Welcome To The Jungle
November 2010

Colombia: From Bogotá to Leticia

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The Amazon jungle... that's a place I wanted to visit for a long time. This dream finally came true during my trip to Colombia in November 2010.

I found a very cheap ticket with the local airline Aires.
Aires was founded around 1970, and in 2010 it adopted a low cost business model, inspired by airlines like JetBlue or EasyJet.

They had a special offer on their website, selling tickets for 1000 pesos (about 40 euro cent) plus taxes.

I don't know if Aires' business model will last long. The airline is increasingly popular and up to 34% of their passengers fly for the first time. But Aires has just been bought by LAN Airlines (part of the LATAM Airlines Group), which is not a low cost airline.

Aires will probably be rebranded LAN Colombia in the future.
Who knows how long these low fares will last, so better get them while they're available!

Aires Boeing 737 in Leticia, Amazon rainforest, Colombia

The flight from Bogotá to Leticia was on board an Aires Boeing 737NG.
Food and drinks on board were available for purchase, except for coffee, tea and water which were free of charge.

Aires is the only low cost Airline I know which doesn't charge for coffee, tea and water, and I think it's great. It's an example of a low cost airline, which is not totally no-frills.

We flew over the jungle for more than an hour but the sky was so cloudy and we couldn't see it.

The arrival to Leticia is very exciting, flying over millions of high trees and large rivers.

Then a runway appears in the middle of nowhere, and that's it: Welcome To The Jungle!

The Airport in Leticia is called Alfredo Vazquez Cobo. At the time of writing it receives planes from 3 comercial Airlines: Aires, Copa Colombia (formerly AeroRepublica) and Satena.
All 3 airlines have flights to Bogota. Satena also has some regional flights to the towns of La Chorrera and La Pedrera.

Cargo, charter and taxi flights are also available.

Hotel Malokamazonas in the Amazon - city of Leticia, Colombia

We took a taxi to the Hotel Malokamazonas. Seriously, if you're planning a trip to Leticia, that's a great place to stay.

The owner Francisco is very friendly, and he will help you with tours, tourist information, restaurants, and everything you might need for a wonderful stay.

The hotel has double, triple and family rooms.
The location is also great, within walking distance from the pier, restaurants, nightlife spots and the Brazilian border.

Room at Malokamazonas Hotel, Leticia, Colombia

During our stay in the Amazon we visited Leticia, the Brazilian town of Tabatinga, the Ticuna town of Macedonia, Puerto Nariño, Amacayacu National Park and the Tanimboca natural reserve. You can read about all this places by clicking on the correspondent links.