Quistococha, Iquitos’ White Sand Beach Resort

Quistococha (Public domain/Wikimedia Commons)

Located about 20 minutes from Iquitos, on the road to Nauta visitors will find Quistococha Resort (entrance fee: S/.3 for adults and S/.1 for children).

Once inside the park, you find yourself surrounded by jungle, a stage on which star several species of animals. At the start of your visit to the park, you will be received by watermelon-eating macaws and giant ant-eaters that tend to steal the attention of people visiting the Amazon for the first time. The park also takes you to an island of monkeys and jaguars in different cages, pumas, giant iguanas, huge lizards and rodents that are part of the zoo which houses over 150 species of fauna, all native to the Amazon.

As you continue down the path you will encounter one of the favorite spots for visitors: the laguna and its white sand beach, a fun and relaxing place also known as “Tunchi Beach”. This is where most guests go to swim in its warm waters, sunbathe, boat (boat rental costs S/.5 per hour) or use the paddleboats (S/.10 per hour).

Your visit to Quistococha would not be complete if you do not grab some of the delicious gastronomic offerings from the Amazon. A restaurant at the foot of the trees has panoramic views and offers meals off all kinds, but you should definitely try the juane, paiche, tacacho with cecina and patarashca, among other popular local dishes. They are accompanied by the juice from the camu camu and cocona fruits, native to the Amazon region.

At the exit, there is a shop that invites you to buy souvenirs (chains, bracelets, necklaces, brochures, hand-painted ornaments and more) to remember your visit. And outside the complex, a small food fair gives you a last chance to try suri, a worm that you can eat live or grilled. But that is another adventure in itself!

Maniti Camp Expeditions offer guided tours through Quistocoha Zoo upon request at no additional cost to your existing tour program. For a list of the amazon jungle tours peru that we offer please visit us at www.manitiexpeditions.com or call us at (+51) 1-705-8903.