Covering 20 blocks, Belen Market is the largest in the Peruvian Amazon, and showcases virtually all of the goods that come into and out of the rainforest. It’s been described as a “time warp”, but it’s also a privileged view into a world you’ve never known before. Its exotic meats and produce are the source for almost all of the food served in area restaurants, lodges and cruise ships- but it sells much more than that.
Belen Market is chaotic, messy, and overwhelming at first glance. The afternoon garbage does pile up, while drunks can be found passed out around the lower, but its far outweigh these unsightly issues.
As soon as you reach Calle 9 de Diciembre, you’ll hear the juice stand blenders whizzing. From the moment you enter the market, vendors begin shouting out their wares. This is part of the upper market, which sells the freshest produce. There’s a wide range of fruits and vegetables that you may never have tried before, among them heart of palm, camu camu fruit, and the scaly aguaje, which is thought by locals to be a female aphrodisiac.
