Colombia travel blog by Mark Berman -
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2016: I spent the night in Leticia after flying up through Manaus from Rio de Janeiro to get back to Colombia where I live. Later in the year I arrived in
Leticia by river from Iquitos - Peru and spent the night. I was lucky to see a local parade and I made some new photos from around town. 4 Times in Leticia
I have been in
Leticia several times now, it's a great gateway to get in or out of Brazil or Peru from. Door to the Amazon Rainforest! It's an easy and quick 2hr flight to Leticia from
Bogota!
Border Crossing to Tabatinga
2015: I flew down to Leticia from Bogota, crossing the border to Tabatinga Brazil for a flight to
Santarem - Brazil via Manuas.
2011: There are only really a couple of ways in or out of Leticia, either by plane from
Bogota usually or by boat from the
Amazon River from Brazil, Peru or Ecuador. I came
to Leticia from the Brazilian side of Tabatinga where I had just spent 6 days and nights traveling by boat up river from
Manaus. Information about the
border crossing.
Around Town
The first thing about Leticia that you will notice is that it has a tropical climate and also all of the locals riding around on their motorbikes through the streets
around town, sometimes with a family of 4 onboard. I spent one night and day here and had a good walk around to see some of the sights. It's a busy little place, there
are plenty of money changers around. I found Parque Orellana near the river, it has an outdoor amphitheatre Concha Acustica. There is a monument to
Francisco de Orellana
(1511-1546), he was the first person to navigate the length of the Amazon River. He also named the river and was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. Down by the river there
is another park area where you can sit and watch the action beside the water - local market stalls selling big green bunches of bananas cut straight from the tree.
There is fish, lemons, limes, peppers, fruits and all kinds of produce being traded. A monument called 'Malecon de Leticia' stands at one end of a native holding a huge snake.
I walked along the streets towards Parque Santander. I passed the pink library building where outside on the street there is a monument of a pair of pink dolphins.
Santander Park
It
was nice to get to the park after just a few minutes, it's large and has quite a few things to see. It was undergoing some remodeling work at the time. There is a water
feature that has native figures standing on little islands inside. There is a lily pond with huge lilies, a wooden bridge crossing over it and tall trees stand around the edge.
A military monument to remember the Amazonico conflict between 1932-1934 has a few pieces of military hardware on display. It's a great park to spend some time
at while in Leticia, it's named after military leader
Francisco de Paula Santander (1792-1840).
Across the road is the white church called Parroquia Nuestra Senora De La Paz.
Everything You Need is Here
Leticia has plenty of nice restaurants serving good food and there is plenty of
accommodation around the center. There are many internet cafes and other services in town including a hospital, a stadium and zoo gardens. The town has an
easy-going laidback atmosphere but also a serious side with its military base and army personal. I needed to get to the airport in the afternoon. I collected
my backpack from the hostel and for $6,000 pesos ($3USD) a taxi took me there.
Immigration Office at Airport
The DAS office is located
at the airport to get an entry stamp on my passport for Colombia. From Leticia I flew up to
Santa Marta via
Bogota, I was looking forward to seeing the
carnival of Barranquilla.
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Carved wooden face on display at the museum in Mocagua near Leticia.
Common bird seen in the wetlands around Yahuarkaka Lake in Leticia.
Pair of wooden masks at the museum of the indigenous people at Mocagua, Leticia.
Monument in the park in Leticia of a figure with colorful feathers on his head.
