Pampachica beach, Beach on the Nanay River in Iquitos, Peru

Pampachica is a white-sand beach on the left bank of the Nanay River in Iquitos, near where the river meets the Amazon. The water is shallow, and the beach is reached by a short boat trip from the city, which sits on the opposite bank.

The beach formed through natural river processes where the Nanay connects to the broader Amazon system. Over time it became an established gathering spot for people living in and visiting Iquitos.

Peruvians call this stretch of sand Pampagay, a nickname that has made it a reference point for gay tourism worldwide and, according to the sources, the largest gay beach in Peru. It is a regular meeting point for the country's LGBTQ+ community.

Access is by short boat trips from Iquitos, which sits on the opposite, right bank of the Nanay near its mouth on the Amazon. A National Police post stands on the beach, and bathers are officially allowed only until five in the afternoon, though the limit is not always enforced.

The beach reaches its greatest extent from June to November, when low rainfall leaves a wide stretch of white sand along the Nanay. The rest of the year the river covers much of it, so the shoreline is at its smallest during the wetter months.