Self-Launched 4-Day Colombian–Peruvian Amazon Adventure

Fly into Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport (LET) — flights from Bogotá take about 2 hours and are the biggest single cost of the trip (often £90-140 one-way; book early). Take a mototaxi (£1.50) or the local bus into town rather than a pre-booked transfer. Drop bags at a budget hostel or guesthouse near the centre, then take a 20-minute tuk-ti/colectivo west along the road to Mundo Amazónico ecological park (entry ~£8-10, about 30,000-40,000 COP). Walk the natural trails and medicinal plant trail independently — the interpretive signs and an optional local guide (~£6-8 shared) cover the aquarium and cultural village. Eat a cheap set lunch (menú del día, ~£3-4) — Amazonian fish (pirarucú, arawana) with patacón. In the late afternoon take a mototaxi to Tanimboca Natural Reserve (~£4), check into a basic cabaña or hammock space (~£18-25), and join the reserve's own night walk (£10-12) to spot tarantulas, stick insects and tree frogs. Dinner at the reserve or back in town.

🚌Flight to LET (book separately via Avianca/LATAM/Expedia, ~£90-140); local mototaxi £1.50-2; colectivo to Mundo Amazónico £1

🛏Budget hostel in Leticia (~£15) or Tanimboca cabaña (~£20)

• →Mundo Amazónico trails, medicinal plant walk and aquarium (self-visit, ~£9)
• →Tanimboca Natural Reserve cabaña stay and guided night walk (~£12)

Breakfast at the reserve, then head to Leticia's riverside port (Puerto Civico / muelle turístico) and take a shared lancha rápida (fast boat) down the Amazon toward the Peruvian side. The checkpoint is at Santa Rosa island — you cross into Peru here, so bring your passport and get the exit/entry stamps (Colombian exit and Peruvian entry are free for most Western nationalities; a small stamp/port fee of ~£3-5 sometimes applies). Boats for the Marashá/Milagro de Marashá area run a few times a day (~£8-12, 2-3 hours depending on stops) — confirm departure times at the muelle the day before. Arrive at the Marashá reserve, pay the community entrance fee (~£6), and settle into a traditional maloca lodge (~£25 a night, usually including meals for guests). After lunch, take a canoe or kayak (£4-6 hire) out on the lake for flora and fauna spotting, try simple artisanal fishing with the community, and after dark join the guided night canoe (£8) to hear caimans, frogs and night birds. Meals are cooked at the reserve — very little food cost on this day.

🚌River launch from Leticia to the Peru boundary and Marashá (~£10), plus mototaxi to the port (~£1.50)

🛏Traditional maloca lodge at Milagro de Marashá (~£25, meals often included)

• →Shared river boat Leticia–Marashá (~£10)
• →Community reserve entrance (~£6)
• →Canoe/kayak hire and artisanal fishing (~£5)
• →Guided night canoe on the lake (~£8)

Early breakfast, then walk out of the reserve to the river with your bags and take a shared speedboat back upriver to Puerto Nariño (~£10-12, 2 hours). Ask the boatman to run a slightly slower route via the river's edges — this is where the best pink river dolphin sightings are, and any local captain will slow for them at no extra charge. Break the journey at Tarapoto Lakes (a short boat hop from Puerto Nariño, ~£4-6 return), where you can swim in the blackwater lake and watch for dolphins and hoatzins. Walk Puerto Nariño itself — it's a car-free village of wooden walkways, and you can climb the Naipata mirador for the sunset (£2). Lunch at a simple local restaurant (Morapo or any of the family-run spots on the main path, ~£3-4). In the late afternoon take a shared or charter speedboat to the Arara River area (~£8-12) and check into a riverside eco-lodge/guesthouse (~£20-30). Dinner at the lodge.

🚌Shared speedboats between Marashá, Puerto Nariño and Arara (~£20-24 total)

🛏Riverside ecolodge / guesthouse in the Arara River area (~£25)

• →Speedboat Marashá–Puerto Nariño with dolphin-spotting route (~£11)
• →Tarapoto Lakes boat trip and swim (~£5)
• →Puerto Nariño village walk and Naipata mirador (~£2)

Sunrise on the river and breakfast at the lodge, then take a shared speedboat back to Leticia (~£9-12, 1.5-2 hours). If your onward flight is the same day, allow at least 3-4 hours before departure — river boats are unpunctual and the crossing of the Amazon can be slow in low water. Freshen up at a café in the centre, pick up any souvenirs (woven baskets, Brazil nuts, local crafts), and either head to Vásquez Cobo Airport for your flight out (book in advance, ~£90-140) or add a cheap extra night in Leticia. Note that the Amazon tour ends here; many travellers continue by boat to nearby Iquitos (Peru) or fly to Bogotá for onward travel.

🚌Speedboat Arara–Leticia (~£10), mototaxi/taxi to airport (£2-3), flight from LET (book separately)

🛏None included (day of departure) — optional Leticia hostel ~£15 if you stay another night

• →Sunrise river walk at Arara
• →Shared speedboat back to Leticia (~£10)
• →Free time in Leticia market and waterfront