is the peruvian amazon worth it on a tight budget?

I’ve been dreaming about seeing the wild side of the Peruvian Amazon, but honestly, my wallet is already sweating. Every time I look up Manu, Tambopata, Iquitos, or Puerto Maldonado, all I see are fancy lodges and pricey tour packages. Most of the reviews I find are from folks who clearly didn’t have to count every penny, and I’m just not in that boat. I was hoping to do it differently—maybe crash at a hostel and find a local guide who won’t charge me an arm and a leg. But then I read somewhere that Iquitos isn’t great for wildlife, which kind of threw me off. Have any of you actually tried the hostel-plus-local-guide route in any of these places? Did you still get to see the animals, or did you just end up with a lot of mosquito bites and disappointment? I’m also torn about how much time to spend there. I was thinking three full days, but is that just wishful thinking? Will I end up spending more time on buses and boats than actually spotting wildlife? I’d love to hear from anyone who’s tried to do the Amazon on a budget and still had a real adventure. If you’ve been there, did you feel like you got your money’s worth, or did you wish you’d splurged a little more? #AmazonAdventure #TravelOnABudget #WildlifeWatching #Travel