped onto the timber dock and immediately felt lost. We did a 360 spin to take in our surrounding and find the exit! Walking through an alley of stilt homes the water turned to land but not just any land, concrete.

We popped out onto a busy road which seemed to have 90% of the worlds tuc-tucs! With the tuc-tucs was the sound of high pitched horns ringing out across the city scape. It was in total contrast of where we had come from, the silky smooth water and lesser populated town of Leticia in Colombia.

The streets felt gritty, unclean, polluted but also colourful with each tuc-tuc personalised through paint or decoration in an attempt to stand out. It became hot, the heat surrounded us from all sides as it reflected off the building and hard ground. Another contrast to the vast green expanses and cool breeze supplied during the river crossing.

Our destination was the Flying Dog Hostel. Highly recommended on hostel world and trip adviser, I pulled out my phone which remarkably still had signal. The hostel was not a huge walk away. It was however, a walk that felt a bit different. The only two people with big backpacks on were myself and my friend. We were drawing the eye of the locals. This usually doesn't bother me but for some reason, I really felt it here!

Nonetheless, all we could do was carry on, so we did. Around half way through our walk to the hostel, someone clocked us. He walked up to us and asked us where are we from and where we are going. He suggested that we should go to the market. We said we would and thanked him for the tip but

the gentleman decided to walk alongside us the rest of the way to the hostel. He did not want to take 'no' for an answer and seemed desperate to get us to the market straight way!

Even if I did venture to a market place it would not be with all my bags and it definitely would not be until I had spoken to the people on the counter at the Flying Dog Hostel. Finally arriving at the hostel we were buzzed in through a locked door ... sanctuary, we finally managed to part ways with our impromptu friend, politely of course. We checked in and got that much needed shower.

Now here is the thing, the guy walking with us said he was very well known in the area and knew the owners of the hostel really well, did I check this claim, yes I did, was it false, yes it was! Its one of those moments where I was pleased to stick to my guns and make sure my first port of call was the hostel. The moral of the story here, don't ever be pushed down a path you do not want to go down in a city you do not know.

Benefit of the doubt ... The guy could have just been being overly friendly and genuinely trying to help us have a good time, however I also found out that the market he was attempting to take us to was a hot spot for crime. If you have read my other blogs, you know I have a far bit of tech on me and this always gets locked up before I venture anywhere. All in all, it was not an enjoyable start to the city. I had heard mixed review on this place before arriving and was hoping the persistence of this guy was not going to be a reoccurring event. We did not stay long enough in Iquitos to find out.

On arrival to the hostel it became clear that most people were in Iquitos largely for one reason; ayahuasca!

People from all over the planet and from all sorts of vocations found themselves in a city in the middle of the jungle, only accessible by plane or boat. An experience doctor from North America, a guy from Chile who has recently discovered spirituality, some girls from europe, who were tackling issues from their past. The individuals each had their own story and each had their reason why ayahuasca was the medicine of choice.

It was an unusual environment to be in, and not one that I personally had any interest in. Speaking to the friend who I had undertaken the boat journey with, we realised it was time to leave the jungle for the calling of the big city, Lima. Using the hostel computer we booked flights giving us just one day to explore Iquitos and then got out.

🏠 Where Should You Stay In Iquitos?

For hostels I am going to leave this to the blog,

'Iquitos Hostels, Where to Stay What To Expect'

As far as holiday makers go you have several options which I will collate in another post. Subscribe to keep your eye on when it is released

-- Final thoughts on the safey of Iquitos --

Iquitos Plaza

Is Iquitos safe for backpackers and tourists? In this backpackers opinion, during the day, you will be fine, at night ... keep up your guard, but overall, if you stick to the usual safety checks you should have an interesting and insightful visit.

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Please always make sure to check the latest local news and government information for the country you wish to explore before travelling. The information in the guides are from personal experience. Safety can never be guaranteed, the intention is to help avoid issues when on the road. 

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