High summer and new quarantine rules in Peru

Dear friends! Great news for those who already miss the hot Peruvian sun and our Ecolodge UNI RAO. While lockdown restrictions are reintroduced around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, things are calm and quiet in Peru and in particular in Pucallpa. From January 4, 2021, the government slightly changed the rules for entering the country (however, they are regularly reviewed and adjusted).

According to the new decree, which came into force in early January 2021 (you can find more information online here in Spanish), travelers entering the country – all foreigners, nationals or residents – should quarantine on arrival for 14 days. Each visitor must have a PCR test result for COVID-19, made within 72 hours prior to travel. Also, 48 hours before entering the country, you shall fill out an online health affidavit and self-isolation commitment form, which can be found on the website of the National Superintendence of Migration. The affidavit can be completed from any computer or mobile device connected to internet by simply visiting the Migration office’s website and shared – under terms of confidentiality – with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health.

All documents in order and without symptoms of the disease, you can follow to the final destination for a 2-week quarantine (it can be completed in a private house, Airbnb apartment, hotel, etc., if you state the address in your affidavit and it is approved by Peruvian health officials on arrival). The only disclaimer: if you have to fly to another city, you must do this within 24 hours upon arrival in Peru, without leaving the airport. As for the 2-week quarantine, there is also good news: after 6 days you can take a new test for COVID-19, and if it is negative, then you can stop your quarantine and start moving around the country without any restrictions.

But let’s get back from boring bureaucratic information to our Ecolodge, where summer has already roamed with might and main. The Peruvian selva is a unique place with only 2 climatic seasons: the rainy season (summer) and the dry season (winter). Each of them is good in its own way. For example, in winter (from April to October) it is very hot during the day, and so cool at night that sometimes you have to sleep under a blanket. But this period is ideal for fans of fishing, since there is practically no rain at this time, so all lakes and rivers become very shallow.

The summer in Peru lasts from late October to mid-April and is characterized by tropical showers. During this period, almost all reservoirs overflow their banks: Lake Cashibococha is no exception, on the banks of which Ecolodge UNI RAO is located. This is an amazing time when the air temperature during the day does not exceed 35C, and at night it drops, bringing the long-awaited coolness and freshness. Every day nature gives new impressions, since summer is the breeding season for most birds and animals. On the shores of the lake, thousands of white herons and birds, belonging to one of the varieties of the black wild duck (Spanish Sharara), arrange their weddings. Insects do not waste time either, because a rainy summer is a great mosquito season, especially for those who like to feel all the delights of the Amazon jungle. 🙂

For guests from the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, the Peruvian summer is the best time to travel. First, during this period, the tropical climate is well tolerated by the northerners. And secondly, as experience shows, tourists tired of the frosts in their homeland are happy to bask and warm up their bones in the warm Peruvian sun. By the way, our Ecolodge UNI RAO has created the best conditions for this not only in the Ucayali region, but in the all Amazonia.