By air. Captain Rolden International Airport (PCL) is four kilometres west of the centre and has multiple daily flights from Lima — about an hour and a quarter, around 70 soles each way on the budget carriers (LATAM, Sky, JetSmart) if booked ahead. Iquitos services run a couple of times a week.
By road. The Federico Basadre highway from Lima is paved the whole way — 19 to 22 hours by bus, or two long days if you stop in Tingo María. The route climbs over the Cordillera Central via the pass at La Oroya before dropping into the Huallaga valley — one of the most spectacular and exhausting bus rides in Peru. Movil Tours and Civa run the route nightly.
By river. Slow cargo boats run downriver from Pucallpa to Iquitos in three to four days, with hammocks slung on the deck. Tickets are cheap (around 150 soles) but conditions are basic; for a more comfortable river trip, the Eduardo line runs faster passenger boats with cabins. Departures from Puerto Henry, north of the centre — ask at the dock.