hi
in september/october 2001 i took a boat (or rather several boats) down the amazon from peru to brazil. friends have since asked me for info/comments. having written to them, it is easy enough to put it on the hubb to share with everybody:

you have to take a boat TO and from iquitos. there are 2 options from yurimaguas and from pucallpa. from lima to pucallpa there is a good(ish) road.

i went from yurimaguas. there are several routes to the yurimaguas-turn-off from the main highway. take your pick. if you fancy adventure (and a 'direct' route via kuelap ruins) head inland just north of trujillo (i think the town on the way is called cajamarca). i did this and it was fun (and a little 'muddy'). you know the weather patterns and your itinerary.

the 'safer' route goes up the coast further north and then cuts inland. from the turn off to yurimaguas, the road is truely horrible and bike breaking. i did it (and also broke my bike :-( ).

the boat route to iquitos from pucallpa is longer and you would miss lots of stuff north of lima (unless of course you went up there and doubled back).

the boat trips are a real adventure and unmissable. this way you would miss colombia (as i did, intentionally). it is 'fun' getting the bike on and off these cargo boats. bike crammed in with fruit/veg/wildlife.

you sleep on deck in a hammock. the cabins are too hot. stay on deck with the locals. lots of fun and photo ops. take comfort food because the food supplied is basic and insubstantial.

take lots to read. there are a couple of book swap places in iquitos (on/near main square: talk to the british and canadian consuls; they both own bars/restaurants).

iquitos is fun and worth a few days to hang out. from yurimaguas boats go 2 or 3 times a week to iquitos. from iquitos to the border (colombia/brazil/peru) boats go daily except sunday.

you must change boat at the border. the peru boat stops at the peru side (santa rosa) and there you leave peru (immigration). do your customs for the bike at iquitos. they will give you a note so that the customs officer at the border will let you out. iquitos customs was very helpful and efficient.

from santa rosa you take a motorised dugout (my boat had a winch to lower the bike into the dugout) across the river to tabatinga (brazil). do immigration at the policia federal. gb citizens don't need visas. not sure about americans. do your bike customs at tabatinga also(office in port). if the man can't do it, make sure you get a written permission that you can do the formalities in manaus. i didn't and got unreasonablely hassled at as check point on the river.

i did my paperwork in manaus. it was a pain in the arse.

brazilian customs and police are the biggest class-a shits in this solar system.

there are 3 or 4 boats a week to manaus. the boats are better than the peruvian boats too. bar and music every night.

costs per person per boat: about 30 bucks in peru, bike is the same as the person, ie. 60 bucks for 1 person and 1 bike per boat journey.

in brazil things were more expensive: tabatinga to manaus was 90 bucks for me and the same for the bike. in brazil you MUST bargain, otherwise they will rip you off. peru seemed to have published prices and were not in the business of shafting gringos.

there are helpers everywhere to assist embarcation and disembarcation. they are keen, but not gifted and have no idea about balance and gravity of motorcycles. choose a couple of less ungifted-looking ones and tell the rest to get lost. helpers of course would like payment.

you can get cash in tabatinga at an atm. buy supplies there.

it was a great adventure, except for brazilians in uniform.

from manaus you can drive north on pavement to Venezuela, or take yet another boat to belem and drive south through brazil.

Timing:
2 days from yurimaguas to iquitos
3 days from iquitos to border.
5 days from border to manaus
5 days from manaus to belem

Upstream it takes MUCH MUCH longer :-((
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chris

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