2 Day Amazon Tour + Extra Night in Leticia Amazonas

We meet you at the airport

When you land in Leticia we pick you up at the airport and get the gear you need ready, so there are no surprises the next morning.

Buy a snack for breakfast that day: very early there are no restaurants open (you can also find one at the port).

Day 1: Leticia to Puerto Nariño, dolphins and a night walk

We pick you up and take the public boat

From 6:30 a.m. we pick you up at your hotel and at 7:00 a.m. we leave on the public boat to Puerto Nariño, upriver.

The trip between Leticia and Puerto Nariño is on the public boat, on its regular route, shared with other passengers. From Puerto Nariño on, the tour activities run on our own boats.

When the water is low we walk across an island to reach the boat; in high water we board directly in Leticia.

Bringing a suitcase? Hand it to us then and we keep it at our office while you are on the tour.

We arrive in Puerto Nariño by public boat

From here the tour moves into slower river routes, small settlements and wildlife zones.

We set out in our own boats

From Puerto Nariño we set out in our own boats, everyone wearing a life jacket.

We run a route in front of the town to look for pink and grey dolphins: we see them in the middle of the Amazon River and also in the lakes. This whole area is dolphin territory.

The pink river dolphin

It is the largest river dolphin in the world, and its pink color gets stronger with age.

Its neck is flexible: it can turn its head and swim between the trees when the forest floods.

The grey dolphin

It is smaller and looks like a sea dolphin. It usually travels in a group and sometimes leaps out of the water.

Both species are endangered: we watch them with respect and never disturb them. They are wild animals, so seeing them is never 100% guaranteed.

Typical Amazon lunch, made for your diet

We return to Puerto Nariño for lunch: local, generous food with fish, chicken or regional dishes.

Vegetarian, vegan or allergic? Tell us when you book and we prepare it for you.

We walk into the jungle

From Puerto Nariño we walk through terra firme forest: higher ground than the river that does not flood, even at high water.

It is a forest in layers: leaves on the ground, palms and shrubs in the middle, a canopy roof above and giants that rise over it. Fallen leaves break down quickly with fungi and insects: the forest feeds itself.

Looking for monkeys and jungle wildlife

We look for wildlife, especially monkeys. The one seen most often is the squirrel monkey: it weighs under a kilo, has a white face with a black muzzle like a mask, and orange-yellow legs.

It moves in big groups through the treetops: you almost always hear them before you see them. Birds, insects and frogs can also appear.

The ceiba, giant of the jungle

This is the tree we talk about most: the ceiba, also called lupuna in the Amazon. It can pass 50 meters and stands on buttress roots as wide as walls: next to it you feel small.

Its flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats. For many Indigenous peoples it is a sacred tree that joins the earth with the sky.

The giant water lily reserve

In the reserve we see the giant water lily (victoria regia), the largest aquatic plant in the world: floating leaves with a raised rim like a tray, more than two meters across. Its flower opens white and later turns pink.

In the same lagoon the pirarucu, one of the largest river fish in the world, sometimes comes up to the surface to breathe.

Back in Puerto Nariño

We return to town to have dinner and get ready for the night walk.

We head into the jungle at night

After dark, with a flashlight and your guide, we go out to see what moves in the forest.

Looking for snakes (some nights)

They do not show up every night, but sometimes they are seen. We watch them calmly and from a distance, and never touch them.

Looking for poison dart frogs

One of the favorite stops: brightly colored poison dart frogs, which we look for along the trail.

Those colors are a warning to animals that might eat them: "I am poisonous". We look and take photos, but never touch.

Insects

Insects that you never see by day come out at night, like stick insects, so similar to a branch that they would go unnoticed without the guide.

Looking for tarantulas

At the foot of the big trees we look for them in their holes in the ground. We watch them by flashlight, without touching them.

Time to rest

You sleep in a private room with a private bathroom, fan and electricity.

Day 2: Peru, sloths and the Tikuna community of Paraíso

We leave Puerto Nariño

We leave by boat from the Puerto Nariño pier and cross the Amazon River from Colombia to Peru.

Eyes open on the crossing: dolphins

Pink and grey dolphins can also be seen in the middle of the river: they come and go all over this part of the Amazon.

They are wild animals, so sightings are never 100% guaranteed.

We reach the community

We step ashore in a community on the Peruvian side. From here the walk to look for sloths begins.

The island walk begins

From the community we walk the island in Peru, between the forest and the lakes, where the sloth-spotting points are.

We do it on foot; in high water (late January to early June), when the water rises, the same route is done by boat.

Looking for sloths

We look for them high in the trees, especially cecropia trees near the lakes. From below they look like a ball of fur among the branches: your guide shows you how to spot them.

Life in slow motion

A sloth spends almost its whole life hanging from branches. It eats leaves, which give it little energy, so it moves slowly and sleeps many hours a day.

It can turn its head a long way to reach leaves without moving from its spot.

A coat that turns green

Tiny algae grow in its fur, giving it a greenish tint that helps it blend in with the leaves.

It comes down to the ground about once a week and, believe it or not, it is a good swimmer.

Among the island lakes

We follow the shores of the island lakes and channels, another place where sloths and other animals are seen.

Back at the community

We finish the walk back at the community.

Lunch with the community

Traditional food and cultural exchange before we head back to Puerto Nariño.

We go up the creek

From Puerto Nariño we leave by boat and go up a dark-water creek, through the jungle, to the Tikuna indigenous community of Paraíso.

We reach Paraíso

We reach the Tikuna community of Paraíso, where they welcome us to see their territory. When the visit ends we return along the same creek to Puerto Nariño.

The Tikuna community of Paraíso

We reach the Tikuna community of Paraíso, which welcomes us as guests. The Tikuna are one of the largest indigenous peoples of the Amazon and have their own language, which is still taught to children.

They are known for their chambira fiber crafts, their bark masks and the Pelazón, the ritual in which girls become women.

The maloca

The maloca is the great traditional house of the Amazon peoples: tall, made of wood, with a palm-leaf roof that reaches almost to the ground.

Inside it is cool and spacious. It is the meeting place of the community, where stories are told and ceremonies are held.

Medicinal plants

We walk through primary forest, forest that has never been cut: tall old trees, shade almost all the time and a huge number of species.

Along the way the community shows us medicinal plants and what they are used for, knowledge that passes from generation to generation.

The lupuna, or ceiba

We reach a lupuna, as the ceiba is called in the Amazon: it can pass 50 meters and stands on roots as wide as walls. Next to it you feel small.

For many Amazon peoples it is a sacred tree that joins earth and sky. Plants, insects, birds and monkeys live on its trunk and branches.

Back at the community

We finish the walk back at the community.

Back in Puerto Nariño to rest

We return to Puerto Nariño for dinner and a second night in your private room, so the morning of day 3 is calm.

Day 3: The public boat back to Leticia, breakfast and the airport

We leave Puerto Nariño at 7:00 a.m. on the public boat

The public boat back leaves around 7:00 a.m., downriver on the Amazon, so you reach Leticia with a good margin for the airport.

Arrival in Leticia

We arrive in Leticia around 9:00 a.m. The exact time depends on the river and on the day.

Breakfast, then the airport

Breakfast is included when we arrive in Leticia, with time for final coordination.

After breakfast we help you with the transfer to the airport, so your flight is easy to catch.