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Hey there! This is my first post about travelling. Hope you enjoy it and find it useful for your trip to Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia.

I will write this post in English and Spanish. I decided to start with the English version as one of the guides I had during my trip, told me that there is usually a steady number of foreigner visitors across the whole year. Too bad we cannot say the same thing about the locals or Latin Americans; it seems that they are not that interested in visiting this beautiful part of the world, which is kind of like normal if you think about it. It’s very common to hear that people don’t know very well their own countries. It seems that people tend to look for what’s different, to look for what they don’t have in their countries or to look for a new culture to explore, to know. Another reason is money (jajaja), it’s not that expensive to visit Leticia, but there are cheaper places in Colombia which you can go and you will also have a good time.

Having said that, I believe the info I will share might be more useful to non-Latin Americans, but I might be wrong. This is why I will be replicating this post in Spanish.

Ok, too much intro. Let’s get to business. My trip was from November 9th, 2022 to November 15th, 2022. This was summer; the river was almost at its lowest levels. Keep this in mind for all the costs I mention. By the time you are reading this, the prices must have changed.

I split the post so you can jump into, what you consider more relevant to you, quicker. Last, but not least, I’m sharing here my experience and what I learned from this travel. This is by no means a definitive guide of what Leticia and its surroundings have to offer. Also, all values mentioned in USD are based on the exchange rate you find in google as per today (2022-12-08).

1. Did you know this about Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia?

Here are some interesting facts about Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia:

• Leticia is the capital of the department called Amazonas. In case you didn’t know, in Colombia, the departments are the first level of its territorial organization. I believe it’s alike to a state in the U.S.A
• As you could in the previous image, Leticia is located in the extreme south of Colombia
• The tallest tree you will see in the Amazon jungle is called Ceiba
• From Leticia, you can get to Tabatinga, Brazil
• Leticia is located right in front of the Amazon river, which is the largest river in the world by volume and the second longest river in the world

2. How to get to Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia from another city in Colombia?

I believe that the only way to get to Leticia is by plane. In my case, I traveled via Latam airlines because it was the cheapest one compared to Avianca, which was the other one I was considering.

Something to keep in mind is that no matter which airline you use, you won’t see too many flights per day and as a precaution, I would take the earliest flight, so in case there is a delay, you won’t get there too late and waste a whole day traveling. My flight had a delay of an hour and a half due to weather conditions.

The nearest airport to Leticia is the International Airport General Alfredo Vásquez Cobo. It is on the outskirts of Leticia and it takes around 5-10 mins to get from there to the center of Leticia municipality.

Leticia is a small municipality. You can move around by using private car, walking, using a bicycle or by paying a motocar. I do not recall seeing any taxis per se, in the town. I moved around a lot by using a motocar, which is something like the image below. The minimum journey costs COP 5.000, which should be around USD 1 or a bit less (cheap, right? for you people who earn in USD; for people who don’t earn in USD, this is not that cheap if you must move a lot within Leticia and don’t want to walk)

I’m mentioning this because I’m not sure whether there are motocars waiting outside the airport to pick up tourists and get them to where they need to go. I’m assuming so. In my case, the hotel where I stayed in the first couple of nights included the pick-up service from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport. This is why I don’t have any info about this.

3. Where to stay in Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia?

I stayed in the following 3 places:

3.1 Hotel Zugi Inn

I booked the reservation via booking. I stayed in a double bedroom (1 double bed) and the space of the room was nice, it had a desktop, so you could work; the bathroom was cleaned and practically new, and the air conditioner worked like a charm. The hotel has a rooftop in which they have the diner; this is nice considering the hot weather. One thing I really liked is that the owner, Mr. Gonzalo, is the one who assists you with everything, he is a very nice person and he is always asking if there is anything you need.

The cost of your stay includes the pick-up service from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport. The hotel is not close to the main zones of Leticia, but it’s not far either. If you take a motocar, it will take you 5 minutes to get to the centre of Leticia. This is the only downside of the place in my opinion. If were tired and you didn’t want to walk too much, you would have to pay for a motocar. Depending on how often you have to get to the hotel and get back to a main zone, you will end up feeling the whole in your wallet. If money is not an issue, then this could be a good option for you considering that it is located in a residential zone; no music or noises at sleep time.

