“The landscape around us was an endless, lush jungle for three days.”
“I think what stuck with me most was how peaceful and quiet life is in the Amazon. “The people are humble and shy.”
With these words Mykolas Juodele describes his three-day journey on a cargo ship through the depths of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. The goal? To reach the largest city in the world that is not accessible by road.
Extraordinary footage shows part of the 700km journey along the Amazon River – the second longest in the world after the Nile – from the city of Yurimaguas to the city of Iquitos.
On board the cargo ship, Mykolas slept among goods and livestock, including several hundred pigs.
Mykolas Juodele embarked on a three-day journey on a cargo ship (pictured) through the depths of Peru's Amazon rainforest to reach Iquitos, the largest city in the world not accessible by road
After Mykolas (right) arrived at the La Boca port in Yurimaguas (port parking lot, left) on a Friday, he had to wait almost 24 hours until the ship “Eduardo 7” was ready to leave. “The landscape around us was endless lush jungle for three days,” Mykolas said
The video captures some of the sights he encounters along the way, from fruit vendors to a resident rooster on board to an Amazon dolphin poking its head above the water.
“It’s pink,” a voice can be heard saying in the recording.
Speaking to Web Travel, Mykolas recalled “sitting on the bow of the ship” and drinking some wine with two fellow passengers, their feet “hanging off and almost touching the water as the boat glided through the Amazon illuminated at sunset” .
The Lithuanian-born photojournalist set out in June from Yurimaguas, known to many as “the gateway to the Peruvian Amazon,” he said.
“It is the last city that has road connections to the rest of the country,” he explains. “From here on out, the entire journey is by boat.”
A map showing Mykolas' 435 mile (700 km) journey along the Amazon River in Peru from Yurimaguas to Iquitos
Mykolas said the Amazon ships “do not operate on any schedule, they leave as soon as there is enough cargo.” Pictured: The ship parked in the village of Tamshiyacu, one of the stops on the way
When asked what inspired him to take this trip, he said: “I always wanted to experience the real Amazon jungle and the power of the river.”
“When I found out that there were cargo ships that travel up and down the river, offering a slow and intimate Amazon experience while sharing the deck with the locals, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. “
“It was the best experience in my three months in Peru.”
After arriving at the Yurimaguas port in La Boca on a Friday, Mykolas had to wait nearly 24 hours until the ship “Eduardo 7” was ready to sail, with a few dozen passengers, fresh produce, pigs, chickens and crew in tow.
“These ships don’t operate on a schedule, they leave as soon as there’s enough cargo,” he recalled being told.
Mykolas shared the ship Eduardo 7 with a large number of pigs
Mykolas described his trip on the Eduardo 7 (left) as the best experience he had during the three months he spent in Peru. Right: Bananas were loaded onto a smaller boat as the cargo ship approached Iquitos
“On Saturday morning the port was full of workers carrying boxes and bags onto the ship. I was there from early morning, but the loading work lasted until early afternoon.
“Chickens were the last to be loaded onto the ship and we finally moved at 2:30 p.m.”
Mykolas said the ships were used not only to transport goods, but also people hopping from one village to the next.
He explained that some villages consisted of several streets and a few shops, while others had nothing more than a few wooden huts lined up on the bank.
And the cargo ship caused excitement at every stop, he added.
Mykolas said there was a strict schedule aboard the cargo ship in which he and his fellow passengers were served porridge for breakfast at 6 a.m., soup for lunch at 12 p.m. and rice with chicken for dinner at 6 p.m. Pictured: The village of Chambira, one of the ship's many stopovers
At night, most passengers slept in hammocks (pictured), while Mykolas chose to sleep in a tent that he pitched in the middle of the deck
“People rushed to board and disembark, street vendors boarded the ship and tried to sell snacks to passengers, some packages were unloaded or picked up by the recipients themselves,” Mykolas said.
“It could just be a few chickens or a sack of rice or a bunch of bananas.”
