Slow boating down the Amazon (Iquitos to Tabatinga)

Inspired by Ed Stafford, who is the first person to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, I decided to look into the feasibility of travelling down the river from Iquitos, Peru to Belém on the Atlantic coast in Brazil.

As Iquitos is one of the largest cities in the world not accessible by road I had to fly from Lima. There are several flights a day and I managed to get a single ticket with Peruvian Airlines for £68. The journey took 2.5 hours with a 15 minute ‘technical stop’ in Pucallapa so the plane could be refuelled.

Once out of the airport I was accosted by several moto carro (similar to tuk tuks) drivers, in Iquitos you will be hard pushed to find a proper car as most people travel using motorbikes or moto carros.

I knew that the price from the airport to my hostel shouldn’t be more than 15 Soles and successfully haggled it down, although the driver still tried to add more when we reached the destination. This is something I’ve noticed happens a lot in Peru, but I stood my ground and he accepted the price we’d originally agreed upon without a problem.

I stayed in the Golondrinas Hostel for a couple of nights to acclimatise to the jungle heat again and find out when the next ship to Santa Rosa would be leaving. Santa Rosa is a Peruvian village, which sits on an island in the Amazon and from there it is only a short boat ride across the water to either Leticia in Colombia or Tabatinga in Brazil.

As in most places in Peru the Plaza de Armas is in the centre. On the corner of the plaza where calles Putumayo and Raymondi meet is the Casa de Hierro, which was designed by Eiffel, made in Paris and imported piece by piece to Iquitos around 1890. It isn’t the most amazing building I’ve ever seen, but interesting nonetheless. 

From the plaza it is a short walk to the waterfront where I caught my first proper glimpse of the Amazon. It is also possible to see several decoratively tiled buildings, which are remnants of the city’s former wealth.

The tourist information centre on Jirón Napo just off the plaza has lots of information on the various boats. The woman there was even kind enough to call the port to find out when the next slow boat to Santa Rosa would be leaving. There was a ship going at 7.30pm the following day and the woman explained tickets can only be purchased on board and on the day of departure.

If you are pushed for time there are speedboats leaving Iquitos pretty much every day and take just 10 hours for 200 Soles. Tickets for these boats can be bought from the agencies along Jirón Raymondi.

The next day at around midday I took a moto carro to Puerto Pesquero to get my bearings and check out the ship without the stress of having all my luggage with me too. The port was a hive of activity with boats being loaded and unloaded and people and moto carros everywhere. I use the term port very loosely as in all honesty it was just a big sandy bank with ships moored.

Despite having a seafaring father I don’t really know what to look for in a ship, but the Gran Loretana, which was the vessel I’d be taking, actually looked to be in better condition than some of the others docked nearby and I could see it had lifejackets at least.

In order to reach the ship I had to negotiate a series of precariously positioned gangplanks and avoid getting in the way of people also using them carrying various heavy loads.

Once on the cargo deck a helpful man called Richard took me to the person in charge of issuing tickets etc. There are two types available - hammock only or cabin. The hammock option costs 80 Soles and the cabin 100 Soles. As there wasn’t too much of a difference in price I opted for the cabin mostly so I would have somewhere safe to store my luggage.

Richard explained that the cabin gets very hot so it is better to sleep in a hammock on deck, which you can do at no extra cost. It is also possible to purchase a hammock once you are on board for around 30 Soles. I would add here that definitely knowing a bit of Spanish helped me as unsurprisingly no-one I dealt with spoke any English.

After I’d bought my ticket Richard told me to come back at 4pm as that was the official boarding time for passengers. Before heading back to the port I visited one of only two supermarkets in Iquitos to get supplies for the journey. Meals are provided on board, but after being regaled with stories of dysentery by Helen and Dan, a couple I’d met on the Tucan tour and who had travelled on a similar boat in Brazil, I decided not to take any chances. I bought several tins of tuna, some fruit and snacks to see me through the 2.5 day journey.

It is also important to make sure you take your own water to drink as well as to brush your teeth with. I found four litres was adequate for my needs.

Back at the port it was still pretty chaotic and as I was getting myself ready to negotiate the planks again with my all my luggage, Richard appeared from nowhere to help me.

