Leticia / Amazon Lodges?

bufalo says on Jan 7, 2008, 19:32:

There's one called Omshanty. I believe Omshanty.com or something like that. Not all that far from civilization (KM11) and right near a Huitoto complex. How jungly do you want it to be?

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bufalo says on Jan 8, 2008, 09:58:

interesting. The bus won't get you too far in Leticia, then again it is technically an international bus since it only goes to Tabatinga, Brazil.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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roquero says on Jan 8, 2008, 10:49:

2 weeks ago I went on a day trip to Reserva Natural Marasha, which is across the river in Peru [about a 45 minute boat ride from Leticia]
The lodge is fairly new [thus it does not appear in most guide books], and very isolated [you have to walk far into the jungle to get to it, so bring your rubber boots], but the service is great and the food was awesome.
They have a baby ocelot that lives nearby, plus other animals, and a lake right on the lodge.
I didn't stay overnight but they do have facilities if you want to do it
The Website is:
http://www.reservamarasha.com/

If you're interested in the services of a local Letician who can guide you around the tri-border area, send me a PM- he only speaks Spanish and Portuguese, but knows the area backwards and forwards.

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Albatross says on Jan 8, 2008, 12:56:

Is there any way to fly from Cali to Leticia without going through Bogota ?
Also, I've heard the bus takes about 24 hours, anyone know just how bad/safe the ride is ?

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roquero says on Jan 8, 2008, 14:34:

You could fly Copa Airlines, Cali to Manaus through Panama, and then Manaus to Tabatinga on the Leticia border with Trip or Rico airlines, but it would be cheaper and faster to go through Bogota [so yes there is a way]
Satena now flies to Leticia from Bogota on Monday Wednesday and Friday
Beware of Aerorepublica- they have been known to kick people and/ or luggage off the Leticia flights for being "sobre-peso" [overloaded]- it happened to me and I had to send some of my luggage via air cargo
Apparently Aerorepublica sends a lot of cargo on the passenger flights to Leticia, so they sometimes find the plane overloaded and start bumping passengers and/ or luggage [in Leticia Aerorepublica is jokingly referred to as "Aero-cocha"]

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adrimm says on Jan 8, 2008, 19:13:

I was there just over a month ago (amazing to think it has been that long) and I stayed at a National Park called Amacayacu. It is located about 90 mins by speedboat west of Letica. It is very comfortable (we're talking thatched huts with beds, not hammock, but neither is it airconditioned or anything) and you can arrange activities through guides. Ie. walking through the tree-canopy on a rope bridges, a hike in the jungle (to a nearby town), a trip up to Puerto Narino, and visiting and learning how to weave bracelets etc in a native village.

To be honest it is all a very hand-held experience but if you speak Spanish then the conversation with the guides can be very interesting.

In conversation one can hear that sometimes the hand-holding is neccesary too becuase some people are entirely out of their element in the bush (ie. people who decide to climb on ant/termite hills), and even myself. I saw what appeared to be lovely grassy lakeside.. without a guide I probably would have tried to pull up on shore and have a sit or rest there. Turns out that this was actually marshy lakeside, that is the sort of habitat where there can be nasty critters.

If you do go and want to see wildlife, try and arrange to spend time up one of the tributaries. The mighty Amazon is an aquatic highly has been fished, hunted and had it's resources over -extracted for decades if not centuries. You'll see more wildlife on the smaller creeks and rivers.

I can pm you my guide;s email address. He's a nice guy, from one of the villages and can probably set you up with something.

Otherwise you can arrange a package through an agency like an Aviatur agency.. this is what I did and it is easiest, albeit as I said a bit hand-held.

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getting better says on Jan 9, 2008, 12:30:

Yes Amacayacu is lovely. Remember this is varzea forest that floods at certain times of the year, and the seasons are a bit different to the rest of Colombia, I suggest going the dry season.
It is certainly nice to go up the tributaries in a small boat and then walk in some really pristine forest, but if you sleep overnight in one of the little shacks that exist take a mosquito net (you dont need one at the main lodge).

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