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What to do in Leticia ᐈ Guide to visiting the Colombian Amazon
Leticia is a remote Colombian city located in the heart of the Amazon. This place borders Peru (Santa Rosa) and Brazil (Tabatinga) and is known as the triple border. Finding yourself in the middle of the jungle It is the ideal place if you want to know the Amazon and experience a very curious cultural coexistence since Peruvian, Colombian, Brazilian and of course indigenous traditions from the different ethnic groups in the area are mixed in its streets.
In this article We tell you what to do in Leticia to enter the jungle and fulfill the dream of sailing the Amazon River. At the end you will also find useful information for your visit about how to get there or what is the best time to go.
WHAT TO DO IN LETICIA
Visit the local market
One of my favorite activities in the city of Leticia was getting lost among the curious stalls at the local market. Is a unique experience for your senses. Dozens of exotic products for sale such as pirarurucú, the giant fish in the photo, the famous piranhas or a great variety of Amazonian fruits that you have probably never seen.
I recommend you talk to the sellers and ask them about the products they sell, they were all They were very kind and explained everything to us.carinteresting data like what type of fish it is, where the fruit comes from, how it is prepared and some even invited us to try it.
On the first days of the week, many ethnic groups from the jungle travel by boat to Leticia to sell their products on the street leading to the market and On those days visiting the local market is even more interesting.
Walk along the boardwalk
Next to the local market is the Leticia boardwalk that overlooks the Amazon River. Although the boardwalk is short and you will visit it in just 10 minutes, walking along the river is very curious since the opposite bank belongs to Peru and humble wooden fishing boats are constantly arriving and other larger ships that come from nearby towns or even from neighboring Brazil or Peru.
Sunset in Santander Park, the parrot park
One of the best things to do in Leticia when the sun is setting is to go to Santander Park, sit on one of its benches and look up.
You will see a large number of parrots flying over this park during the sunset and they come from areas inside the jungle to spend the night here. It is an interesting and noisy spectacle of nature.
Visit the ethnographic museum
Just a few steps from Santander Park and the local market you will find a curious pink building that houses the ethnographic museum of Leticia. In this museum there is a small but interesting exhibition with tribal elements and a library with a large number of books about the Amazon.
The museum has air conditioning and one of the best WiFi networks in the city So spending some time inside is not a bad plan if the heat and humidity of the jungle overwhelms you or if you need an internet connection for any reason.
Cross into Brazil to visit Tabatinga
One of the most curious things to do in Leticia is to cross the border with Brazil. It is one of the easiest borders to cross since there is no passport control nor is it necessary to carry out any type of procedure.
You just have to docarGo to the border area and you'll see a cartel indicating that you are entering Brazil. From this point on the official language changes to Brazilian. (although many speak Spanish) and things are paid in Brazilian reals that you can get in the exchange offices that are on the same border.
It is a good opportunity to eat in a restaurant for try some typical Brazilian dish such as feijoada, drinking caipirinha or buying a Brazilian product.
We crossed in a rented a motorcycle in Leticia, walking around the city we saw several rentals, it cost us about €10 for the full day, We reached the riverbank area where there was a lively atmosphere with both people and boats.carGando was interesting to see, but it was clear that it wasn't a tourist area like Leticia, and we felt too watched.
The kilometers by Leticia
Like a city in the middle of the dense jungle that is Leticia the carReteras are not abundant, in fact they are so scarce that there is only one and the towns are named according to the kilometer in which they are located.
The day we went to Brazil on the motorbike we also toured this carThe road, which in 2022 was 22 kilometers long, hadn't been paved since around kilometer 16. We stopped wherever we felt like it and took small detours to villages and areas with streams.
Try Amazonian food
You can't leave the Amazon without try some of the typical delicacies of the jungle. Throughout Leticia you will find restaurants that offer local products such as chicharrón de pirarucú.
EAt the local market there are a couple of stalls selling fruit juices. local, we went every day to try the seasonal fruits. We tried açaí, arazá, camu-camu, soursop, lulo and many others but without a doubt our favorite Amazonian juice was copoazú.
There are also a large number of food stalls on the second floor of the market. where to try the same local products that they sell just below.
VISIT THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON FROM LETICIA
Tour to the Amazon for several days
One of the most typical excursions among tourists who come to Leticia is to do a multi-day tour to enter the jungle. Tours can vary in duration and style depending on the type of trip you want to do, your budget and your time. There are more adventurous options sleeping in jungle shelters or more relaxed and luxurious staying in lodges.
These multi-day tours can be booked online or directly in Leticia for a better price If you have time, go there; if you're in a hurry, I don't recommend it, a bus is better.car Online options like this one I'm leaving you so they can come to your buscar directly to the airport.
The activities What are usually done during these tours are jungle hikes both day and night spot wildlife, navigate the Amazon River and its tributaries, try the artisanal fishing and visit towns of different Amazonian ethnic groups like the Ticuna.
In our case we spent 4 days and 3 nights in which we slept in a maloca located in the middle of the jungle to which we reach walking, We spent another night with the Ticuna indigenous people in the community of San Martín de Amacayacu, which was reached by sailing along a tributary and the last in Puerto Nariño, from where we visited several places.
