Ayatur Lodge Iquitos

Angel was the best part of our trip. He was caring and kind, showed us amazing places, took us to his home, and explained so much about the Amazonas, its wildlife, and the animals. We felt treated like family, and without him our stay wouldn't have been the same. I hope the owner changes how he treats guests, since before we arrived in Iquitos he said he would treat us like family. The arrangements with the owner started out smoothly. We booked a two-night, three-day tour with Ayatur through booking, then agreed to book directly so he wouldn't pay fees. We settled on a price in euros and checked the total with him several times before arriving. We also said we'd pay in euros or by credit card, and he said either was fine. We canceled the booking and another guide and hotel that had a better offer, and set aside euros thinking we were helping him. When we arrived, he said for the first time that he wanted payment in local currency. The exchange rate was very poor, leaving us short by 30 soles, about $8 or $9. We only had the cash we'd discussed and hadn't known the rate would be so bad. He accepted the payment and said it was okay. The next day, he didn't come along on our tour. We were fine with that at the time, but later wondered if it was because of the shortfall. One evening, we went for drinks with him and another familiar. When the bill came, he went to the bathroom after asking us to pay for everyone. We paid only our share, since we felt it was too much to cover while paying for our stay, and thought someone inviting people for a drink shouldn't handle it that way. We were running low on cash because of the exchange rate and had only a credit card and a few soles left. On our last day, he left us alone in the taxi to the airport and said we should pay because we owed him 30 soles. We didn't understand how we owed it, since we'd agreed on the amount in euros from the start and he had accepted the payment. We pointed out that the transfer was included. He eventually paid the taxi, but left halfway through the ride, and we continued to the airport with the mototaxi driver. We were very disappointed by his behavior, especially in a city not known for being safe. It felt as if he cared only about money, not his guests' wellbeing, and the experience left us with mixed feelings.