Iquitos

Balanced at the mouth of the Amazon proper, Iquitos waxes remarkably cosmopolitan for an area accessible only by boat or plane. Its remote location ensures the city's political independence from (and financial neglect by) the national government in Lima. Intricate Iberian tiles, remnants of the rubber barons' turn-of-the-century residences, decorate buildings, and the prosperity they recall appears to be returning today as thriving commercial areas sprout around the Plaza de Armas. Souvenir shops and money changers cater to gringos who stroll Iquitos's streets en route to nearby jungle lodges and national reserves.

The tourist bureau has grand plans to maximize this trend, estimating that Iquitos will be a "bilingual city" in several years. Inevitably, though, there are people left behind; the floating shanty-town of Belén proves how little tourism means to many of the city's hardworking citizens. Meanwhile, tourists travel for days to observe the incredibly diverse Amazonian wildlife and the increasingly assimilated indigenous tribes continuing to survive in the surrounding lowland forest. Yet travelers who come so far to see the forest in all its glory make a mistake if they overlook the heartbeat of Loreto province: Iquitos - a diverse, energetic place safe enough to be the only city in Peru where police are not required to carry guns.