Though more expensive than Peru hotels of the same category, jungle lodges are an excellent deal when you consider that transport, English-speaking guide, food, lodging, and a full range of activities are included in the price.

These activities include boat rides to fish for pirañas and see the giant Victoria regia lily pads, nighttime caiman spotting, early-morning bird-watching, forest walks, and a visit to a shaman for a talk about medicinal plants. Some of the lodges also offer visits to Indian villages, which are usually awkward, staged affairs and can be given a miss in exchange for downtime back at the lodge.

In general, you get what you pay for, and the better guides tend to work at the more expensive lodges. Because the main cost of any lodge is gasoline for the outboard motor, the lodges farther away from Iquitos become progressively more expensive but offer the chance to see a wider array of animals.

Here's a list of the Iquitos jungle lodges we recommend. Our favorite is Tahuayo Lodge. Follow the links for detailed descriptions of the lodges and what each has to offer.

• Explorama operates five lodges in the area
• Tahuayo Lodge
• Muyuna Amazon Lodge
• Amazon Yarapa River Lodge
• Paseo Amazónicos has three lodges
• Cumaceba Lodge
• Heliconia Amazon River Lodge
• Amazon EcoVagabond Lodge
• Pacaya Samiria Amazon Lodge
• ProNaturaleza