Short Trips colombian amazon tour

Take a morning flight to Leticia, the main city in the Colombian Amazon region and one of the major ports on the Amazon river. It is also the city where Colombia, Brasil and Peru come together in a place known as the three frontiers (Las tres Fronteras), which allows you to visit the three countries in just one day.

Upon arrival in Leticia, your tour guide will be waiting for you at the Airport to start exploring this wonderful region of Colombia. This adventure will begin with Tabatinga, the neighbouring Brazilian city connected to Leticia by road and footpath. You will learn about the history of this town and visit some of the most interesting places there, such as the triple border and a viewpoint to see the magnificent Amazon river. Next, we will try Cachaza, the typical and famous Brazilian cocktail made from sugar cane distillation.

Then in Leticia, you will visit the tourist boardwalk or malecón turístico to see the colourful canoes and a little plaza with lots of shops and restaurants. The Museo Etnografico will also be one of the most educative stops during the tour. This museum provides great information about the indigenous communities inhabiting this region of Colombia. Finally, you will finish this tour with a visit to Parque de Santander at dusk to observe hundreds of parakeets returning from the jungle to feed and rest in the park. The noise is impressive, and even if you are not that interested in birds, there is no doubt that it is a unique experience.

Note: Museo Etnografico is closed on Sundays and Mondays
 

Overnight: Leticia
Meal Plan: None

Today, we will start exploring this part of the Colombian Amazon region by visiting two incredible nature reserves on the Colombian and Peruvian sides of the river.

First, we will head to Tanimboca Nature Reserve, located 11 kilometres from Leticia. This natural reserve of thirty hectares of protected forest is famous for its canopy activities. At the nature reserve, we will start with a short walk across the jungle to access the first platform by rope climbing, and then we will cross from one platform to another by a zip line. You will practically fly at the trees' top level to get a unique view of the jungle and its remarkable fauna and flora. We can do kayaking instead of the canopy if you prefer another activity. 

Then we will continue the expedition to Marasha Nature Reserve in Peru, located 45 minutes by boat from Leticia. The dry and rainy seasons change the ways of accessibility in the Amazon. During the rainy or high water season, we will reach the reserve by boat, and during the dry or low water season, we will do it by walking; both journeys will take approximately 1.5 hours from the shore of the Amazon River.

While travelling from the river to the nature reserve, we will observe the great jungle landscape with its huge trees, monkeys, butterflies and multi-coloured birds, among other fauna and flora. On arrival at the reserve, a delicious grilled fish will be waiting for us to enjoy a traditional lunch.

The reserve is peaceful and offers a variety of activities, such as fishing and canoeing. 

After dinner, there will be a tour to see the nocturnal activity in the jungle and search for black caimans.

Note: The rainy season goes from February to June, and the dry season from July to January.
 

Overnight: Marasha Natural Reserve
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we will travel along the Amazon river; we will have a few stops before arriving at Puerto Nariño. 

Our first stop will be Mocagua, a local village in the buffer zone of Amacayacu National Park, mainly inhabited by the Ticuna indigenous community. The Ticuna constitute one of the most numerous peoples of the Amazon Basin, where approximately 7,879 people live there. During this visit, we will learn about their way of life and traditions and how they use wood and other natural materials from the jungle to create crafts.

We will also visit the Maikuchiga Foundation to see the conservation project started by biologist Sara Beneth that the young people from Mocagua now carry out. They are helping to protect the jungle by conserving species such as the Churuco monkey and rehabilitating and reintegrating rescued monkeys and wildlife victims of illegal trafficking, used as pets, or wounded by hunting. These rescued animals are released in the Colombian Amazon jungle after fully recovering. Finally, we will have a sighting and animal monitoring outing to understand the behaviour of the monkeys and their connection with the flora and other fauna.

For lunch, we will have a traditional dish. Then, we will continue our trip by crossing the border with Peru and visiting Cacao Island to see the sloth bear and the Victoria Regia, the endemic and icon flower of the region.

Finally, we will go to Puerto Nariño, inhabited mainly by local indigenous Yaguas and Ticuna; it is an environmentally friendly town where motorized vehicles are banned. It is on the edge of the river Loretoyaco without streets, cars or motorbikes. Instead, the "roads" are palm-lined sidewalks connecting the community's neighbourhoods. For their efforts to peacefully coexist with nature, Puerto Nariño was named the first tourism-sustainable town in Colombia.

We will explore the surrounding areas of Puerto Nariño. Depending on the time of the year, we will go to Lake Tarapoto or alternative places such as River Chineria, where we can see pink dolphins, sloths, manatees, and the Victoria Regia lily. 

Note: From August to October, the river's water level will be lower, so the entrance to the Lago Tarapoto may not be possible. If that is the case, we will go to other places to see dolphins, such as the river Chineria.

Overnight: Puerto Nariño
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This incredible adventure ends today. At the relevant time, we will take a boat to Leticia. It will take approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival in Leticia, we will transfer you to the airport. 

Overnight: -
Meal Plan: Breakfast