Leticia, Amazon: How to Get There, Things to Do & Jungle Tourism
The city of Leticia, in the heart of the Amazon, is Colombia's ideal destination for lovers of nature and adventure.
Leticia lies at the southern tip of Colombia, in the heart of the Amazon — the gateway to the fabulous world of the rainforest.
Traveling to Leticia means discovering the Colombian Amazon, where tourism grows by the day. Leticia is the capital of the Amazonas department, Colombia's southernmost, and a border city bordering Brazil and Peru. It adjoins the Brazilian city of Tabatinga, with an avenue dividing the two countries.
How to get to Leticia
Leticia is like an island in the middle of the jungle — you can only reach it by boat along the rivers or by plane from Bogotá. The flight from Bogotá to Leticia airport is about an hour and a half.
By river, Leticia is connected to major Amazon ports such as Iquitos in Peru and Manaus and Belém in Brazil. There are also boats that head up the Putumayo River to Puerto Asís (Colombia).
Tourism in Leticia
Leticia has several hotels in different categories, restaurants, cafes, shops and everything visitors need. Various travel agencies organize jungle excursions. The city is calm and safe.
Leticia is a riverside port city, its port area busy with the boats passing through. The market offers quantities of wild and tropical fruit and a huge variety of fish, the basis of the locals' diet.
From the city you get beautiful views of the river and the jungle. In Leticia you can visit Santander Park, the Ethnographic Museum of Amazonian Man, the market, the zoo and botanical garden, the port area with its riverside houses, and Orellana Park.
Top sights around Leticia
Amacayacu National Park
Amacayacu National Natural Park is one of the protected areas of the Amazon rainforest, two hours by boat from Leticia. Covering 294,000 hectares, it preserves extraordinary biodiversity, with more than 150 mammal species and 470 bird species, plus many reptiles, fish and butterflies. The park has the facilities to receive visitors, and some travel agencies organize excursions from Leticia.
Puerto Nariño
Puerto Nariño is the second town of the Amazonas department, two hours upriver by boat from Leticia. The journey shows the jungle in all its splendor. Puerto Nariño is a quiet town, ideal as a base for excursions in the surroundings.
Cahuinarí National Park
Cahuinarí National Park protects 580,000 hectares of jungle between the Bernardo and Cahuanarí rivers. The area is home to a wide variety of animals and plants, among them caimans, jaguars and various monkey and bird species.
Tarapoto Lake
Tarapoto Lake, near Puerto Nariño, is surrounded by dense vegetation amid stunning scenery. It is the habitat of the curious, friendly pink river dolphins of the Amazon, and visiting the lake to watch them is one of the loveliest excursions from Leticia.
Monkey Island (Isla de los Micos)
Monkey Island is another classic outing organized by travel agencies in Leticia. The island is an ecological reserve and owes its name to the large number of monkeys living in its trees — squirrel monkeys ("fraile"), brought by an American who lived on the island in the 1960s. Monkey Island is near the village of Santa Sofía, 30 km upriver from Leticia.
San Martín de Amacayacú
San Martín is a small village reached on foot along a jungle trail from Puerto Nariño. The walk is ideal for nature lovers who want to spot animals and plants and learn about the Ticuna culture.
Yahuarcacas Lake
Another of the region's lakes, strikingly beautiful and the natural habitat of pink dolphins and various bird species. It also features large aquatic plants such as the giant Victoria water lilies.
Tabatinga (Brazil)
The Brazilian city of Tabatinga borders Leticia. The cities are separated by an avenue called Avenida Internacional on the Colombian side and Avenida da Amizade on the Brazilian side. In Tabatinga you can enjoy Brazilian culture mixing with Colombian and Peruvian.
Islandia (Peru)
Islandia is a Peruvian town near Leticia. The trip there is an interesting way to discover the region's different riverside cultures.
Map of Leticia
Frequently asked questions about Leticia
At the southern tip of Colombia, it is the capital of Amazonas and the gateway to the jungle. It is a border city: it adjoins Tabatinga (Brazil) and is very close to Peru.
Only by plane (a 1 h 30 min flight from Bogotá) or by river. No roads connect it to the rest of the country. By river it links to Iquitos (Peru) and Manaus (Brazil).
Jungle excursions, sailing the Amazon River, visiting Puerto Nariño, Monkey Island, Tarapoto Lake (pink dolphins), Amacayacu Park, and meeting Indigenous communities.
The yellow fever vaccine (given in advance) is usually recommended, along with mosquito precautions. Check the current requirements before you travel.
Yes. Leticia and Tabatinga (Brazil) are connected by land, and by boat you can reach Peruvian towns on the river. Check documentation and immigration stamps as needed.
The Amazon is warm and humid all year. In the high-water season (around Dec–May) more flooded areas can be navigated; in the low-water season river beaches appear. Both have their appeal.