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A vast area of Colombia is made up of virgin jungle which is part of the massive Amazon River Basin. Much of the land is protected area. Some of it is populated with indigenous tribes, including a few that refuse contact, and unfortunately, in some areas, paramilitary forces. Due to these and other factors, it’s a wild and quite dangerous section of the country – definitely not a tourist destination.
Fortunately, there is a small section in the southeastern corner of Colombia that is extremely safe and quite developed for tourism.
Amazonas
The Amazon Region runs along the Colombian border with Peru, separated only by the Amazon River. This corner contains the only two developed towns along the Amazon River in the department of Amazonas, Leticia (the capital) and Puerto Nariño. Small villages populated by indigenous people dot the river on both sides, making up the rest of the area. Because of the aforementioned factors, there are no roads connecting these towns to the rest of Colombia. They both sit next to the Amazon River, relying on it for transportation, freight, food, economy, and much more.
Getting There
The gateway city in Amazonas is Leticia, which can be reached via plane or boat. The airport, Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport, serves flights to and from Bogotá. There are also charter flights from other cities if you take an all-inclusive tour.
After arriving and collecting luggage, visitors must pay a COP$45,000 tourist tax for the Amazonas region (as of October 2024).
Leticia shares a land border with Tabatinga, Brazil, and it’s also possible to get there by boat from Peru or Brazil.
Hotel Fernando Real
On our tour with On Vacation, we stayed at Hotel Fernando Real, but only for about three hours. That’s a good thing. The rooms were simple and not the cleanest, and the bathroom was filled with roaches and mosquitoes.
Tours
We took an all-inclusive tour with On Vacation. I would prefer to do it on my own next time. For travelers wishing to avoid the all-inclusive resort, there are several very good hotels in Leticia for every budget, and many restaurants to choose from. Tour operators can offer the same tours we took and more.
It’s even possible to go deep into the jungle to stay at a lodge in Peru or Brazil along one of the tributaries of the Amazon, visit Amacayacu National Park in Colombia. You can also head down the river to the port city of Benjamin Constant in Brazil (passport and possibly a visa necessary). Another option is to find transportation to Puerto Nariño for an extended stay there.
For the more adventurous, guides can be hired to spend as much time as your heart desires in the deep jungle camping out. Just watch out for cannibals!
