Traveling to the Amazon in Leticia Colombia

Last updated on July 7th, 2023 at 04:13 am

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My name is Frank and I run a travel agency in Bogota, Colombia. Have fun while reading!

Traveling to Leticia Colombia

From the cool and windy city of Bogota, Sebastian and I set off, heading for the border triangle and the city of Leticia in the Colombian Amazons. Leticia borders Brazil and Peru. From Iquitos, the trip takes about one day and to Manaus, it is about 3 days by boat.

Upon stepping out of the plane, we immediately felt the heat and humidity. We were thus disappointed to find that in our accommodation there was no air conditioning; only a fan to blow hot air in our faces for the next few days. However, we did not let this bring us down and immediately set out to eat some fresh fish. Afterwards, we visited several local tour operators who offer a wide range of options for guests. The next day we visited the nature park “Mundo Amazonico”, which is about a 30-minute drive from Leticia.

Amazon world park

We were led through the park by a young indigenous man and his knowledge was extremely impressive. He knew everything about the local cultures, plants, and animals. This guide never seemed to miss a detail, which made the visit a perfect introduction for us.

The next day we went by boat to a nature reserve. After 2 hours of instruction, in which a local guide explained everything to us and even showed us some animals hidden in the bushes, we arrived at a hotel. We were now in Peruvian territory and to my delight, I was able to verify it by the excellent lunch we had. After a canoe trip and some piranha, we headed back to Leticia, but if you ask me, this day went by way too quickly!

On the fourth day of our trip, we stayed in Leticia and visited several hotels in the area. We also wanted to get some administrative work done, but due to the unreliable internet and a national football game against Venezuela, our working day was cut short at 3:30pm. Unfortunately, the match ended in a 0-0 tie, and did not lead to sprawling celebrations in the streets.

Amazon River to Puerto Nariño. Amazonian culture

On Friday, we headed up to  Puerto Nariño in a boat with five other people. The first stop was in Puerto Alegría, which is a village on the Peruvian side of the Amazon. Once we arrived, the Indigenous guides showed us turtles, parrots, and even and hung sloths around our necks. In addition, monkeys came along in the hopes of finding food. You could even be photographed with a snake. The Indigenous man who owned the snake held the reptile in a very tight grip, and I concluded that the snake was not too motivated to take pictures with tourists. The wild cat, which was caged in a 4 meter box, also did not look to please to see us. Personally, I think the animals do not do well in these conditions and thus are frequently replaced. It immediately clear to us that our company would not be offering tours to this destination due to these practices.

Our next stop was the  monkey island. After a short introduction, we reached a clearing in the forest and with few whistles from the local guides, a host of small and sweet monkeys came running. They climbed and jumped on the visitors so that we all became monkey trees. This was a really fun and exhilarating experience, and the little and playful animals truly delighted us.

After a short detour to Puerto Nariño and the observation of pink river dolphins, we had to travel back, as the distance was around 37 miles (60 km). On the way back, our captain bought 12 big fish from a fisherman in his canoe. He paid an unbelievable $1.50!

For me the Amazon is a very magical area, and I think everyone should have experience this natural phenomenon at least once in their lifetime.

More Information you will find in our Leticia Tourist Information.

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