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Iquitos : Is the most important town in the jungle area of Peru. The Peruvian Amazon area is larger than Spain, France and Germany, combined! Formerly an abandoned Jesuit mission, it began to grow in 1864 when the river trading post of Loreto was established.From the end of the XIX century until early 1900, it was the center of the rubber production industry for the area. Great mansions bear witness to a past splendor which ended in 1912 with the ruin of the rubber trade. The murmur of the jungle penetrates its streets. The floating houses of the Port of Belén, on the Amazon, are reminiscent of the river cities of Bangkok and Hong Kong. The tiles on the outside of its buildings give the town a characteristic air. Iquitos is an excellent starting point for journeys into the jungle. It can be reached from Lima daily, by air.
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