I wouldn’t stay here again just because of the distance to the main zones. Sometimes you want to go the place where you’re staying to pick up something, to brush your teeth or to leave something there. You feel a bit restricted because you have to pay to get to the hotel. I had to do that several times and in the end, I was tired of having to pay just for 5 minutes or less of trip. I would suggest staying at a hotel near the main zones, especially because the prices are almost the same.

3.2. Jungle Hotel Calanoa

I don’t have too much info about you can book in this beautiful place. To be honest with you, my whole trip started thanks to a friend who practices Yoga. She told me that she was considering to go to a Yoga-party trip (jaja, just kidding – it was a yoga-focused retirement), which was planned to be in this hotel. I have always wanted to go to the Amazonas, so this was the perfect opportunity. I would have the chance to travel with my friend, which I had never had the opportunity before this, and I would get to know this gorgeous place and others as well. (Thanks …rolina for letting me know about the yoga-party trip, I enjoyed it a lot, we had a really great time!!)

Anyway, check the hotel link and see it by yourself. It’s a very nice and clean place. It’s in the middle of the jungle, in the natural reserve Calano. There is no other way to get there, but by boat. I don’t remember very well how much time it takes to get there; I believe it takes around 1 hour from Leticia to the hotel, if you take the private boat, which makes no stops at all. You can also get there by taking a public boat, but make sure you buy the ticket at least a day before; they get sold out fast.

In the hotel’s website, you will see that they offer several activities. We, the Yoga-party group, did the following ones:

3.2.1 Yoga sessions:

I’m not a Yoga practitioner, this was the first time I practiced it. It was a new experience for me; it was demanding and relaxing at the same. We practiced in 2 different places: the dock and a big salon the hotel has. Also, I’d like to clarify that I was not able to practice too much as I hurt my back a bit and I didn’t want to have any issues with it. That’s why I only had the opportunity to meditate and practice Yoga only once or twice.

This is the salon before we invaded the place and converted it into a Yoga place:

This is after:

3.2.2 Swing in the river:

This is totally safe, at least where we did it, just in front of the hotel. The only recommendation they told us is to not swallow water. It was fun and refreshing 😀

3.2.3 Victoria Lotus leaf:

You are taken to a place nearby to see the Victoria Lotus leaf and the Lotus Flower.

3.2.4 Walk in the nature:

You will be able to see different trees and animals. We had the opportunity to see a Ceiba, a sloth and some small monkeys guarding their family in a tree (so cute):

3.2.5 Meet new people at the diner:

We didn’t know anyone of the Yoga-party group, but the eating times were the best moments to chat and have some fun.

In my opinion, this is a recommended place to visit. You will have the opportunity to spend a night in the middle of the jungle, to listen to all the animals that live there (during the day and during the night), to relax, to eat typical food and have some fun with the activities they provide.

Now, if you’re not into the nature that much, you might want to think it twice before staying in this hotel because you will see a lot of insects and animals. You will need to be careful with the door of your bedroom. Don’t leave it open. Otherwise, you might see unexpected visitors in your room such as a tarantula, a cricket or a butterfly. There is nothing to be worried about, I’m just mentioning as I know that most people don’t enjoy seeing these animals. For me, it was quite interesting to see them so close to me.

On the other hand, if you’re reading this, it is because you like animals and nature in general, or at least I’m hoping so ;).

3.3 Tambo Boutique House

This hotel is in the main street of Leticia: Calle 8. It is very comfortable, the rooms are big, the beds and the bathrooms are nice. It is a self-service hotel. You are provided with a security code that you use at the main door of the hotel. If you need anything, you could always contact the owner and manager. He or any of his sons will help you out with whatever you need. I highly recommend this hotel due to the location and the price. I think it is totally worth the money.

You can book via booking. You can also see some reviews in google, in case you have doubts.

4. What to do in Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia?

Leticia and its surroundings have a lot to offer. Below you will see some of the places you could visit. There are more, but I’m mentioning only the activities and places I did, and visited respectively.

