PeruNorth's musings on events & destinations in Northern Peru, Amazonia ... and beyond. Detailed tour reviews.
Volodymyr Oleksyshyn, a Ukrainian-American resident of Chicago, had travelled to Chachapoyas with PeruNorth in November 2022.
He got back in touch in early 2025 wishing to visit some of the places he had missed or hadn’t had time for in 2022; and wanting to hike the trail to Choquequirao, while his knees were still up to it!
These are his comments having done the trip in September / October 2025
Zhihao ‘Leo’ Liao - a resident of both Hong Kong and Shanghai, who studied Material Sciences at Cornell University, NY - spent three nights on board the Rio Amazonas Research Station in early 2026, and has now written a blog about this and his experiences in Iquitos - including his encounters with the Chinese legacy in Peru - which he has kindly allowed us to translate and share, along with some of the photos he took.
Australian couple, Carmel & Daryl Benham, from Cheltenham, Victoria, booked two tours with PeruNorth as part of a longer trip around Northern Peru in June / July 2025. Here are their comments, along with some photos they took:
‘We had Julio for the Hidden Chachapoyas Tour and Virgilio for the Santa Cruz Trek. Both were excellent guides. They were very knowledgeable, interesting to talk to and looked after us very well.
Peru is home to three species of otter: the South American Sea Otter (Lontra felina), found along Peru’s extensive coastline; and the Neotropical (Lontra longicaudis) and Giant Otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) found in Amazonia.
Here are nine key facts about these Giant Amazon Otters, and how you can incorporate them in a Peru visit.
Jon Hatchett first contacted PeruNorth way back in March 2022, with a plan for his family to visit his brother, David - who was born in England, but lives in Lima - and then explore the rest of Peru.
As time went by, the trip expanded to be a 6-week highlights of South America itinerary, that finally took place in July and August of 2025.
The Roenickes from Florida took a deep dive into the Peruvian Amazon in May 2025, beginning with a 7-day visit to Tambopata Research Center, before flying to Iquitos in the north of the country for a 5-day cruise on the M/V Zafiro.
With almost two thirds of Peru being classified as being within Amazonia, there are numerous entry points to the ‘selva’. However, the two most popular starting points for a Peruvian Amazon adventure are the cities of Puerto Maldonado in Southern Peru, and Iquitos in the North.
A common question, then, is which one is ‘better’. An understandable, but very tricky, question!
A visit to Peru's Amazon is not all about adventure and adrenaline. There is nothing more pleasurable than enjoying the heat of the jungle, while relaxing in a pool. And luckily for visitors to Iquitos, there are a number of ways to do this, both in the city and the surrounding rain forest.
Anne, from Edegem in Belgium booked an itinerary with nine nights in Manu, staying at four different lodges, and descending over 2,000m, by private vehicle and motorboat, to end in the low-jungle city of Puerto Maldonado.
After a night here, Anne was then off to another lodge, Chuncho, to enjoy its nearby kollpa on three separate mornings, before a final two nights beside Lake Sandoval.
Here is a pictorial diary of her epic Amazonian experience:
