Amazonas

I have visited the Amazon basin on two occasions. The most convenient way to reach it is by flying from Bogotá to Leticia, the capital of the Colombian department of Amazonas. This location serves as an excellent base for a few days, allowing you to plan your subsequent travels. Numerous tourist agencies are available in the area. However, day trips may not be ideal due to the vast distances, as all travel must be conducted by boat along the Amazon River. During my first visit in 2022, I traveled solo. I have many friends in Colombia, so I reached out beforehand to a highly recommended young man named Alex Rufino Parente (Ticuna), who resides in a nearby village called San Pedro los Lagos. For the latter part of my tour, I was joined by Orlando, his father, who is approximately my age. On this trip, we traveled to his village, where I spent one night. We also visited Puerto Narino, the second largest community in the Colombian Amazon Department. Additionally, we crossed the Amazon River into Peru (Marasha) and made a brief stop in Brazil, specifically in Tabatinga. My wife and I made our second trip to Leticia in March 2024, during which we explored Brazil, Peru, and several locations near Puerto Narino, Colombia. Thanks also to Camilo Herrera. 

The Ticuna are an indigenous group residing in Brazil (36,000 individuals), Colombia (6,000), and Peru (7,000), making them the largest tribe in the Brazilian Amazon. Historically, the Ticuna inhabited areas distant from rivers, and their growth was limited by neighboring communities. This historical isolation from waterways, combined with their practice of endogamy, has resulted in the Ticuna developing a unique cultural and genetic identity distinct from other tribes in the Amazon. In contemporary times, the majority of Ticuna individuals wear Western-style clothing, reserving their traditional attire made from tree bark for special ceremonies or tourist events. Today, most Ticuna are proficient in Portuguese or Spanish, depending on their country of residence, and they predominantly use names from these languages.