Amazon Wildlife: Giants of the River
The Amazon ecosystem around Iquitos has the world's greatest freshwater biodiversity — the giant arapaima (the world's largest freshwater fish), the black caiman, the pink river dolphin, and the harpy eagle are all found in the river systems and forests accessible from the city
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Giant Arapaima
The arapaima (paiche) — potentially the world's largest freshwater fish at up to 3m long and 200kg — is found in the lakes and rivers around Iquitos; the fish is air-breathing (it must surface to breathe) which makes it visible and easily caught; arapaima populations crashed from overfishing and are now recovering under community management programs
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Black Caiman
The black caiman - the largest predator in the Amazon, reaching up to 5 m - is found in the rivers and lakes around Iquitos; night boat tours see the reflective eyes of black caimans on the river's surface; the caimans were hunted to near extinction in the 20th century and are recovering; Close encounters with 4m caimans from a small wooden boat are memorable
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Primate Diversity
The Amazon around Iquitos has extraordinary primate diversity - at least 13 species including the pygmy monkey (the world's smallest monkey, barely bigger than a human hand), the squirrel monkey, the woolly monkey and the spider monkey; monkey watching from a canoe through the flooded forest is one of the Amazon's finest wildlife experiences
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Birds of the Amazon
The Loreto region has more than 700 bird species — the greatest bird diversity of any comparable area on Earth; the hoatzin ('the skunk', an evolutionarily ancient clawed-winged bird), the scarlet macaw, the harpy owl and the giant kingfisher are the most sought-after species; bird watching on Amazon tributaries at dawn is extraordinary
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Piranha fishing
Piranha fishing in the Amazon tributaries around Iquitos is a standard activity — the tiny red-bellied piranhas are caught on simple lines baited with raw beef; the fish is aggressive and bites fast; the piranhas pose little danger to swimmers in moving water, but are ferocious in stagnant pools; the experience is exciting and the fish is then eaten
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Night Safari
The Amazon Night Safari - a canoe trip in the dark into the flooded forest - is the most immersive experience of Amazonian wildlife; the sounds of the nocturnal forest, the reflective eyes of the caimans on the surface of the water, the luminescent mushrooms on the dead wood and the sounds of night birds create a sensory experience unlike any other