About Pucallpa, Peru:
Pucallpa is a city in eastern Peru, located on the banks of the Ucayali River, and a major tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Ucayali region, the Coronel Portillo Province and the Calleria District. The city is categorized as the only metropolis in Ucayali, being the largest populated center of the region. According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, it is the tenth most populated city in Peru and second largest in the Peruvian Amazon after Iquitos. In 2017, it had a population of 211,611 inhabitants.
It was also the site of a tragic air accident involving TANS Perú Flight 204 on August 23, 2005. Out of 91 passengers and seven crew members on board, 35 passengers and five crew (including the three pilots) died in the accident, while fifty-eight people survived the accident, many of them suffering burns and broken limbs. Most of the fatalities were recorded for those passengers traveling in the front of the aircraft, (which is one reason we like to choose seats in the rear). Flight 204 has been the subject of a Reader’s Digest story and an MSNBC documentary. The Canadian TV series, Mayday, has also produced an episode about the accident named “Blind Landing”.
Catholic places of interest in Pucallpa, Peru:
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción): was inaugurated on December 8, 2005. It is located next to the provincial municipality and the Plaza de Armas, the local tourism center. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the first building dates back to the 1950s. It was built by the Apostolic Vicariate of Pucallpa under the command of Bishop Juan Luis Martín Bisson, with the support of the donations and work of thousands of citizens interested in its success. The first demonstration of the TANS Perú plane crash was held at the church a week after its inauguration.
Traveling to Pucallpa, Peru:
Captain Rolden International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Capitán FAP David Abensur Rengifo) is the main airport with flights mostly to Brazil.
Most local transport to Pucallpa is done through the Ucayali River, located in the central east of Peru and which contains the second most important river port in the Peruvian Amazon (behind Iquitos).