PeruNorth Blog.
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!
For most visitors to Peru’s Amazon region, the pleasure of encountering flora and fauna - and local inhabitants - in the company of a naturalist-guide is sufficient. But for those of a scientific bent, there is the opportunity to get hands-on with some conservation-oriented research, during a stay at the Rio Amazonas Research Station.
Like Iquitos, Santiago de Lagunas (to give the full name) is a jungle town founded by missionaries, in the Amazonian province of Loreto; and like Iquitos, it is a jumping-off point for visiting the surrounding rainforest, especially the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve.
But, even though Lagunas is nearly 100 years older than Iquitos, having been founded in 1670 by a priest, Juan Lorenzo Lucero, it has a fraction of the population and receives a fraction of the visitors.
In the 1970s, biologists began exploring the rainforest canopy, experimenting with tree-climbing gear, platforms, and even hot-air balloons to study little-known plants and animals which lived only in the tree-tops.
Now, for many visitors ascending into the canopy is a real highlight of their Amazon experience.
Peru's immense bio-diversity means that it is a treasure chest of fruits and grains, the marvellous properties of which are only now beginning to be appreciated by Western scientists and consumers. Supermarkets are beginning to feature products containing quinoa and maca - two famous Incan superfoods from the Andes mountain region - for example.
Meanwhile, in the Amazon rain forest, nutrient-rich 'superfruits' have been nourishing and healing the indigenous population for centuries.
