Trips to Colombia

TRIPS TO COLOMBIA: LETICIA

The capital of the department of the Amazon, Leticia, is the port from access to the rich Colombian sylvan region.

In Colombia, the Amazon comprises of one of the natural regions in which an area of 403,000 kilometers squared is divided to the territory, occupying, equivalent to 35% of the territory and including the departments of the Amazon, Caquetá, Putumayo, Guainía, Putumayo and Vaupés.

Leticia was founded on 1867 by Peruvian captain Benign Bustamante, governor of the District of Loreto. Located to borders of the Amazon river, the city offers restaurants of typical and international food and modern hotels that count on the necessary comforts for a pleasant demurrage.

Leticia is united to the rest of country, mainly by air. The majors interest centers are Museum E: Tnográfico Leticia, dedicated to the native populations of the region, with hundreds of representative objects of the different native cultures. The Zoological “Francisco Jose de Calda” and the Botanical Garden lodge samples of most representative of the amazonian fauna and flora.

Closely together of Leticia they are Lagos of a great beauty like those of the region of Yahuarcacas, and in the environs of Nariño Port, they are the Lagos of Tarapoto, in the channel of the sewer of the same name. Also they are possible to be visited the Lagos of Zaraiva, Terezinha, Laguiño and Great Lagoon, in Brazilian territory, and the lake of Moroyoa in Peru. In calm waters of the Lagos the calm Regal Victory blooms, the greater flower of loto of the world that maintains the weight of a baby and is characteristic of the Amazon.

One of the characteristics that make so attractive this world-wide reserve is indeed its indigenous population, that coexists with the nature and is conformed by groups pertaining to the so primitive linguistic families Arawak, Tucano and Huitoto; one is groups like nukaks, still nomadic, the huitotos, yaguas, tucanos, ticunas, camsás and ingas that, thanks to the dense thing of their forest, has been able to save many of their customs and traditions.

Another attractiveness constitutes the native food based on the fish, that prepares itself in varied forms: fried, stew, in sancocho and broths. It goes accompanied by farina - flour by yucca that constitutes the indigenous diet, aguadepanela and chicha by banana.

But more admirable still it is to see the “technique of three stones” to roast and to boil foods; casabe, a species of made great round maize loaf with flour of brave yucca, cannot lack, like either the bread of wheat and exotic fruits like arazá, the copoazú and anón amazonian.

To the friendly of strange it, always one occurs them to prove the stew of turtle of river, with Popes, yucca, tomatos, onion and leaves of coriander; and something more conventional, is the pirarucú small balls, - fished of river -, and continuing the exotic route, caimarón or offered llanera grape in clusters; also bittersweet champés, that is looked like breva or cacay, similar to the cacao, that consumes after curing and being toasted to the sun.

Its climate of rainy forest is ideal for the 60,000 arboreal species of up to 100 meters of height; between his fauna, there is hundreds of types of mammals, nothing comparable to the 1,500 different birds and fish, nor to both million insects of different species.

San Martin ticuna is a population where it is possible to be arrived from Nariño Port, on foot, to acquire interesting crafts like beautiful carpets and dolls done of bark, adornments of seeds and pens, and knapsacks of aloe fiber.

The pink dolphins and the regal victories on the other hand, let themselves see in the Tarapoto Lake, in the neighborhood of Nariño Port (second more important city of the department), where ticunas and yaguas inhabit natives, next to colonists and retailers.

To three hours of Leticia it is the National Park Natural Amacayacu, a reserve done of trees like the mahogany, the rubber, balso and cedars red and white, that surpass the 50 M.s, where in addition they coexist ticunas; but where it is really appraised the enchantment of the amazonian forest is in the park Cahuinari, a full site of rivers, river basins, trees of great floral wealth, next to animal species varied and near populations like the Stone quarry and Araracuara that with the best heart provides with accomodations in their peasants pewro comfortable houses to the tired ones tourist; and already in the heat of heart of the Colombian forest, between Caquetá and Guaviare, arises the Chiribiquete Park, with imposing rocks that truly illustrate the resistance between plain and mountain.

In the Guaviare it is the Natural Reserve Nukak, whose visit is an authentic trip to the past. There it is possible to be seen how around 2000 natives they construct temporary houses with materials that they extract of the forest, they leave and them to the few days in search of shores with wild fruits.

An old culture within the civilization; and the Natural Reserve National Puinaway, owns 180 species of mammals like mooses, deer, palmeros bears, greatest of the anthills of America, water dogs, armadillos, squirrels and chigüiros; as well as reptiles like the Terecay turtle and the black cayman.

Besides respecting the fauna and the flora, it is necessary to use services of specialized tour guides in the region, as much in excursions by earth as by river; to take medicine kit of first aid; to avoid to take injurious elements that attempt against the biodiversity of the park like aerosols, animal, harpoons or firearms.

And before traveling, it is not necessary to forget the vaccine against the tetanuz and the yellow fever.