From Iquitos
To Pacasmayo
Trip Saturday 20 April

Iquitos to Pacasmayo

04/20/2024


Information about the city Iquitos

Iquitos also known as Iquitos City, is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province and Loreto Region. The largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, it is the sixth most populous city of Peru.

It is known as the "capital of the Peruvian Amazon." The city is located in the Great Plains of the Amazon Basin, fed by the Amazon, Nanay and Itaya rivers. Overall, it constitutes the Iquitos metropolitan area, a conurbation of 471,993 inhabitants consisting of four districts: Iquitos, Punchana, Belén, and San Juan Bautista. It is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road – it is accessible only by river and air.

The area was long inhabited by indigenous peoples. The founding date of the European city is uncertain. Spanish historical documents state that it was set up around 1757 as a Spanish Jesuit reduction by the banks of the Nanay River. The Jesuits gathered local Napeano (Yameo) and Iquito natives to live here, and they named it San Pablo de Napeanos.

In the late 19th century, the city became the center of export of rubber production from the Amazon Basin and was the headquarters of the Peruvian Amazon Company. The rubber boom attracted thousands of European traders and workers, some of whom amassed wealth with the high-volume production, processing and trade in rubber. The city's economy was highly dependent on PAC, controlled in the nation by Peruvian businessman Juan Luis Arana.

Iquitos has a personality very different from the rest of Peru and even different from other South-American Amazonian cities. The streets of Iquitos are dominated by more than 25,000 auto rickshaws or motokars, known in the rest of Peru under the name of mototaxi, and for foreigners as auto rickshaw or tuk-tuk, providing taxi service. The buses are large vehicles made of wood with direct routes.

Iquitos is widely regarded as the largest inland city that is inaccessible by road. The air and river transport are the main means for entry or exit of people and goods to the city, since the cost of living in this city and people of the region is generally higher than the Peruvian standard. It is considered that Iquitos is the second most expensive city in Peru after Cusco. A proposed road link to Sarameriza, to be completed by 2021, would connect Iquitos to the country's road network.


Information about the city Pacasmayo

Pacasmayo is a city in Northern Peru, in the Pacasmayo province, La Libertad Region. It is located 108 km north of Trujillo city. Pacasmayo has been inhabited for over 10,000 years by groups of people collecting their food from the sea. Since before anyone can remember, the beaches of "El Lorito", "El Techito" and "La Peña Larga" have provided food sources to populate Pacasmayo. With the available food from the sea and the forests in the arid mountains (close to the river Jequetepeque) which provides carob trees (or locust beans), wool, and diverse species of animals; Pacasmayo (or Pacasca Mayo in Quechuan) was chosen as a settling place for small tribal groups.

By order of Virrey Teodoro de Croix in the year 1775, the Spanish conquistadors founded Pacasmayo. Since that time it became an important landing for the Spanish crown. The year of 1871 began the construction of the Pacasmayo dock or "muelle de Pacasmayo" and the train Pacasmayo-Chilete, which turned into an important Peruvian coastal port. This work of engineering began the golden age of Pacasmayo which lasted until 1967, the year when the railway stopped running. Since that time, the commercial activity has decreased to the point where now the dock, just as the railway station, are historic monuments. They are evidence of a glorious past that brought with it an economic boom to the city.

The company “Cementos Pacasmayo SA” (Pacasmayo Concrete Inc.), which began in 1959, quickly became the new axis upon which the economy of the city developed. Its presence promoted the development of many economic services such as businesses that transport heavy loads, banks, and commercial stores. All depended on this central industry.

Since the end of the 20th century, the breakwater area, El Faro (The Lighthouse), dominated as the “largest, most navigable wave in the world” and has gained popularity among water-sport fans. At that beach, one can practice surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and paddle-boarding which promotes the growth of foreign visitors who arrive from diverse parts of the world to enjoy these waves.

Images of Iquitos

Vídeo de Iquitos

Images of Pacasmayo

Vídeo de Pacasmayo