MERCADO DE BELÉN

This popular floating district is reached during the rainy season by canoe from El Huequito up the Río Itaya, or on foot from the center along the Malecon Tarapaca. Don't hesitate to wander through the narrow streets, particularly the Paquito passage, where you'll find all sorts of medicinal plants (including the liana used to prepare ayahuasca). During the rainy season, the mainland disappears. Streets become canals and vehicles are replaced by rowing boats steered by kids with steady hands. This is undoubtedly the most photogenic time of year for tourists. Belén is a bustling commercial center, serving as port, market, residential area (there's even a floating disco!) and meeting point for fishermen, farmers and traders unloading forest produce from their pirogues. With its houses on stilts, Belén is the exact portrait of an Amazonian port as conceived by our Western imaginations: hectic, noisy, underworld, a little ghostly, a little unreal, but always fascinating... In the dry season, it's a different story: colorful and lively, but dirty too.

To visit the lower part of the mercado, for the safety of your belongings, it's best to work with a local guide who can show you the way. Above all, be discreet with your camera. As with all markets, the best time to visit is in the morning.