4.1 Santander Park (AKA The Parrots Park)

The park is located at the main square of Leticia. It is known as The Parrots Park because between 05:00 PM and 05:30 PM a lot of parrots gather at this place, which means that you will hear the natural sound of thousands of parrots; it’s almost deafening, a natural show.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take good pictures of the park. I do have a video of the parrots, but I won’t post it as it would be a big spoiler. I think it is better you that you see this by yourself.

4.2 Home-made Ice Cream

There is this place someone recommended to us which was a hit. They sell home-made ice creams of different flavors such as Arazá, Açai, Camu Camu, Mojojoy (yes, the worm!), chocolate, milk candy/flavoured milk/caramel (dulce de leche – arequipe), among others.

I don’t have pictures of the place or the ice creams, but here it is the location. It is very near to the Santander Park.

4.3 Local food

Thanks to its location, Leticia’s gastronomy has a strong influence from Brazil and Peru. A lot of people recommended to us Tierras Amazonicas and Nativos. Both of them offer delicious dishes. See them by yourself:

4.4 Tabatinga, Brazil

Tabatinga is a Brazilian town that is right next to Leticia. There is no ingress/egress control between them. In fact, you might be walking and you might not even notice that you left Colombia and that you are now in Brazil. I would dare to say that the best way to identify that you are in the frontier of the two countries is a currency exchange place called “Cambios Oscar La Frontera”:

Tabatinga offers the best viewing point of the Amazonas River. You can get there by motocar, you can rent it by 2 hours and it will cheaper than paying per ride. It’s a nice place to sit, drink a caipirinha and relax a bit.

Note: I’m sorry for the quality of the pictures. They do no good to the place.

There is also a well-known place in Tabatinga where you can buy candies and other stuff from Brazil. If you plan to go to Tabatinga, it wouldn’t do any harm to do a quick stop and buy some souvenirs for your family/friends. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the place and I don’t have pictures of it neither, but don’t worry about it; If you rent the motocar, the driver will know the place; that’s for sure. If you have a car, just ask a local and they will let you know the name of the place.

4.5 Day/Night walk

This is one of the most interesting and exciting activities you will find to do in Leticia and its surroundings. It will take around 3-4 hours; it depends on what they offer you. The night walk I paid for took around 3 hours, we had the chance to meet someone from the local communities and talk with him and, we saw A LOT of beautiful animals in their natural environment.

The path was of course delimited or created by the local guides. This means that this is totally safe and that you won’t be walking a place the guide doesn’t know. They provide guide regarding what to do and what not to do and, they teach you a lot of things about the jungle.

Here are two pictures of what you can see just to get you excited about this activity:

One thing to add is that when it rains, you will be able to see bioluminescent mushrooms. I did get the chance to see a few tiny ones; the pictures were not that good for you to see them. You can look for them in the internet, if you are that interested in see how they look like.

4.6 Lotus Flower and Macaws

The upcoming 5 activities (including this one) were done as part of a full-day tour with a tourism agency called Amazonas Extremo. Other people offered us a similar tour a bit more expensive, but with fewer stops/activities. We chose this tour because of that and it turned out to be good; it included the lunch and if you were really hungry, you could ask for more once you were finished. The guide was also very nice and shared with us a lot of interesting facts throughout the tour. These are all the places we visited highlighted in red circles in a handmade map from the agency:

The first stop was the Lotus Flower point. It’s a natural reserve where you will see the Lotus leaf and flower and, you will also be able to see 2 beautiful macaws that are domesticated and you can take photos with them.

The guide said that the macaws are not domesticated, but ¬¬ , come on. In the agency’s office they mention this as part of the tour. If they were not domesticated and they weren’t sure that the macaws were going to be there for the photos, they wouldn’t mention this in the offering of the tour, but they do. They know for sure that the macaws will be there. This is why I believe they are domesticated. Also, in their natural environment they wouldn’t just fly to your shoulders and let you take pictures with them, would they?

I believe they say this because they surely have had issues with people that don’t agree with having them domesticated and not free in their natural environment. This is a complex and delicate topic that I will not discuss here. I’m just mentioning it because if you’re a strong and true animalist and you don’t like this, then don’t take this tour. Even if you pay for it and you just ignore this part or skip it, you are supporting to have them domesticated as a small part of what you paid will surely go for this natural reserve and the food of the macaws. The only thing I’d like to mention is that they are being taken care and they look really healthy. See them by yourself; see how amazing and beautiful these animals are:

See the Lotus leefs and the flower.

