If you are enrolled in a Spanish school in Lima, you may be tempted to stay in the city and focus on your studies. However, if you don’t explore the outskirts of the city, you will miss out on much of what Peru has to offer.
This country offers a once in a lifetime experience to see amazing sites and experience Peruvian culture. After all, Peru is considered the best country in South America for tourism. An essential experience is a trip to Iquitos. This is actually the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road, as there are currently some 370,000 people living in this region. Cars tend to be too expensive to import into this part of Peru, so you’ll see mostly auto rickshaw taxis instead.
So how would you get from Lima to Iquitos? Actually, the journey is quite easy. The best thing you can do is take a plane from Peru. This short trip takes about 90 minutes and costs only about $150 round trip. You can easily do a weekend trip where you leave for Iquitos on Friday night and return to the city on Sunday night.
During the weekend, you can have a wide variety of interesting and unforgettable experiences. For example, on a Saturday you could take a day trip to the jungle. If you go down the Amazon in a boat, you will see how small families subsist in remote towns.
Most of the houses are built on stilts. You can also visit monkey island which is a haven for young monkeys, entire mothers have been killed by locals for food. Other experiences to live in Iquitos include eating at a jungle lodge and walking through the jungle. (Of course, don’t forget to bring mosquito repellent).
On Saturday night you will want to go to Central Plaza. In this area, you can watch artists create and sell paintings. Along the river, there are plenty of great restaurants and bars. Don’t miss the exotic foods on the menu. You will see alligators, turtles and even guinea pigs!
On the second day of your trip, be sure to visit the Bethlehem market. This is a floating city, which is known as the “Venice of Peru”. When the water rises, everyone’s house floats. In fact, you can see hundreds of houseboats in the rainy season.
At the market, you can find everything under the sun, including exotic fruits, herbs, and different unusual meats.
When you study Spanish in Peru, you will undoubtedly meet a new group of friends. One tip is to travel to Iquitos with a group so you can split the costs. For example, some of the best tours come with a private guide and boat captain.
Tours will range in price from $25 to $50. Accommodations in this area are very reasonable, but your stay will be more fun if you share it with new friends. A double room will cost you around $40. You can stay in a tourist hotel or a hostel by the river.
There is no doubt that attending a Spanish immersion school in Lima will give you access to some of the most incredible places in the world.
Of course, you will want to visit the most well-known tourist attractions such as Machu Picchu; however, visiting regions like Iquitos will give you a glimpse of another culture. When you return home, these kinds of unique experiences are the ones you’ll be most excited to share with your friends and family.
