Here is a fact that stops most travellers in their tracks: Iquitos is the largest city in the world with no road connecting it to anywhere. You cannot drive there. You never could. The only ways in are by plane or by river, and unless you have a week to spare on a slow cargo boat, that means flying. For UK travellers heading to the Peruvian Amazon, this is the whole adventure in a single sentence. Your destination sits so deep in the jungle that the modern world simply stops at its edge.
The reassuring part is that getting there is far more straightforward than it sounds. There are no direct flights from the UK to Iquitos, so the route is always the same: UK to Lima to Iquitos, a long-haul flight followed by a short domestic hop. This guide walks you through every step, written for someone planning the trip from a kitchen table in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, or anywhere else in Britain.
The Route: Two Flights, One Connection
Every Amazon trip from the UK runs through Lima. There is no way around it and no shortcut. Iquitos has no international service from Europe, so you will book two legs (or one itinerary with a built-in connection): your flight to Lima, then a domestic flight on from Lima to Iquitos.
This is actually a sensible way to do it. Lima is a major hub, the connection is easy, and breaking the journey into two parts means you arrive in the jungle on a single short hop rather than after one endless flight. Plenty of UK guests arrange the whole thing themselves, no travel agent required. It really is that manageable.
Leg One: Getting to Lima from the UK
London is well connected to Lima. On some routes you can fly through with a single change, and there are reliable connecting options through the usual long-haul gateways. In practice, most UK travellers reach Lima in one of a few ways:
- From London, you will typically connect through a major European gateway such as Madrid or Amsterdam, or route via a hub in the United States. These are common, well-served paths to Peru.
- From elsewhere in the UK (Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and others), you generally connect first through London or a European hub, then continue on the long-haul leg to Lima.
- Whichever way you go, treat Lima as the meeting point. Once you land there, everyone is on the same path for the final flight into the Amazon.
Because this is a long-haul journey with a time difference, give yourself a little grace on arrival. Peru is several hours behind UK time, so you will probably reach Lima feeling the trip in your legs. That is normal, and it is one more reason the plan below builds in a comfortable buffer rather than a sprint.
Leg Two: Lima to Iquitos
The second flight is short, around 1 hour 45 minutes, with between 6 and 10 departures a day, operated mainly by LATAM and Sky Airline. As the plane begins its descent, the city falls away and the rainforest takes over the window, an unbroken green carpet split by the brown ribbons of rivers. For most people, that is the moment it sinks in where they are actually going.
One piece of advice worth taking seriously: book this leg as soon as your international flight is confirmed. Morning departures fill first, and they are the ones you want, because they leave you the most daylight on arrival. If you want the full picture of the domestic leg, including timings, prices in soles and what to expect at Iquitos airport, our guide on how to get to Iquitos from Lima breaks it all down.
Connecting in Lima Without the Stress
If your flight reaches Lima during the day, you can often connect onward to Iquitos the same day. If you land late at night, which is common on long-haul routes from Europe, you have two sensible options: spend the night in Lima and take a morning flight, or simply build in a buffer either way. After a long journey from the UK, do not try to thread a tight late-night connection. It is not worth the gamble.
And here is the one rule that matters more than any other: arrive in Iquitos at least one full day before any booked tour, lodge, or cruise. Domestic flights in Peru get delayed. Jungle operators set off early in the morning and they do not wait. That buffer night is not wasted time. It is the cheapest insurance policy you will buy on the whole trip, the thing that keeps your itinerary from unravelling because of one late plane.
Documents, Vaccines, and Health
For UK travellers, the paperwork is light. No visa is required for tourism in Peru. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your trip, and you may be asked to show an onward or return flight when you arrive. If you are a UK resident travelling on a non-British passport, check the entry requirements for your own nationality before you book.
On health, the headline is the yellow fever vaccine. It is recommended rather than strictly required, and it is widely advised for the lowland Amazon. Arrange it at least 10 days before you travel so it has time to take effect, and keep your vaccination certificate with your passport. Beyond that, the basics carry you a long way: strong insect repellent, long sleeves at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, and bottled water. Antimalarial medication is generally only worth considering for long, remote expeditions; for a standard tour or lodge stay, good repellent does the job. Speak to a travel clinic or your GP in good time before departure for advice tailored to your itinerary.
Money, Power, and Practicalities
A few small things make arrival smoother:
- Money: The currency is the Peruvian sol (S/). Cash is easy to come by in Lima and central Iquitos, ATMs dispense soles, and cards work fine at hotels and restaurants. Keep some cash on hand for markets, mototaxis, and small purchases where cards are not accepted.
- Electricity: Peru runs on 220V, which is close to the UK's 230V, so your devices will be perfectly happy. Most phone and laptop chargers are dual-voltage anyway (look for "100-240V" printed on the brick). The catch is the socket: Peru uses flat US-style and round European-style plugs, not the UK three-pin, so pack a travel adapter.
- Language: English is widely spoken in hotels and by tour operators in Iquitos, less so out on the street. A few words of Spanish or a translation app smooths the everyday moments.
When to Go
Iquitos is a year-round destination. What changes is not whether you can visit, but what the river is doing. From December to May the water is high, and you glide by boat through flooded forest, the canopy mirrored in still, dark water. From June to October the water drops, revealing river beaches and jungle trails you can walk. Neither is better; they are two different versions of the same wild place. Pick the experience that appeals to you and plan your flights around it.
Your First Night in Iquitos
Most UK travellers land in Iquitos with a lodge, cruise, or retreat already booked, and those almost always start with an early-morning pickup from your hotel. That is exactly why your first night here matters. It is the buffer that protects your itinerary after a long trip across the Atlantic, and it is also a chance to meet the Amazon on your own terms before the structured part begins: the malecón at sunset over the Itaya River, the Plaza de Armas, your first plate of Amazonian food.
This is where Bora Hotel becomes the natural answer. We run a free 24/7 airport transfer: just send your flight details a day ahead and a driver will be waiting with a name sign, so there is no scrambling for a taxi after two long flights. We are centrally located on Calle Raimondi 363, minutes from the Plaza de Armas and the malecón where operators make their morning pickups, with breakfast included, air conditioning, 24-hour reception, fast wi-fi, and a desk if you need to catch up on anything. Heading into the jungle for a few days? We will store your luggage for free, with no limit on the number of days, so you travel light into the lodge and reclaim your bags on the way out. We can also provide a corporate invoice or receipt if you need one for the trip.
Have a question before you book, about flight timing, your transfer, or anything else? Message us on WhatsApp at +51 945 572 732 and we will answer in English or Spanish. Getting to Iquitos takes two flights and a little planning. Landing somewhere that has the rest handled is the easy part.