Leticia, Colombia

Port of Leticia in the Amazonas, Colombia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leticia.jpg
Author: Valter Campanato


Leticia is the southernmost city in Colombia. It is also the only major Colombian port on the Amazon River. The city is located at the border triangle between Colombia, Brazil and Peru, an area called Tres Fronteras.

The history of Leticia is steep in legends. According to one, the site of Leticia was where a Portuguese explorer died of starvation after becoming lost in the Amazon rainforest. The city was founded by Peruvian captain Beningno Bustamante, who colonized the area for the Peruvian government, to prevent it falling into the hands of the Colombians. According to another legend, he discovered a cross on the site, with the words "San Antonio", and hence named the town San Antonio.

According to Peruvian chronicles, a Peruvian engineer Manuel Charón renamed San Antonio to Leticia in 1867, in honor of a Leticia Smith, young female resident of the Peruvian town of Iquitos. The Colombians have a different version of the tale, saying Leticia was a Amerindian woman who fell in love with a Colombian soldier.

Motorcycle riders in Leticia, Colombia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moto_taxi_de_Tabatinga.JPG
Author: Goelette, Cardabela


A border incident between Peru and Colombia in 1911 led to an agreement handing the town to Colombia in 1922. Another border dispute erupted in 1932, and included hand-to-hand combat between the Columbian and Peruvian forces. The League of Nations negotiated a ceasefire and eventually awarded the disputed area to Colombia in 1934.

Since 2003, when the Colombian president visited it and promised to turn around its sagging economy, the fortunes of the city has reversed, and today it is a developing tourist destination and gateway to a number of nature sites.

Giant waterlilies in Leticia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_regia_en_Leticia.JPG
Author: Aliman5040

Visiting Leticia

The only practical way to reach Leticia is by plane from Bogotá. There is an entrance fee to Leticia for non-Colombian visitors called the Inpuesto al Turismo.

Places of Interest in Leticia

There are a number of nature sites in and around Leticia including Micos Monkey Island, Parque Nacional Natural Amacayacu, Puerto Nariño, Lago Yahuarcacas and Parque Temático Munco Amazónico.

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