Pebas, Peru
One of the oldest cities in the Amazon, Pebas (or Pevas) was founded in 1735 by missionaries from the Old World. Located 145 km downstream from Iquitos, Pebas is considered the ideal point for outings into the jungle: around the lake with giant lilies, piranhas and river dolphins. This is truly a lost place among the wild tropical forests: there are no banks or post offices, lawyers or cars, and the first landline telephone was installed only in 1998.
Most of the city consists of low wooden houses with thatched roofs, but Pebas also has a real attraction – the house-museum of the painter Francisco Flu, one of his paintings even served as a cover for the New York Times. Check itypeusa for other cities and countries as well as brief information about South America.
By the way, mostly mestizos and Indians of the Huitoto, Yagua, Bora and Okaina tribes live in the city.
How to get there
Of course, the best way to get here is on a group tour/trip through the Amazon. Adventurous individuals should look for cargo boats or speedboats in Leticia, which run past Pebas every day except Monday (stop on request). Travel time is about 15 hours on a cargo barge and 45-65 USD per ticket, on a boat – many times faster and more expensive (3.5 hours and from 110 USD).
Despite the fact that individual tourists in Pebas are very rare, there are also a couple of boarding houses here. They say that the best stay at Rodriguez – Hospedaje Rodriguez down from the Pevas Plaza – with an excellent view from the windows of the cozy courtyard. You can dine there, or at the El Amigo restaurant.
Pebas is a relic in a sense: there are no banks or post offices, lawyers or cars, and the first landline phone was installed only in 1998.
The prices on the page are for December 2021.
Pebas and the jungle
At the Pebas pier, you can hire a boat with a guide for the whole day (from 15-20 USD), or just put on rubber boots and go to the thicket (only half an hour separates the town from the real dense jungle). Not far from the town is the mouth of Palometa (Palometa creek) with a unique lake with black water, where you can see rare exotic birds.
You can find good guides and guides through the jungle in Casa de la Loma on a hill on the outskirts of Pebas. Here, among other things, they offer night walks, piranha fishing, and visits to nearby tribes.
Flu Gallery
The artist creates his canvases from materials typical for these places – tree bark and natural, improvised paint. It is simply impossible to miss his house-museum in Pebas: the bright red roof is visible from almost anywhere in the city. By the way, you can also stay overnight here – double rooms are equipped on the top floor of the house.
Pisak, Peru
Pisac is the legendary Inca stronghold in the valley between the mountains, which occupies the second place in historical significance after Ollantaytambo. It is located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas near the Urubamba River. It is on the example of strong fortifications built here by the Incas, or rather, the remains, that one can be convinced of the virtuosity of the ancient builders. The fortress of Pisak is built of stones, and the path to it is an endless ribbon of steps.
How to get there
The easiest way to make a march is from Cusco, which is only 33 km away.
Souvenirs and markets
A walk through the handicraft and souvenir markets will bring a great mood. Traditional Indian markets open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. And believe me, it’s worth it! Low prices, a huge range of textiles, woolen products, ceramics, chiseled clay figurines, alpaca skins of various sizes.
2 things to do in Pisac:
- Buy a real souvenir exclusive at the Indian market in the city center. They are considered “baby”-alpaca – a skin that can be rolled into a small bundle.
- In one of the yards, where there is a huge working clay oven, refresh yourself with fresh pies.
Popular hotels in Pisak
Sights in Pisak
In the center of the city there is a temple of the Sun, an astronomical observatory, nearby is the center of ceremonial baths and the temple of the Moon. In general, the center of Pisac consists of two parts, one of which is a city inhabited by modern inhabitants, the second is the most sacred place in all of Peru. The main attraction for which strings of tourists are drawn to Pisac is the walled stone of Intihuatana, a colossal boulder with a trough crushed in it, to which, as the Incas believed, the sun was tied. Burials have been discovered in two districts of Pisac, one of which is the largest and most monumental ancient cemetery in Peru.
The southern slope was adorned with an original ensemble of round towers, the main purpose of which is to protect bulk terraces, roads and the city.
Here, in Pisac, there are unique agricultural terraces built on the steep slopes of the mountains, and an irrigation system thought out by the Incas. In general, judging by the surviving artifacts, Pisac was not only a major cultural center, it was the largest Quechua city that competed with Cuzco itself. The surviving ruins of the city say that the city did not die overnight, it happened for a long time and in stages. Perhaps the secret of the death of the great city of the Incas is kept by a small tribe that still lives at the foot of the Sacred Mountain.
Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Puerto Maldonado, formed at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata rivers, is often referred to as the “world capital of flora and fauna.” It is he who is the gate of the Tambopata National Reserve, a real ecological paradise with a colossal variety of flora and wild fauna of the jungle.
How to get there
Planes fly to Puerto Maldonado from Lima (journey time 1.5 hours) and Cusco (journey time 25 minutes).
To visit the Manu National Park, it is more convenient to take a flight from Cusco to one of the nearby villages of local importance with a further transfer along the river.
Hotels
Most of the lodges built in the region are located in the immediate vicinity of the reserve, and the lion’s share of the proposed active programs are carried out precisely on its territory. There are very few hotels in the city itself.
Manu National Park
No less interesting is the Manu National Park, located at the western border of the department. There are more than 20 thousand varieties of plants, 1200 species of butterflies, 1000 species of birds and 200 species of mammals. Manu is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This area is also inhabited by Indians who still maintain their ancient traditions, culture and speak the language of their tribe: Machiguengas, Amachuacas, Yaminhuas, Piros, Amaracaeries, Huachipaires and Nahuas.