I had a cabin on the second deck and just in case there is any doubt I want to make clear that this wasn’t a tourist boat cruise down the Amazon it is basically a cargo ship, which also happens to take passengers.

My cabin was akin to a prison cell with no window and a bunk with a vinyl mattress. Needless to say it was very hot and stuffy in there. If you choose to sleep in the cabin it is worth noting that linen isn't provided either so you have to bring your own.

There weren’t too many hammocks already up on deck so I was in the good position of being able to pretty much choose where to go. Having never hung a hammock in my life Richard and the guy I bought it from helped string it up for me just opposite where my cabin was.

I would definitely recommend heading to the second deck rather than the lower as it is much less crowded and the sides are open during the day so it is better ventilated too. Also, you get less people too-ing and fro-ing as when embarking or disembarking you have to go via the lower deck.

I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the ship was and there was a woman in charge of our deck who always seemed to be sweeping or mopping. The toilets were also kept in good condition, but make sure you take your own toilet roll.

There are showers in the toilet cubicles, but I wasn’t brave enough to use them as it was literally just a tap in the ceiling and I couldn’t see how you would keep your towel and clothes dry when it was on. I made do with wet wipes and there were also a couple of basins.

Having lugged a mosquito net around with me for the best part of four months I decided now was possibly the time to make use of it. Needless to say it was a disaster and as per usual I was the gringo providing amusement to the locals. Instead I decided to lose the net and rely on my insect repellent instead – it worked.

At night the awnings go down to provide some protection from the elements, however it does get surprisingly chilly so I would recommend taking a thin blanket and a hoodie. If you are sensitive to noise, ear plugs would be another must especially as the engine is very loud.

Despite having a cabin I still kept my valuables (passport, phone, money, cards etc) in the hammock with me just in case. If you don’t have a cabin, do as the locals do and keep your luggage either under or just to the side of your hammock. I noticed that several people hung food in plastic bags from the ceiling. As an extra precaution it may be prudent to lock your bags to something too.

The journey was pleasant and being the slow boat it was exactly that as it stopped at many small communities along the way, these boats are often the main means of getting supplies to these villages. If you are easily bored and don’t like the thought of not showering properly after spending the day sweating in a hammock then this trip probably isn’t for you.

At one time or other on the outer cargo deck I spotted goats, a pig and a cockerel the latter rather considerately started crowing at 4am.

Everyone being in the same living quarters meant the boat had a bit of a community feel and I came to recognise many of the people on my deck. I even took the opportunity to practise Spanish with some of my neighbours, who didn’t speak any English.

When we were docked in Caballo de Coche, Michel, who was from Iquitos and was heading to a village near the border for work, insisted I accompany him on shore for some breakfast. Despite him trying to persuade me to have chicken soup, 7am is just too early for that, I ended up having a strange hot quinoa based drink made with apples it had a weird jelly-like consistency, but was pleasant enough.
 

With regards meals on board I didn’t have any, but it seemed to be a hot milky drink and ham roll for breakfast and lunch and dinner were meat and rice. On this boat cutlery and plates were provided, although I have heard that on others you need to take your own.

The ship arrived in Santa Rosa at 12pm, but being at the tail end of the rainy season when the river is at its highest meant that there was no land to get off on to so I had to get a motorised canoe straight from the ship. It was a slightly scary experience having to clamber over the side of the boat onto the unstable canoe, but myself and my luggage survived.

I told the boatman I was headed for Tabatinga, however before going you will need to be taken to the immigration office in town to get an exit stamp. Most of the boatmen will know to do this but I still asked just in case. 

Before going to immigration it is necessary to go to the police station a few buildings down where they will sign the back of your tourist card to confirm you haven’t committed any crimes while in Peru.

As Santa Rosa was looking more like Venice the boat stopped at the police first where there was a guy sat outside, who quickly checked my passport and signed the back of my tourist card.

The boat then took me to the immigration office, which being lunch time was closed so we had to wait 20 minutes for it to reopen. When it did the procedure was quick and from there we dropped one of the passengers off in Leticia, Colombia before heading to Tabatinga in Brazil. The boat cost 15 Soles and it all took no longer than an hour.