Amazon View Lodge is the result of a dream that was born on the banks of the Amazon River and, many years later, returned to where it all began.
Its founder, Nelson Ricardo Pinedo Zevallos, was born on January 7, 1999, in the community of Barrio Florido, an Amazonian town located on the banks of the Amazon River. Now 27 years old, he is part of a new generation of Amazonian leaders who believe that the region's development can be built from within their own communities.
He spent his early years here with his family and completed part of his primary education at the Amelia de Souza Freitas de Salazar Educational Institution. However, as a child, his family decided to move to the city of Iquitos in search of new opportunities and a better quality of life.
Like many Peruvian families, they endured years of hard work, sacrifice, and economic challenges. They lived in rented houses, faced financial difficulties, and learned the value of honest work, perseverance, and education.
Nelson completed his primary and secondary education at the Mariscal Óscar R. Benavides Educational Institution. He then enrolled in university to study Economics, a degree he pursued for three years. However, due to economic and family circumstances, he had to reconsider his career path.
Far from abandoning his dreams, he decided to continue his studies in International Business and Tourism at the National University of the Peruvian Amazon, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in International Business and Tourism.
While studying, he began developing skills in digital marketing, communication, and social media. He understood that the Amazon needed to be told from the perspective of those who live there and that technology could become a tool to showcase the natural and cultural richness of his land to the world.
With this vision, Iquitos Experience Tours was born.
In February 2019, at just 20 years old, Nelson Pinedo decided to take the first step toward his dream and created Iquitos Experience Tours as a small personal venture.
At that time, he didn't have significant investments or an office. What he did have was a deep passion for the Amazon, knowledge acquired during his studies, and the conviction that he could show the world a different way to discover Iquitos.
However, just as the project was beginning to grow, one of the most difficult moments in recent history arrived.
In 2020, the pandemic paralyzed global tourism.
Airports closed, trips were canceled, and thousands of tourism businesses disappeared. As happened to millions of people around the world, Nelson's dreams seemed to have crumbled overnight.
The business he had built with so much effort was practically paralyzed.
During those months of uncertainty, Nelson did what many young people do when they need to get ahead: he looked for work. He sent his resume to various companies and organizations hoping to find a job opportunity that would allow him to keep moving forward.
But the responses never came.
Opportunities were scarce, and the outlook seemed increasingly complicated.
Even so, he never gave up on his dream.
While many projects disappeared, he continued preparing himself, learning, studying digital marketing, communication, and new technological tools. He used that time to strengthen his knowledge and keep imagining how he could rebuild his project when tourism returned.
What seemed like the end turned into a new beginning.
When the world began to reactivate, Nelson returned with more strength and determination. Thanks to the experience gained during those difficult years, Iquitos Experience Tours managed to establish itself as the first formally registered digital tour operator in the Loreto region in the post-pandemic era, committed to innovation, digital transformation, and the responsible promotion of the Peruvian Amazon.
That period taught him a lesson that is now part of Amazon View Lodge's philosophy:
Dreams can be delayed.
Dreams can be tested.
But they should never be abandoned.
What began as a venture driven by a passion for tourism transformed into a formal company dedicated to connecting travelers from around the world with authentic experiences in the Peruvian Amazon. Following the pandemic, Iquitos Experience Tours became the first formally registered digital tour operator in the Loreto region, embracing innovation, digital transformation, and responsible destination promotion at a time when the tourism sector was seeking to reinvent itself.
Thanks to this vision, thousands of travelers began discovering Iquitos and the Peruvian Amazon through content, recommendations, and experiences designed to immerse them in a unique way.