Complete guide to birdwatching in Leticia- Amazonas, Colombia
Leticia is the gateway to the Colombian Amazon, with approximately 50,000 inhabitants, located in the far south of the country, right on the triple border with Brazil and Peru. Its environment is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. More than 500 species of birds have been reported, including Toucans, Macaws, Hummingbirds, and Parrots, Mammals such as Pink river dolphins, Howler monkeys, Jaguars, and Sloths, and rivers, lakes, and creeks surrounded by primary tropical forests—”the natural lung that gives the earth a breath of fresh air”, with giant trees, medicinal plants, and exotic flowers such as heliconias and orchids.
In this region, in one week, more than 300 species of birds can be recorded, approximately 50 bird species with restricted distribution can be recorded, meaning they can only be recorded in this part of the country. These include: Wattled Curassow (Crax globulosa), Rufous Potoo (Phyllaemulor bracteatus), White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus), Lesser Hornero (Furnarius minor), and White-bellied Spinetail (Mazaria propinqua).
The easiest way to get there is by taking a flight from Bogotá. There are no highways connecting the city to the rest of the country. Avianca and Latam airlines, with daily flights lasting two hours, can be found for around US$90 one way. Upon arrival at Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport, a tourist tax of approximately US$13 must be paid in cash in Colombian pesos.
- Leticia
In Leticia, our tour operator can help you organize the logistics for your Amazonian birdwatching experience (local guides, hotels, ecolodges, restaurants, and river transportation). You can visit restaurants in the city and try typical dishes such as Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) ceviche, a giant freshwater fish that lives in the Amazon basin. It is the emblematic fish of the Amazon and one of the largest fish in the world. We also recommend trying the cachama fish, locally known as gamitana. These dishes can be accompanied by Amazonian fruit juices such as açaí, camu camu, arazá, copoazú, aguaje, cocona, and guava.
A stop is the Ethnographic Museum of the Bank of the Republic. It is much more than an exhibition space: it is a living window into the ancestral soul of the region. Here, each object tells a story, each piece is a bridge between the Indigenous past and the Amazonian present. You will discover the traditions, rituals, tools, and worldview of indigenous peoples such as the Tikuna, Yagua, and Huitoto, who still inhabit and protect the forest today.
In the afternoon, you can visit several sites of interest for birdwatching, such as the IANE wetlands, which contain patches of aquatic plants and moriche palms (Mauritia flexuosa), where you can observe bird species such as the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), Scarlet-crowned barbet (Capito aurovirens), Red-bellied macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus), Point-tailed woodcreeper (Berlepschia rikeri), and Spotted tody-flycatcher (Todirostrum maculatum). You can also see the Mottled-faced tamarin (Saguinus inustus), which approaches some houses in the neighborhood adjacent to the wetland, where food is placed for them. A little later, you can visit the La Cuadra Mocha Wetland, a canal with some interesting species such as the Glittering-throated Emerald (Amazilia fimbriata), White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus), Purple-throated Euphonia (Euphonia chlorotica), Red-capped Cardinal (Paroaria gularis), and Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris).
In the late afternoon, we recommend a visit to Santander Park to see the White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus) show. Every afternoon, around 5,000 individuals come to roost in this park, all flying at the same time.
The next day, in the morning, you can visit Fantasy Island, located across from Leticia (it’s a new island about 40 years old, and you can find many grasses and cecropias). Guided by a professional guide and a local indigenous guide, you can observe species of interest such as: Pearly-breasted Conebill (Conirostrum margaritae), Orange-headed Tanager (Thlypopsis sordida), Wing-barred Seedeater (Sporophila americana), Bluish-gray Saltator (Saltator coerulescens), Lesser Hornero (Furnarius minor), Riparian Parrotlet (Forpus crassirostris), Plain-breasted Piculet (Picumnus castelnau), and Castelnau’s Antshrike (Thamnophilus cryptoleucus).
In the afternoon you can take the public boat of the Transfluviam company that goes to Puerto Nariño at a cost of US $ 13 per person, each way, after 2 hours we arrive at the Mocagua indigenous reservation, half an hour before Puerto Nariño, after checking in at the ecolodge La Ceiba you can take a walk around the community, where you can register species such as: Varzea thrush (Turdus sanchezorum), Tui Parakeet (Brotogeris sanctithomae), Short-tailed Parrot (Graydidascalus brachyurus), Black Caracara (Daptrius ater) and Black-fronted Nunbird (Monasa nigrifrons).
2. Mocagua and Amacayacu National Natural Park
This ecological sanctuary, whose name means “hammock river” in the indigenous language, invites you to disconnect from the modern world and reconnect with nature in its purest form. With more than 293,000 hectares of biodiversity, Amacayacu is home to thousands of unique species: from pink dolphins and squirrel monkeys to giant trees and indigenous communities that guard this treasure with ancestral wisdom.
