The main channels and cochas hold the reserve's headline species. Pink and grey river dolphins surface constantly along the Yanayacu and Pacaya rivers, and the oxbow lakes hold black caiman, giant otter families and, on the quieter lakes, the prehistoric-looking hoatzin in the marginal vegetation.

The flooded forest itself is where the primates are — monk saki, squirrel and woolly monkeys, and the red uakari with its startling bare crimson face in the right areas. A paddled canoe drifting under the canopy at dawn gets you far closer than any motorised boat.

The beaches in low water, roughly June to November, are where turtles nest and where fishing and night spotting for caiman are easiest. This is the season most operators recommend for general wildlife.

The community villages along the reserve's edge run much of the tourism here, and the reserve is a well-known example of community management — local families act as guides and monitor the paiche and turtle populations they once depleted.

Practicalities

Access is from Iquitos, itself reachable only by air or river, with most trips starting at Nauta a couple of hours away by road. Options run from basic community lodges to river cruise boats working the reserve's mouth.

Be clear when booking whether a trip actually enters the reserve: a great many Iquitos tours operate in the buffer zone or on the Amazon mainstream and describe themselves loosely. Entering requires a permit and a registered guide, and the difference in wildlife between inside and outside is substantial.