Laguna Quistacocha

Amazon Basin


This lake, 15km south of Iquitos, is served by minibus (S2) several times an hour from near Plaza 28 de Julio (corner of Bermúdez and Moore), as well as mototaxis (S15). There's a small zoo of local fauna (much improved of recent years) and an adjoining fish hatchery, which has 2m-long paiche (a river fish), endangered until recently, due to habitat loss and its popularity as food; attempts to rectify the situation are being made with the breeding program here.

A pedestrian walk circles the lake, swimming is possible and paddleboats are available for hire (S5 to S10). There are several restaurants and a hiking trail to the Río Itaya. It’s fairly crowded with locals on the weekend but not midweek.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Amazon Basin attractions

1. Belén Mercado

6.98 MILES

At the southeast end of town is the floating shantytown of Belén, consisting of scores of huts, built on rafts, which rise and fall with the river. During…

2. Museum of Indigenous Amazon Cultures

7.5 MILES

This intuitively presented museum takes you through the traits, traditions and beliefs of the tribes of the Amazon Basin, with a focus on the Peruvian…

4. Casa de Fierro

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Every guidebook mentions the ‘majestic’ Casa de Fierro (Iron House), designed by Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame). It was made in Paris in 1860 and…

5. Malecón

7.69 MILES

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6. Historical Ships Museum

7.88 MILES

Moored below Plaza Castilla is the diverting Historical Ships Museum, on a 1906 Amazon riverboat, the gorgeously restored three-deck Ayapua. The…

7. Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm

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Ostensibly, the Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm is a conservation and breeding center for Amazonian butterflies. Butterflies aplenty there certainly are,…

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