Gateway to Peru's northern Amazon and the country's largest jungle town, the city of Iquitos is so remote that no roads will take you there. Accessible only by air or by river, this friendly, boisterous port city along the Amazon River has a well-developed tourism industry offering lodge stays, river cruises, guided treks and other rainforest excursions. Founded by a Jesuit missionary, Iquitos was once among the leading rubber towns and many of its current inhabitants are descendants of the small tribes that first inhabited the area.