. Amazon Region
Amazon Region | Amazonas, zip code: 91001
The Amazonas Department is in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. The Amazon is the most extensive humid forest on Earth. Its unequaled biological diversity includes in Colombia 674 bird species, 158 amphibians, 195 reptiles, 212 mammals, 753 fish and more than 6,300 different flora plants. It is estimated that in the entire Amazon there are more than 390,000 million trees and 10% of the world’s biodiversity. In this macroregion, which gathers nine different countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana) 35 million people live in the macroregion, among them more than 2.6 million indigenous. The Amazon covers almost a third of Colombia, but the jungle faces very serious threats such as deforestation, mining, illegal hunting, overfishing, urbanization, and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. In the last 50 years, the jungle has lost 17% of its forest cover due to logging, the advancement of agriculture, oil exploitation and livestock. This not only means a loss of natural wealth, but also releases tons of CO2 and reduces the Amazon’s ability to absorb greenhouse gases.
Amazon Region Map
Leticia City
It is located on the banks of the Amazon, linked to Tabatinga, its twin city in Brazil through International Avenue. Getting to Leticia from Bogotá is very easy, every day there are two direct flights, each one takes 2 hours to arrive.
If you are tired of the stress caused by the city and want to get away from traditional communications and office life for a while, come to know Leticia, a very small city located in the middle of the jungle in the southern tip of Colombia. Stay away from the big urban centers and live with its inhabitants, mainly indigenous people of different ethnic groups such as the Tucanos and Huitotos. It is important to note that to get here there are no roads that connect it to the rest of the Colombian cities, so regular flights from Bogotá are the most effective way, lasting only an hour and a half.
Places of interest:
- Navegar por el río Amazonas, de esta manera también podrá conocer más de cerca a los habitantes locales ya que generalmente son recorridos muy largos.
- En la ciudad los parques Santander y Orellana.
- Museo Etnográfico del Hombre Amazónico y el Parque Temático y Ecológico Mundo Amazónico; la Biblioteca del Banco de la República tiene una colección que le puede resultar interesante. Para llegar a estos lugares, le será muy fácil moverse en mototaxi o en autobús colectivo.
- Isla de Micos, habitada por una gran cantidad de monos.
- Santa Rosa y Caballo Cocha ciudades en el Perú con las que forma la zona llamada Hito Tres Fronteras.
- Puerto Nariño ciudad en Colombia Tabatinga en Brasil.
And other places
- Benjamín Constant o Manaus del lado brasileño. Para llegar a esta última ciudad deberá realizar un trayecto de 36 horas.
- Los parques nacionales Amacayacu y Cahuinarí para realizar recorridos tanto diurnos como nocturnos en busca de caimanes o aves exóticas y de paso, apreciar las capas de victoria regia, el más grande de los lirios acuáticos que cubre grandes zonas del río.
- A los alrededores de Leticia encontrarás reservas naturales como Tanimboca, Calanoa, Victoria Regia y Tucuchira. También, podrás visitar comunidades indígenas Tikuna.
- En Leticia tienes varias alternativas de hospedaje, desde los muy conocidos Decameron Ticuna y Hotel On Vacation, hasta propuestas más atrevidas e interesantes como la Cabaña Flotante Kurupira, Omshanty Jungle Lodge y el Hotel Amazon Bed And Breakfast.
Puerto Nariño
It is reached by speedboat from Leticia.
In Puerto Nariño you should go up to the Naipata viewpoint, go to the Tarapoto Lakes in search of pink dolphins, visit the Mocagua community and the Amacayacu National Natural Park.
You can spend the night at the Hotel Lomas del Paiyü, Nature Park Reserve, Flor de la Selva, Waira Selva Hotel, Casa Ayahuasca, Maloca Napu or at the Eware Refugio Amazónico.
In Puerto Nariño there is 24-hour electricity, the cellular signal works regularly and there is a digital Live point with an open Wi-Fi connection.
Tarapoto Lake
Tanimboca House Tree
Victoria Regia
15 minutes by boat from Leticia you can reach the Victoria Regia Natural Reserve, a natural area that has several trails to explore the jungle, enjoy the flora and fauna of the Colombian Amazon.
The Calanoa Natural Reserve is a protected area 60 kilometers from Leticia, on the banks of the Amazon River and right next to the Amacayacu National Natural Park and several indigenous communities Tikuna, Cocama, Huitoto and Bora. A perfect place to explore the jungle and learn about the cultural and environmental diversity present in the Colombian Amazon.
In the Tanimboca Nature Reserve, you will also have the possibility to climb to a height of 35 meters, where a set of 4 observation platforms connected to each other, will await you with one of the most exciting canopy and rappel routes in the world.
In Mocagua, in addition to visiting the Maikuchiga Foundation and touring its murals, you can spot pink dolphins, learn about the royal victory, enjoy the exquisite cuisine of La Ceiba and take a boat to Vista Alegre, in Peru, to look for the night monkey in their natural habitat.
You can get to Mocagua from Leticia by boat, the journey is 1 hour and a half down the Amazon River.
It is a very beautiful region as are the other beautiful regions to visit in Colombia.