Cost: 20 Sol

Things to take:

Plate (Tupperware with locking lid) and spoon (your ticket includes a meal)
Hammock
Warm blanket for night

Arrive for departure about an hour early for a good hammock spot and plan on the one-way trip taking 12 hours or more.

Most people go to Lagunas, Peru to visit the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. You can contact a tour guide in Yurimaguas to have a guide meet you in Lagunas.

If you travel by the older wooden boats then you will find yourself with less wiggle room. Traveling in the big barges is a lot more spacious and comfortable. The drawback to traveling in the big barges is they get stuck easy and you can spend a considerable amount of time trying to get “unstuck.”

After a couple of hours of watching the jungle pass by, you might find yourself enjoying some quite time in your hammock or reading a book.

The nights can get very chilly and you will be happy to bring a warm blanket or some very warm clothing.

Once you arrive in Lagunas, Peru then jump in a moto-taxi (1.50 to 2.00 Sol) and have them take you to a hostel near the market or you could stay by the port and stay in a hospedajes there. The market area is a little nicer in my opinion.

Price: 15-20 Sol (for single)

Location: on the river behind Parque Central (walk down the stairs.) Yurimaguas, Peru.

This hostel is probably the quietest one you will find in Yurimaguas. Good location near the central park, markets and restaurants.

The locks on the door are rather flimsy, but the people seem honest that run this hotel. The shared bathroom is kept pretty clean.

The beds are large and a little lumpy. Good mosquito nets over the windows.

They charge extra (3 Sol) if you want a fan in your room. I never paid for a fan and the days get rather hot here.

The best thing about staying at this hostel is sitting on the upper deck overlooking the river below. Night times are the best, since it cools off considerably and makes for good sleeping.

Pros:

• Secure
• Good price
• Clean
• Beds good
• View
• Location is good
• Quite

Cons:

• Extra money for fan
• Poor locks on doors

I was sitting on the uneven wooden deck of my hostel and I caught a glimpse of this raft floating by on the Huallaga River in Yurimaguas, Peru. I thought, “Now that is what adventure is all about.” You could actually float through the Amazon jungle and into the Atlantic Ocean.

I would suppose it would be pretty inexpensive to build a suitable raft to float the Jungle Rivers in Peru. Outfit the raft with a good mosquito net and setup some sort of stove to cook with. Maybe a gas stove or gather fallen wood along the way for fuel. Water would be the other big concern. You would either have to boil, filter or purchase your water along the journey.

Floating with the currents would not require a engine. A long pole to steer with would be a necessity.

There is no one to stop you from coming here to Peru and building a raft. No permit needed here in the jungle to float on a raft. You would probably find yourself surrounded by curious locals eager to lend you a hand in the construction of your raft.

What are you waiting for? Come to the jungle in Peru and build a raft!

Most people travel to Lagunas, Peru to explore the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. You can arrange with a tour guide in Yurimaguas, Peru for a guide to take you out into the jungle. Most people that I have talked to that have explored the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve would recommend a 12-day trip. The park gets a lot of heavy traffic on the four and five day trips. So you really need to head deeper into the park to get to the unspoiled areas.

Lagunas is a spread out type of town. Nothing is really centrally located. Probably the best place to stay is near the market area. Walking from the market to the port takes about 20 minutes.

There is a monkey sanctuary someplace in Lagunas, Peru and you can volunteer to work there. I never investigated the monkey sanctuary, since they don’t like to have many visitors. So that the monkeys won’t come into contact with humans while they attempt to reintroduce them back into the wild.

I found the people of Lagunas very friendly.

The electricity is on from about 6:00 pm to 11:00 Pm at night. It gets rather cool at night and makes for good sleeping. There is a place to get Internet access, but I’ve heard it is slow as syrup.

If you plan on visiting Lagunas, Peru just for the sake of visiting the town. Then bring a good book and an open mind.

Yurimaguas, Peru has everything you could want in a jungle town. Whether it is a seatless toilet hotel, ugly hookers, endangered species for sale in the street markets, cheap street chow or plenty of loud moto-taxis for hire. Yurimaguas offers all that and more!

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