If you want to save money on a plane ticket to Iquitos, and get a unique perspective on the jungle in the process, hop aboard a cargo boat from either Pucallpa or Yurimaguas. As you lounge in a hammock on the boat’s deck, the Amazon jungle passes by in vivid color, sandwiched between muddy waters and a bright blue sky.

Just when it begins to get hot, an afternoon rain falls to reveal a spectacular nighttime sky dominated by the Southern Cross. With a little preparation, and the right attitude, a journey aboard an Amazon cargo boat can be comfortable, safe, and exhilarating.

Pucallpa is 3–4 days upstream of Iquitos along the Río Ucayali, which is a long time to be on a cargo boat. A better option is Yurimaguas, which is only a day and a half away from Iquitos and reached via an eight-hour rough drive from Tarapoto. Although trucks and buses travel this route, the colectivo cars are comfortable and arrive in plenty of time to do some last-minute shopping before hopping aboard the afternoon cargo boats. Avoid this road during the rainy season December–March when it becomes a muddy quagmire.

Cargo boats push off from Yurimaguas most afternoons around 4 p.m., with accommodations ranging from covered decks for slinging hammocks to cabins with private bathrooms. The best boat service, by far, is Transportes Eduardo (Yurimaguas tel. 065/35-1270 or Iquitos tel. 065/35-2991 or 065/967-3477), which has five boats, the best of which are the Eduardo IV, with a private third deck, and the Eduardo V, with cabins that apparently have queen-size beds and tiled bathrooms. The best bet is to call a day ahead of time from Tarapoto and find out whether an Eduardo boat is leaving for the next day.

Prices range from US$15 for hammock space to US$50 for a cabin. Be warned, however, that boats wait until their cargo deck is full, and sometimes even confirmed departures get delayed. There are several basic hostels in Yurimaguas, but the best place is Puerto Patos, a jungle lodge operated by the Puerto Palmeras resort in Tarapoto (Lima tel. 01/242-5550, ctareps [at] puertopalmeras [dot] com, www.puertopalmeras.com, US$30 pp, including breakfast).

The boat ticket includes three hot meals a day, served up by the boat cooks and announced by a bell — though passengers must bring their own spoon, bowl, and mug. We found the food surprisingly good, mostly meaty stews and fish and rice, and we did not get sick. Buy several liters of bottled water per person, fruit, and whatever food you think you may want beforehand in Tarapoto, because the Yurimaguas port can be a madhouse. Freelance ticket sellers, contracted by competing boat companies, swarm around cars carrying passengers and scream at the top of their lungs. Once onboard the boat it is possible to buy a hammock (US$6–10, depending on your bargaining skills).

We preferred the upper, open-air deck to the lower deck, which was musty and crammed wall-to-wall with hammocks. The upper deck does, however, get chilly and damp at night, so bring a sleeping bag and hat. In order to guard backpacks at night, most hammock travelers post a night guard, so larger groups mean more sleep for everyone. For that reason, couples or solo travelers might want to consider the security of a locked cabin — you can always lock your things in the cabin and sleep on the deck.