A few stops gave Mykolas enough time to step off the cargo ship for a few minutes and take a look at life in the Amazon villages “that rely entirely on these types of boats to survive,” he said, adding: ” Some of these villages were large enough to have a few streets and a few tuk-tuks, known locally as mototaxis, and even shops that sold some basic groceries, snacks and wine.
Mykolas described a rigorous schedule aboard the cargo ship in which he and his fellow passengers were served porridge for breakfast at 6 a.m., soup for lunch at 12 p.m., and rice with chicken for dinner at 6 p.m.
At the beginning of his journey, Mykolas wondered whether he would be able to “sleep well on the ship.” Above – chicken passengers
LEFT: The cargo ship caused an uproar in every village where it docked, Mykolas said. RIGHT: The video shows some of the sights he encounters, such as this rooster aboard the boat
At night, most passengers slept in hammocks, while Mykolas chose to sleep in a tent, which he pitched in the middle of the deck to provide more privacy, comfort and a “safe space” to store his belongings.
“At first it seemed like the challenge was getting a good night’s sleep on the ship and keeping my belongings safe during the trip,” he added.
“I was warned several times that I would most likely be robbed on this boat.” I solved both of these problems by using a tent and an inflatable mat to sleep on and storing my belongings in the tent.
“I didn’t feel in danger for a second as most of the passengers were families and it wasn’t too crowded or busy.”
Mykolas said the cargo ships are “truly a lifeline of the Amazon,” carrying not only goods but also families with children and elderly people traveling from one village to another
Pictured: A street in San Jose De Saramuro, halfway through Mykolas' journey
Some villages Mykolas passed were large enough to have a few roads and a few tuk-tuks, known locally as mototaxis, like the one pictured here
About 52 hours into his journey, Mykolas described seeing “the columns of the Iquitos Bridge” on the horizon.
“The journey came to an end,” he added. “As we approached the port of Iquitos, several smaller ships came close to us and were already unloading bananas and other products from the ship.”
When Mykolas arrived at the port of Iquitos, he described how many more workers and relatives of the passengers on board boarded the ship.
He made a deal with a moto taxi and “ventured into the jungle city” of Iquitos.
Iquitos, in the heart of the Amazon jungle, is home to an estimated 490,882 people, according to the World Population Review 2023. Pictured: Wooden houses seen from the historic center of Iquitos
This image shows the cargo ship arriving at the port of Iquitos, where Mykolas said crowds of workers stormed the ship
A busy street in Iquitos that is only accessible from the outside world by river – or plane
Looking back on the trip, he said an important realization was that “nothing in Peru is as dangerous as people say.”
He added: “I have heard countless advice from Peruvians not to go here or there or not to do this or that because it is dangerous.”
“That was also the advice I heard about this boat trip. However, it turned out to be super safe and easy.”
He added: “These cargo ships are truly the lifeline of the Amazon.”
To see more from Mykolas, visit his Instagram profile – www.instagram.com/mykolas_juodele. And his website: www.juodele.com.
THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD WITHOUT A ROAD TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
Iquitos, in the heart of the Amazon jungle, is home to an estimated 490,882 people, according to the World Population Review 2023.
Since there are no access roads, the Peruvian city can only be reached by air or river.
“Traveling by cargo ship is the most economical way to get around the Amazon,” reports Aljazeera, where communities line the riverbank.
Residents “say they want a road,” but critics fear it “could harm the local environment,” it said.
The city “flourished during the rubber boom” in the late 19th century and has grown “without much planning” since then.
Today, stilt houses line the riverbank. But its historic center is partially abandoned and the country is “slowly being reclaimed by the jungle,” the publication said.
Some buildings have collapsed, while many of those still standing have become casinos and supermarkets.
Nevertheless, Iquitos is the most important transport hub to the largest rainforest in the world. “Cargo boats are truly the lifeline of the Amazon,” Mykolas adds.