4.7 Puerto Alegría, Peru

This was a quick stop in Peru. You are brought here to see a Peruvian typical dance; they are dressed with typical clothing. The dance is nice and they sell Peruvian beer and handmade craft. Remember, if you can, support the local communities by buying what they sell. This is a source of income for them.

4.8 Monkeys Island Natural Reserve

I will start by sharing with you something similar to what I mentioned about the macaws. The guide says the same thing about the monkeys: they are not domesticated. You will even find some comments over the internet that they are fed with food to make them closer to the people. I didn’t see this at all, but there is a guy with a yellow jacket that sort of gathers them and then when you get closer to him, the monkeys start jumping to your shoulders and your head. It might not be obvious to everyone, but think about it. Do you think that monkeys in the wild will jump to your shoulders and your head and, let you know take pictures with them? Certainly not, right? The monkeys don’t ask for food or try to look within your pockets as some people mention in other sites. They just stay in your shoulders, move around your body, get down, and then jump back again to you and so on. It’s a really nice experience, which you will never have the opportunity to live if you see them in the wild. They are so gentle and they smell so niceee (yes, they smell really nice – I guess it is because of the food they eat: mainly fruits as per my understanding). By the way, don’t say you learn nothing here, you now know the secret to smelling delicious ;).

Anyway, I will not discuss whether this is correct or not. It is just part of the tour and I’m just sharing my thoughts of the experience. It’s up to you whether you want to pay for this or not. The same as the macaws, they are taken care and they look healthy; some of them were pregnant (these ones lay down in your arm and if they jump to the ground, they do the same). See a couple of pictures of them:

In the island, you will also find people from the local communities dressed with typical clothing. You can take pictures with them and give them a tip. In addition, you will find a small market to buy handmade craft. Again, if you can, try to buy and support them.

4.9 Local community – Macedonia

This was also a quick stop. We were taken to Macedonia, to meet the maloka Baru. People from the community have a dance prepared and they invite to dance with them (more like pull you to dance jajaja). They also have a small handmade-craft market where you can buy what you like and support as you can see in the picture below:

4.10 Puerto Nariño, Amazonas

This is the last spot of the tour and it is where we had lunch. We had the opportunity to buy some ice creams of local fruits flavors; they were nice, give them a try. I will highlight how clean and well taken care the town is. You can tell that they actually reinvest the tax money you pay in the town. I really liked that. See it by yourself:

Note: These kids reminded me how I looked when I was a kid! 😀

As you saw these animal statues in one of the pictures, they also have some of the in different spots of the town. See a couple of them

The town is worth visiting, I really enjoyed my short time there. The kids and the people are so nice, they say hi to you when you walk by them (something you obviously don’t see when you are in a modern city).

5. How much money do I need to visit Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia?

Here is a list of some costs you should keep in mind:

• Flight ticket – Latam Airlines: I paid COP 669.300 for a round trip ticket from Bogotá D.C. (Colombia’s capital city) to Leticia, Amazonas. This should be around USD 139,5 or a bit less
• Leticia – Ingress tax: You must pay a local tax of COP 17.000, which should be around USD 3,5 or a bit less. I assume that the tax I paid was the fare for the year 2022 and that it will increase in the upcoming years. This tax is paid at the airport; there is a small stand in front the baggage carousel. There is not a fancy control method for this. A person at the exit door checks your tax receipt. Something to add is that if you’re going to another place and you won’t be staying in Leticia, you don’t have to pay the tax. Instead, you need to tell that to the person of the stand and show him/her the flight ticket or whatever you have to prove that you will be leaving Leticia and that you will not be staying there
• Puerto Nariño – Ingress tax: You must pay a local tax of COP 12.000, which should be around USD 2,5 or a bit less. As mentioned before, it should increase in the upcoming years. You pay this tax as soon as you get off the boat in Puerto Nariño. I’d like to say here that it is totally worth paying this tax as this small town is very clean, you can tell that they care to keep it well maintained, the streets are in very good conditions; it seems to fair to say that they reinvest this money in the town to make it more attractive to the tourists
• Food: There are different options here. You can find something very local for about COP 10.000, which should be around USD 2,2 or a bit less. Nevertheless, you can go to a more “fancy” place and get something really delicious from COP 30.000 to COP 80.000, which should between USD 6,3 and USD 16,7
• Move around (if you don’t want to walk): As mentioned at the beginning of the post, the minimum journey in a motocar costs COP 5.000, which should be around USD 1
• Activities: Most of the activities I did cost more than COP 100.000, which should be around USD 20,9. To have a more accurate value, I would recommend checking the links of the companies that offer them. It depends a lot on the type of activity and its duration. In my case, nothing was cheaper than the aforementioned value

