The Slow Boat to Iquitos
Throughout an around-the-world trip, it's natural to strike up conversations with other travelers about some of their favorite experiences and recommendations. It was through one such conversation that I first heard about a multi-day boat trip down the Amazon. Often referred to as "taking the slow boat to Iquitos", it sounds more like a euphonism for someone of low intelligence, but is, in fact, a cargo ship whose main design is to bring supplies into the remote jungle towns of Northern Peru. Iquitos itself is a city that can only be accessed via boat or plane as there are no roads leading that far North into the Amazon basin. From what I could gather from the smattering of backpacker blogs I could find online, it is not for the casual tourist, nor the type of experience can be booked with a travel agent, however if you could, it would come with a waiver stating that you must be okay with insects, bathing in dirty river water, and a very unreliable timetable of departu