Iquitos is the largest city in the Peruvian Amazon region, and the perfect gateway for exploring the jungle. It’s also a captivating place to visit in its own right, with a chaotic pace of life and a local culture different to anywhere else in the country. To help you plan a trip to this jungle city on a budget, we’ve compiled the best hostels in Iquitos, including everything you need to know about facilities, prices and location.
This article contains booking links for our recommended hostels, from which we may make commission at no extra cost to you.
Prices below are shown in US dollars. You can find the latest exchange rates at xe.com. To browse all accommodation options for Iquitos, see booking.com.
Hostels in Iquitos: what to know before you go
Iquitos is full of character and charm, but when visiting it’s important to bear in mind that it’s an isolated city in the middle of the jungle. This means you can’t always expect the same standard of facilities that you might in big, connected cities like Lima or Arequipa, for example.
In particular, be prepared for the following:
- Wifi is often patchy in Iquitos. Several of the hostels we recommend offer free wifi, but it won’t usually be fast. Make sure you don’t need to rely on wifi for uploading photos or anything else that requires strong connectivity.
- It’s not a guarantee you will have hot water. While many of the hostels listed here strive to provide it, the supply can be unreliable and affected by external factors, so be patient. (We found cold showers to be a welcome relief from the jungle heat anyway!)
- It’s not advisable to drink tap water in Iquitos – some hostels sell bottled water, and if not you can find it in local shops.
Best hostels in Iquitos: quick comparison
This table shows quick information and a comparison of our recommended hostels in Iquitos. Read on below for more detailed information.
| Hostel | Quick info | Prices | Book now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Dog Hostel | Large, chain hostel with good facilities, river view, close to main square | Dorms from $9, privates from $28 | booking.com | hostelworld |
| Amazon House | Friendly, family-run hostel with budget private rooms on the city outskirts | Privates from $16 for singles and $24 for doubles | booking.com | hostelworld |
| Moicca Hostel | Friendly, sociable hostel hostel with shared lounge, terrace area and BBQ | Dorms from $8 | hostelworld |
2023 update: a lot of the hostels we previously featured in this article sadly closed during the pandemic. The three shown above are those that remain open, according to our contact with the owners. We are now reaching out to find more hostels in Iquitos to add to this article, so if you find any on your own visit you would like to recommend, please get in touch and let us know.
Best hostels in Iquitos: the details
These are the top-rated hostels in Iquitos for providing excellent value for money, good facilities and a convenient base for exploring the city and the Amazon jungle.
Flying Dog Hostel Iquitos
Flying Dog Hostels run a chain of five hostels in destinations across Peru. Their Flying Dog Iquitos hostel is a clean and comfortable base for exploring the city and the Amazon jungle.
Flying Dog is in a great location with a river view and just a few minutes’ walk to the main square, Plaza de Armas. It’s a large hostel with all the facilities you need for a relaxing city stay. The friendly staff will help you arrange airport transfers and book tours into the jungle, and a free breakfast is served every morning.
- Cost: dorms from $9 / privates from $28
- Facilities include: free breakfast, free wifi, hot showers, common room, security lockers, 24-hour reception, self-catering facilities, airport transfers, luggage storage, book exchange, tour bookings
Amazon House
Amazon house is a friendly, family-run hostel in a quiet neighbourhood on the outskirts of Iquitos city. It’s about a 25-minute walk from the hostel into the city centre.
We stayed at Amazon House during a five-night trip to Iquitos and were made to feel completely at home. The staff helped us book a great jungle tour, and were always ready to assist with everything we needed. There is an upstairs kitchen for self-catering and an outdoor terrace for relaxing in the Amazonian sunshine.
Overall, this hostel is the perfect budget accommodation for Iquitos if you prefer to avoid the rush and noise of the city centre.
- Cost: privates from $16 for singles and $24 for doubles
- Facilities include: free wifi, hot showers, outdoor terrace, laundry, self-catering facilities, airport transfers, luggage storage, book exchange, tour bookings
Moicca Hostel
Moicca Hostel is one of the top-rated places to stay on a budget in Iquitos. It is nicely located about a 15-minute walk from the Plaza de Armas, but it is the community aspect that makes this place such a favourite among travellers. The owners tell us that it’s the great people and the little moments that make the atmosphere: “we just do 50%, and they do the rest”.
You can see in the way the hostel is set up that it is built around people. There is a terrace area and shared lounge for hangouts, and barbecue facilities for making communal food. Guests are always full of praise for the friendly atmosphere and the helpfulness of the staff.
So, if you are a people person and you want to look forward to a warm welcome, Moicca Hostel is the place for you in Iquitos!
- Cost: dorms from $8
- Facilities include: free breakfast, free wifi, hot showers, security lockers, common room, outdoor terrace, self-catering facilities, free parking, book exchange, BBQ
Map of Iquitos hostels
You can see the hostels recommended in this article on the map below:
How to get to Iquitos
Iquitos is one of the world’s largest isolated cities. It is not connected to the rest of Peru by road, and can only be reached by river or by air. For travellers, the only practical way to visit Iquitos is to fly.
Several airlines operate daily flights from the capital city, Lima, to Iquitos. We flew with Star Peru, a very good budget option. To compare flight options, search on Skyscanner.
More articles on budget accommodation in Peru
Are you travelling elsewhere in Peru? You might find our other hostel review articles useful:
- Best hostels in Lima + guide to the backpacker districts
- Best hostels in Cusco | where to stay before and after the Inca Trail
Love it? Pin it to read later!