6. Recommendations for your trip to Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia

Here is a list of recommendations for you to keep in mind:

• Clothing: For your walks in the jungle, you could use long-sleeve shirts/pants that are loose, not tight. This is for the mosquitos; they do help. I saw several girls who used leggings and tight shirts and they didn’t work. They got bitten by the mosquitos more than me. You might need boots, if you go in a rainy season. I took my walking boots, but they were not necessary at all. If you go during summer, regular tennis should work. If you go during summer, you will probably not need to take extra socks as some people mention in google.
• Accessories: It will be useful to bring a cap to protect your head, sunglasses and sunblock cream. If you’re planning to take a night walk, you could, but it’s not necessary as they provide you with what you need, bring a head light and rubber boots (rain boots).
• Water: I will not scare anyone with the water, but just be careful which water you drink. I had a bad time and I believe, but I’m not sure, that it was due to a juice in a restaurant. I had intoxication and I had to go to the hospital. Just be careful, that’s all. It might be that I was unlucky and there is nothing to worry about.
• Mosquitos: Do not forget the mosquito spray. You will need it.
• Vaccines: It is not mandatory, but you should consider taking the Yellow Fever vaccine. If you don’t have it and you’re planning to take it, take it 10 days before you get to Leticia. This is just a precaution; there are not many mosquitos in Leticia. You should also know that this vaccine is a one in a lifetime.
• Season to go: As I mentioned, I was during the summer. It was nice; I didn’t feel the hot too much. I would say that this is a good season to go as I didn’t see many mosquitos. Of course, you will see them (and feel them jajaj), but I guess that during the rainy season, they should be more. Anyway, there is no best season to go, whether it rains or not, the activities you pay for are done. That’s what one of the tourism agency told me when I asked about that.
• Days of the visit: There are A LOT of things you can do in Leticia and its surroundings. You could stay for a whole month and I’m pretty sure you will have something to do each day. Nevertheless, I would recommend going at least for 4 full days. Keep in mind that a lot of the activities that you could do there take a full day.
• Support the local and near communities: Buy the local handicraft; you’re helping a lot of people with this. Also, they are really beautiful, so it’s totally worth the money.
• Respect: Respect the town, the people and their customs, the jungle, the animals, everything!
• Species in danger: Do not buy anything that comes from an animal that might be danger of extinction!
• Crossing national borders (for Colombians mostly): As soon as you cross the Colombian border to visit Tabatinga, be mindful that Colombian authorities cannot do anything on the other side. You’re on your own and you would need to request help from Brazil’s authorities. I am mentioning this because I had a small-weird situation right in the border with Tabatinga in which a guy asked me to take a picture of him using my phone (yes, my phone! how weird is that?). I said no and the guy threw at me a t-shirt and, that’s it; I left the place with my friend. Since there is a CAI (Immediate Attention Commands, basically a small police station) right in front of the border line between Colombia and Brazil, we talked to them and told them the story because the guy was talking to other tourists (more like bothering them, I would say). We didn’t know if he wanted to steal from the people or what, maybe he was high. The police officer told us that they couldn’t do anything, if the guy was on the other side, which led us to think that if the guy had done something to us in Brazil’s side, we wouldn’t have been able to ask for help to the Colombian’s authorities. Maybe this is obvious, but just don’t do anything stupid in Brazil; no matter if you’re right next to the border line.