In the early hours of the day, along with a local indigenous guide, you can take the canoe to visit Mocagua Island, which has a more mature forest where you can observe species such as: Wattled curassow (Crax globulosa), it is important to mention that this species is in critical danger of extinction, due to its restricted distribution, deforestation and indiscriminate hunting, but in this indigenous community 20 years ago a research study was conducted on this species and the indigenous people were trained not to hunt it. Today this indigenous community is one of the best places in Colombia to record this species of birds, we can mention other recorded species such as Amazonian umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus), Ash-breasted Antbird (Myrmoborus lugubris), Leaden antwren (Myrmotherula assimilis) and White-eared Jacamar (Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis), then you can move to the new Mocagua Island which has grass and cecropia vegetation, where you can observe four species of spinetails: Red-and-white Spinetail (Certhiaxis mustelinus), White-bellied Spinetail (Mazaria propinqua), Dark-breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis albigularis) and Parkers Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpecula), in addition to other birds of interest. such as: Black-and-white Antbird (Myrmochanes hemileucus), Olive-spotted Hummingbird (Leucippus chlorocercus), Brownish elaenia (Elaenia pelzelni), Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris).
A few hours later, you can go up the Amacayacu River and then enter the Matamata Creek, where you can see two perches of Rufous potoo (Phyllaemulor bracteatus). Afterwards, you can’t miss the wildlife rehabilitation center to see monkeys such as the Wooly monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha) and the Squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). The Yellow-crowned Manakin (Heterocercus flavivertex) lives in this area. Mixed flocks sometimes cross the property entrance, with species such as the Plain-brown woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa), Cinnamon manakin-tyrant (Neopipo cinnamomea), Gray-crowned Flatbill (Tolmomyias poliocephalus), Amazonian black-tyrant (Knipolegus poecilocercus), and Purple-throated Euphonia (Euphonia chlorotica). In the afternoon, you can head to the Amazon Bird Lodge, a four-room family home within an indigenous reserve located just below Puerto Nariño. The lodge has 24-hour electricity, cell phone service, and Wi-Fi. The rooms have fans and private bathrooms.
3. Puerto Nariño
Located on the banks of the majestic Amazon River, Puerto Nariño is a unique destination where nature and indigenous culture coexist in perfect harmony. Known as the “natural manger of Colombia,” this small, car-free municipality is an example of sustainability, tranquility, and pure beauty. Here, you can’t hear any motors, only the birdsong, the murmur of the river, and the friendly greetings of its inhabitants. Surrounded by lush jungle, pink river dolphins, and Tikuna, Yagua, and Cocama indigenous communities, Puerto Nariño is the gateway to an authentic and transformative Amazonian experience. Every corner invites contemplation and respect for life. From canoe trips on sacred lakes like Tarapoto to hikes along trails filled with biodiversity, this place connects you with the essentials: nature, culture, and the soul.
Very early in the morning, accompanied by a local guide, you will board a boat from the Amazon Bird Lodge, just below Puerto Nariño, to go to the El Correo and Tarapoto lakes. The first stop is in the floodplain forest on the banks of the Loretoyaco River, where you can have a great view of the Black-tailed Antbird species. Sometimes they come out to a cassava crop to observe and take photos. You will continue walking along a flooded forest path where you can see Black-tailed Trogon (Trogon melanurus) . Further on, you can see species such as the White-shoulder Antbird (Akletos melanoceps), Agami heron (Agamia agami), Peruvian Warbling Antbird (Hypocnemis peruviana), and Plumbeous Antbird (Myrmelastes hyperythrus). At the end of this trail, you can get good views of the male Wire-tailed Manakin (Pipra filicauda).
A little later, you can take the boat to Lake Tarapoto, where you can see species such as: Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), Black-fronted nunbird (Monasa nigrifrons), Chestnut-eared aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis), Hauxwell trush (Turdus hauxwelli), Long-billed woodcreeper (Nasica longirostris), Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), Cinnamon attila (Attila cinnamomeus) and sometimes flocks of Squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). In Lake Tarapoto, you can see both species of Gray dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis) and Pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis). When you return to the lodge, right in the trees around the port, you can see individuals of Pygmy marmoset (Callithrix pygmaea), they are native to rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. These primates are notable for being the smallest monkeys in the world, at just over 100 g (3.5 oz). They are generally found in evergreen and river-edge forests and are gum-feeding specialists, or gummivores.
The next day you can start walking very early, from the Amazon bird lodge, towards the road that leads to San Martín de Amacayacu, which you can reach 4.5 km, the first 2 kilometers have newer vegetation with open areas of crops where you can register species such as: Spot-winged Antbird (Myrmelastes leucostigma), White-shoulder Antbird (Akletos melanoceps), Purple-throated Fruitcrow (Querula purpurata), Amazonian Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus), Solitary-black Cacique (Cacicus solitarius), Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris) and Buff-throated Saltator (Saltator maximus). After 2 kilometers, you will find a well-preserved terra firme forest where you can observe species of interest such as the Cinereus tinamou (Crypturellus cinereus), Gilded Barbet (Capito auratus), Yellow-browed Antbird (Hypocnemis hypoxantha), Blue-capped Manakin (Lepidothrix coronata), Short-tailed Pygmy-tyrant (Myiornis ecaudatus), and Slender-footed Tyrannulet (Zimmerius gracilipes).
After this adventure, you will return to Leticia to catch your flight back to Bogotá.
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