During those days we made different excursions such as visiting the Mocagua monkey sanctuary, hiking through the jungle, navigating narrow tributaries of the Amazon full of vegetation and of course, trying to learn traditions and techniques of the Ticuna ethnic group. The truth is that it was a very special and enriching experience, it is something we highly recommend on a trip to Colombia.
VISIT THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON FROM PUERTO NARIÑO
How to get to Puerto Nariño
The only way to Getting to Puerto Nariño is through the Amazon River, either with private transportation or with the public boat that leaves from Leticia, it is a 2 hour journey and costs approximately 31.000 COP (€7). Go to the pier in front of the market and ask for the ticket, It is best to buy it the day before to secure your place.
Visit Puerto Narino
Puerto Nariño is the second largest town in this area of Colombia and a much quieter place. Within Puerto Nariño there are no motor vehicles and The lifestyle is more relaxed so the atmosphere is very different.
In fact, if you are going to spend several days in the Colombian Amazon for freeThat is, without hiring a multi-day tour, the best option for us is to spend 1 full day getting to know Leticia and the rest of the time staying in Puerto Nariño where the connection with the jungle is much more intense. From here you can hire many activities and excursions, both for one day and for spending the night in a community at a better price than from Leticia.
Even just walking around the surroundings and trails of Puerto Nariño was an experience that we enjoyed a lot, as I say, super good atmosphere and lush vegetation.
Tarapoto Lake and pink dolphins excursion
One of the curiosities that few know about the Amazon River Two types of dolphins live in its waters and one of them is pink! From Puerto Nariño, boat tours depart towards the Lake Tarapoto, which is one of the most common places to see this type of dolphins.
The excursion consists of a relaxing boat trip along a small river where you can spot birds, monkeys, and even crocodiles, until you reach Lake Tarapoto. You'll often sail across the lake while watching gray and pink dolphins leaping in the distance, and you'll try to get closer to them from the boat.carYou also have the option to jump out of the boat to bathe in the same lake where the dolphins swim, a unique experience.
Some boatmen carry fishing rodscar with which you can try pescar piranhasIf they don't offer it to you but you're interested in PEScar Tell them about a piranha before starting the excursion and they will quickly get a fishing rod and something for the hook.
Visit the Maikuchiga Foundation
Another interesting activity linked to the local fauna is the visit to the Mocagua monkey sanctuary. In this sanctuary, different breeds of monkeys, mostly rescued from illegal animal trafficking, live in semi-freedom.
The goal of the foundation is to reintegrate rescued monkeys into free-living monkey families. To do this, they collaborate with many volunteers and former monkey hunters from the Mocagua community who help them locate potential adoptive groups and when the foundation's monkeys reach maturity they are released near these wild groups to try to integrate them.
The breeds that you can see at the foundation will depend on the monkeys rescued in recent months but The churucos, the bebeleche and the squirrel monkey are usually common..
During your visit, you'll be able to see the monkeys jumping between the sanctuary's trees or signaling each other. You'll also learn a lot about the local wildlife and the work the foundation does.
HOW TO GET THERE TO LETICIA
The easiest and fastest way to get to Leticia is with the direct flights from Bogotá. The landing in Leticia is spectacular since the views are of trees and more trees as far as the eye can see and in the middle meandering brown rivers that seem like the veins that give life to this ecosystem.
You can also arrive in ship from Peru and Brazil. From Peru you have to embarkcarFrom Iquitos, you'll travel to the border island of Santa Rosa, where your passport will be stamped, and then you'll take a boat across the border to Leticia. From Brazil, you'll arrive by boat to the town of Tabatinga and from there cross the land border to Leticia.
WHERE WE TO STAY IN LETICIA
Thanks to the airport and its special location, Leticia is a city that receives many tourists, so the accommodation offer is varied. I recommend the following options depending on your budget.
Backpacker hostel The Jangada
Simple, pleasant with private and shared rooms. It is very well located and there is a good atmosphere among guests, workers and volunteers. They offer multi-day excursions to be booked on site.
Basic hotel Forest Refuge
Comfortable and central with rooms in good condition and private bathroom at an affordable price. Breakfast included.
good hotel Mother Jungle
A beautiful hotel located in the heart of Leticia, but with the feeling of being in a lodge in the middle of nature. Breakfast included and very good service for an unbeatable quality price.
BEST EPOCH TO VISIT LETICIA
The best months to visit Leticia are between June and October since it coincides with the dry season and the rains are less frequent. In addition, the jungle will not be flooded so it is much easier to take excursions. The negative part of These months there are quite a few mosquitoes so I recommend you bring a good repellentBesides wearing wide trousers and long sleeves to avoid getting riddled with bullets, I also need...careven through trekking pants.
I hope that this article about what to do in Leticia has been useful for you to organize your visit to the Amazon. Remember that we have many other items of Colombia which could be interesting if you are organizing your trip or looking for inspiration. And for any questions you can contact us and we will try to help you in any way possible.
