We just got back from our trip and had an absolutely amazing time. I think the highlight was our days at Muyuna lodge upriver of Iquitos. Our guide (Usiel) was incredible. He told us that April was one of the best times for the trip as the water was at a good level to see stuff like monkeys. He also said that some of the "premier" lodges closer to Iquitos had very little wildlife left. He said that the guides had to "make a big deal about some ants or termites" because there wasn't a lot more to see and that at some of these lodges the guests wanted a refund because they didn't see what was promised (he also said that some of the lodges promise the guests will see everything including polar bears) :-). He recommends Muyuna or Yarapa; Yarapa is more expensive and much "plusher", but is in the same area.

Our flights were as to be expected. We wound up with Lan LIM-CUZ and CUZ-LIM and Tans LIM-IQT. Our Lan IQT-LIM flight was cancelled. There was a pretty big mess, but Lan got us on the over booked Tans flight so we could catch our return international flight (this did not make some people happy).

I brought nice, crisp $100 bills. When we arrived, we learned that the series starting with CB was not accepted due to counterfeit problems. I was told that it is common and it changes quickly. You may want to check with your hotel or some other booking the day before you go and see if there is a series that is banned (not that it won't change) or at least make sure you have a variety of series. I met a woman who only had the CB series. I had to contact my bank because my ATM card didn't work, most places I went didn't take credit cards (or charged a fee) and I ran out of non-CB series money.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Oh, and Ozzie, I would have loved to have hiked the trail. From the age and condition of some of the people I saw heading out, I figured it didn't have to take too much effort. We just didn't have the time. With only a week, we chose to visit the Iquitos area instead of hiking the trail. I would love to do it sometime.