Amazon Experience / Leticia in 3 days
Itinerary
What to do in Leticia in 3 days
Three days is the sweet spot for Leticia: enough for the river, the rainforest and the three-border madness, without the feeling that you are running through a checklist.
Updated November 2026
Leticia is small — around 45,000 people, one main street, one market, one river. You will not need three days to "see" the city. You need three days because everything worth seeing is outside it: the flooded forest, the Indigenous communities, and two other countries within a ten-minute boat ride.
This is the itinerary we recommend when a guest asks us how to use three days well. It mixes one full day on the water, one day in the forest and one day on the borders. If you would rather sleep in the jungle, there is an alternative at the end.
Day 1 · The river: Yahuarcaca lakes
Start on the water. The Yahuarcaca lake system is twenty minutes from the city and it is the easiest, most generous introduction to the Amazon: no long hikes, no early start, just a boat through flooded forest where the trees stand in the water and the canopy is full of sound.
- Morning: 8 km by boat through the lakes and creeks, looking for monkeys, birds and reptiles.
- Lunch at a riverside house, cooked by the family who lives there.
- Afternoon: the Renaco — the "walking tree" — and a reserve on the Amazon where the giant Victoria Regia lilies grow.
- End with a swim and the sunset over the main lake.
- Back in Leticia by 5 or 6 p.m. Dinner at the hostel and an early night.
Day 2 · The forest: a maloca or a community
Whichever you choose, leave at 9:00 a.m. from the hostel. All of them include boots, meals and water; you only need a small backpack.
This is the day that makes the trip. You have two good options and they are not the same experience.
- Mambe Trek (1 day): a 4 km walk from the Tacana river into primary rainforest to a Huitoto maloca, lunch cooked the traditional way and an explanation of the mambe process. Best if you want culture and forest without sleeping out.
- Ticuna Indigenous Experience (3 days): if you have the time, this replaces day 2 and 3. You walk in with Ticuna guides, sleep in a jungle camp and then in the community of Arara.
- Yavarí–Sacambú (2 days): the alternative if you prefer water to walking — you cross into Peru and sleep in a community lodge.
Day 3 · The borders: Tabatinga and Santa Rosa
Colombia, Brazil and Peru have an agreement for the tri-border area: you can move between Leticia, Tabatinga and Santa Rosa without documents. If you continue further into either country, then you do need to stamp your passport at the migration offices.
Few places on earth let you have breakfast in Colombia, lunch in Brazil and a beer in Peru. The border here is not a wall: it is a street that changes language.
- Walk or take a mototaxi to Tabatinga (Brazil) during the day. The market, the açaí and the Portuguese are the point. We do not recommend staying there after dark.
- Take a boat across to Santa Rosa (Peru), a village of wooden houses on stilts across the river.
- If you want wildlife, the Isla de los Micos (Monkey Island) on the Peruvian side is a classic half-day, although it is quite touristy.
- Buy your souvenirs here rather than in Leticia: handicrafts from three countries in one afternoon.
- Be back before dark — the last boats to Santa Rosa leave around 6:00 p.m.
If you want to sleep in the jungle instead
Swap days 1 and 2 for a 2-day Yavarí–Sacambú trip: you leave on the morning of day 1, sleep in a community lodge in Peru, and come back on the afternoon of day 2. Then use day 3 for the lakes and the city. It is the same three days, with one night in the flooded forest instead of a bed.
What it costs
Prices in Leticia depend on how many people travel together: a group of 8 pays less than half per person than a solo traveller. These are our 2026 rates per person, in Colombian pesos.
- Yahuarcaca lakes, 1 day: from COP 230.000 (group of 8) to 520.000 (solo).
- Mambe Trek, 1 day: from COP 230.000 to 520.000.
- Yavarí–Sacambú, 2 days: from COP 700.000 to 1.880.000.
- Ticuna, 3 days: from COP 1.050.000 to 1.450.000.
- Hostel bed in Leticia: from about COP 40.000 per night.
- Airport entry tax: about COP 50.000, paid at the airport.
Practical tips for the three days
- Do not book three full-day tours. You will be exhausted and they start to look the same.
- Bring cash, in small notes. ATMs are open 24 hours; for foreign cards, Banco Popular and Banco Agrario charge the lowest fee.
- You will not need a rain jacket in the dry months, but you will need insect repellent every single day.
- Rubber boots are provided on all tours; bring quick-dry trousers.
- The sun at midday is brutal. Long sleeves are cooler than a t-shirt.
- Do not plan a flight before 4 p.m. on your last day: returns depend on the river.
Quick questions
Is 3 days enough for Leticia?
Yes for a first visit: one day on the water, one in the forest and one on the borders. If you want to sleep in the jungle, two days of tour plus one day in the city works better.
Can I do Leticia in 2 days?
Yes, but you will have to choose: lakes plus borders, or one day in the jungle. Two days is tight for a jungle overnight.
Do I need a tour to see the lakes?
Technically you could hire a boat at the port, but you would miss the guide, the wildlife spotting and the stop for lunch. The lakes are shallow and easy to get lost in.
Do I need my passport for Tabatinga?
Not for the crossing: there is an agreement between Colombia, Brazil and Peru that allows free transit in the tri-border area. You only need to stamp your passport if you continue further into Brazil or Peru.
How much money do I need for 3 days?
With one hostel night, two tours and meals, budget around COP 800.000 to 1.500.000 per person depending on group size and how deep into the jungle you go.
Tours for this itinerary
Book the three days
Small groups, local guides and someone who answers on WhatsApp before you arrive.