Amazing Amazonas 4

We flew from Bucaramanga to Leticia via Bogotá. The flights were good value and only cost around 100 GBP each return taking about 2 hours from Bogotá. Leticia airport has at least 2 major flights a day and is only a few km from the town centre. You can get there by river as well from Iquitos (Perú) or even Manaus (Brazil) but the trip is long.

Leticia itself is a bustling town of about 40,000 people. We found the roads busy at peak hours, especially with motorbikes. It's a safe town - there are many Colombian military and police based there. You can walk across the border to the Brazilian town of Tabatinga, and there was no-one checking passports at the time we crossed (though they might). It didn't seem much different on the other side though of course the shop signs changed to Portuguese. Across the Amazon river from Leticia is Perú, where a few things like petrol seem to be cheaper.

We found Leticia untidy with limited tourist facilities, but it does make a good base or stopover for the rest of the Colombian "trapezium" on the Amazon.  The town does have some reasonable places to stay - we stayed in the Hotel Amazon B & B which proved a good choice. There are a few decent places to eat, but they take a little finding.  The local docks are far from picturesque, with lots of rubbish strewn around but you can find a variety of boats to take you where you want to go for the right price!

Leticia river dock -  not pretty

Fast Amazon river launch - cramped but quick

In contrast the small town of Puerto Nariño 70km or so upstream  has a much more pleasant feel, perhaps because its not choked with vehicles (since it has no road in or out!). There's a tall water tower on the hill that has been converted into a watchpoint for tourists and gives good views of the town and the River Amazon behind.

View of the Amazon river from Puerto Nariño water tower

We went in August but it is worth understanding a little about the state of the Amazon River at different times of year. June through November is low water, with the main river well below the banks and exposed muddy areas in many places. Although a vast distance from the sea, even at low water the river is impressively wide at this part - perhaps 2km across in places. There are many islands and generally a smooth but fast current. The water was a muddy brown colour with snags, floating logs and small floating islands of vegetation. No doubt it can be a tricky place to navigate a large boat at times. The levels in the smaller rivers can fall very low at this time of year and this can cause problems getting around even in smaller launches. Between December and May the river floods over the banks inundating many areas including into lower lying forest (called Varzea). Many of the river islands are totally inundated and I imagine the place looks very different.

Amazon sunset

There were many small boats chugging along the main channel, but at this time we saw no big ships. I learned in school that the river is navigable upstream for ocean going vessels as far as Iquitos in Peru so I was disappointed not to see any. Although you can often hear the small boat engines and sometimes very loud music being "broadcast" by the scattered riverside communities, the river was often peaceful and it was a magical place at sunset.

Surprisingly, the climate when we visited was not unpleasant (for us at least). The daytime maximum was around 28-30C and many nights I was actually cold and needed a cover on the bed. The mosquitoes were not bad in most places but no doubt you need to use plenty of repellent and a mosquito net on the bed too. We saw several large spiders, including at least one that will give a very unpleasant bite so check your boots before you put them on! There are other hazards such as mites and ticks. Long sleeves/trousers and Wellington (rubber) boots are not a bad idea if you are going walking in the forest. We were warned by many Colombians about the huge numbers of venomous snakes in the Amazon, but we saw none. However, I know there are plenty of dangerous snakes in many parts of Colombia (I even saw a young but deadly Coral Snake in the park in Bucaramanga recently) so caution is wise wherever you are.

Tropical diseases are certainly present and are a very real threat. Near Amacayacu, a recent outbreak of malaria affected many locals.  Make sure you take your anti-malarial tablets.  Get a vaccination for Yellow Fever at least (they might ask for your certificate of vaccination as it's a legal requirement). Hep A and Typhoid jabs might also be advisable. We didn't drink any tap-water and were careful not to eat salads or uncooked vegetables. We had no health problems at all.

Here's a few of our other photos. Hope you like them.

My first Piranha - we threw it back of course

Green frog in our cabin roof

Whip spider - harmless but scary

Buttress root of an enormous forest Ceiba tree 

Cashapona or Walking Palm roots (its a myth that they can walk)

Many caterpillars have irritating protective hairs.

Blue Doctor (Rhetus periander) - one of many stunning butterflies

Tarantulas etc

 There are so many colourful and interesting animals in Colombia but many of them are small. Here are a few, mostly from a patch of mountain forest just east of Bucaramanga on the road to the quiet town of Tona. If anyone can help with identifications of these, I'd be very pleased.

 This taranatula was about 12-15 cm across and was walking calmly across the road. It's only the second one I've seen, the first being much larger!

These velvet ants (Mutillidae) are very common in some places. They look like very large colourful ants but are wingless wasps. Apparently some species at least have very painful stings. I know they have very tough bodies.

