Iquitos offers a wide range of attractions so visiting this place can be an unforgettable experience. From the best of the ecological tourism to a broad variety of restaurants and discos can be enjoyed here.

During the first half of the twentieth century, the city grew due to the boom of the rubber wood trade and this period is reflected in some of its buildings such as the Casa de Hierro (The Iron House), which was designed by the French architect Gustavo Eiffel.

The towns and country houses located in the city surroundings such as the natives from Bora, have recently become an attraction for tourists as well as.

In the city surroundings it is highly recommendable to visit the Quistococha zoo and park or the seaside resorts and recreational areas in the lagoon. In Iquitos it can be amazing to visit the pier and admire the Amazon river, the world's largest river in terms of volume.

The Iron House stands on the corner of Prospero and Putumayo Streets, facing the city's Plaza de Armas (the city's main square). This house was built in 1887, designed by the French Gustavo Eiffel.

From Paris in a ship with Brazilian flag arrived the house's supports, which were then dismantled. Such supports were to be taken up to the Mishagua river in the Madre de Dios department. However, due to transport inconveniences such load had to be sold.

Finally, it was the Spanish rubber baron Anselmo del Águila who purchased these materials and the house was assembled where it stands today. This house was witness to the rubber's heyday.

As its name implies, the house's structure of two floors, balconies in both facades and pyramid-shaped roof, is held up by columns made of forged iron.

Located in the Malecón Tarapaca number 386, the Amazon Museum is a clear example of the neoclassical style, present in the whole region. It was built in 1863 and it wasn't restored until 1999.

This museum features a collection of about eighty Indian statues made of fiberglass, representing the main Indian tribes of the Peruvian, Brazilian and Venezuelan Amazonia.

Moreover, the Military Museum can be visited just in the same building. Also featured in the museum is a fascinating series of antique photographs of the city's history.

The museum is open Monday through Sunday from 8am to 9am. For further information the museum's telephone number is 065 - 234031.

The city's Church or Cathedral, located in the heart of the Plaza de Armas of Iquitos, is an excellent example of neo-gothic architecture and it was built between 1911 and 1924.

Later, between 1944 and 1949 this building had to be restored and it was father Abencio Villarejo who was in charge of such undertaking.

The structure of this cathedral consists of one building that preserves the details of the European model and has a wood carved pulpit in the right side. The Swiss clock set up in 1925 is the most distinctive feature of the cathedral.

This port is located in the left bank of the Amazon River. People here have built their homes over timber piles and rafts. Hence, when the river rises they must tied them up together and move to the second floor.

Not only do people in Puerto Belen live from fishing, but also, when the water level lowers, they cultivate the land and use the two floors of their homes again.

In order to cross the river they generally use small boats such as canoes, the main means of communication here. About two hundred meters away from the port the market is found, the main centre of products in the region.

The amazing Amazon River is the largest river in the world by volume and because of its vast dimensions it is said to be similar to a sweet sea, constantly moving.

The volume of water carried may vary between four, six and up to eight thousand meters, while at the mouth of the river, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, an estuary of about four hundred kilometers wide is formed.

The volume of water it empties into the sea reaches three hundred thousand cubic meters per second during the wet season, while during the dry season it empties eighty and ninety thousand cubic meters per second only.

It is well worth mentioning the fact that the Amazon River is entirely navigable for ships of any draught since the depth of the river reaches two hundred and forty meters in some points. Iquitos is the river's main port.