Very large millipedes are also common. This was perhaps 15 cm long.

I have no doubt Colombia has a huge variety of dragonflies. This one posed long enough to get some reasonable shots.

Some of the grasshoppers here have fantastic patterns. These ones seem abundant in this area.

This very large bumble bee caught my eye.

Corinna Daggerwing (Marpesia corinna)

Butterflies are much more common and varied than I'm used to in Britain. With few guides to help, it's hard to know what species are present.

This fat beetle? grub, about 12cm long was crawling across a path in the upper parts of Chicamocha canyon. I'm sure it'll grow into something impressive!

Otún Quimbaya wildlife

From Nevado del Ruiz volcano we drove around through the city of Pereira to the nearby SFF Otún Quimbaya (fauna and flora sanctuary). This small area, at 1800m above sea level, is just below the eastern side of the Los Nevados park and protects some vulnerable Colombian wildlife. It was once a cattle ranch and then became a training centre for an environment agency.  The original Villa Amparo of the ranch is preserved and the large training facility buildings now provide basic but clean and comfortable accommodation for visitors to the sanctuary. Although the park is administered by the National Parks Authority, ecotourism is run by the local community. The garden area is very pleasant with plenty of peace and quiet, a commodity in short supply in Colombia!

 The forest runs alongside the small and fast-flowing river Otún and is a mix of old-growth Andean forest with some more recently planted trees, including non-natives. The area supports a wide variety of bird species, especially some that are rare elsewhere. Some are hard to see in the thick foliage and it was worthwhile to spend a few hours in the early morning with a local guide, Diego, and to learn a little from his impressive knowledge of the many different bird calls.

 The Cauca Guan (Penelope perspicax) might not look spectacular but is an endangered species endemic to Colombia, with perhaps only around 1000 birds left. This is possibly the only area where it is doing well, and they are easy to see in the trees around the reserve.

 Much more common are the large Red-ruffed Fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus) which make plenty of noise with their hooting calls heard all around the forest.

 Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) are sometimes in the plentiful Yarumo trees (Cecropia telenitida) which are common in this area and attract lots of fruit-eating birds. A number of parrot species are often seen overhead, including Speckle-faced Parrot (Pionus tumultuosus) and even the Golden-plumed Parakeet (Leptosittaca branickii) which is classified as vulnerable.

 I got good views of this female Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris) and managed to get a few glimpses of noisy Golden-headed Quetzal (Pharomachrus auriceps) as well. These latter seem to frequent some of the very tall fruiting Wax Palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense) which grow in the area.

There are a number of brightly colored tanagers around which often form mixed flocks. This is a Blue-winged Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus somptuosus). There are also many Flame-rumped Tanager (Ramphocelus flammigerus), a close relative of the Lemon-rumped which I've seen in Santander. Metallic Green , Golden and the uncommon endemic Multicolored Tanager are also present, though sadly I didn't see that last one!

Andean Motmot (Momotus aequatorialis) are very easy to see in the reserve and very approachable. They leave piles of snail shells in the road and paths.

Common Pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis), a type of nightjar, are very vocal around the accommodation area garden. I've been trying to see one of these that lives near our apartment in Bucaramanga for months, but as they are only really active after dark, it's proved fruitless. They tend to call whilst sat on the ground in the open. In Otún Quimbaya I was almost tripping over them and they sometimes would stay in a torch beam long enough to let me get a good look. I heard what seemed to be other nightjar species calling frequently which I think were Swallow-tailed Nightjar (Uropsalis segmentata) but I didn't see them.

I picked up a few other very good lifers including male Booted Racket-tail Hummingbird (Ocreatus underwoodii) a tiny bird with a very long tail tipped with rackets which makes it unique in Colombia. I also saw a number of very colorful Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii), Sickle-winged Guan (Chamaepetes goudotii), Rufous-breasted Flycatcher (Leptopogon rufipectus). In the river there were several pairs of White-capped Dipper (Cinclus leucocephalus) and after some searching I located a pair of Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata) further downstream.

There are a few mammal species in the reserve including Puma and Ocelot. The groups of Red Howler Monkeys (Alouatta seniculus) make plenty of noise which can sound like the wind in the distance. Apparently night monkeys are also in the reserve. I got good views of a small Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) around the accommodation buildings one night, but sadly my camera flash failed to go off. The grass area seemed to have plenty of holes which I was told were dug by groups of Coatis searching for worms.

Overall it was a very enjoyable stay in the reserve and there was plenty more to see. I'd recommend Otún Quimbaya to anyone wanting to see more of Colombia´s fantastic wildlife.