The distance between Bogotá and Leticia, the gateway city to the Colombian Amazon, is hard to measure given the untouched rainforest that lies between the two cities.
The best and most direct way to enter the rainforest is by plane. Flights from Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport depart daily, and the journey takes just two hours.
There are no main roads that connect Bogotá and Leticia, so it is impossible to drive directly from one to the other. However, if you wish to go to even more remote parts of the Amazon, it is possible to take a bus to the Colombian cities of Mocoa or San Jose del Guaviare and then hire a driver.
You can reach the border city by boat, but you will have to go through Iquitos in Peru or Manaus in Brazil, and you might need to secure an additional visa, so this is not an option we recommend.
You can safely visit remote parts of the jungle on this thrilling 8-day tour, or you can get a taste of the Amazon before heading to the Caribbean region and the Andes with this 12-day itinerary.
By Plane
Duration: 2 hours
This option is the most convenient and safest way to get to Leticia from Bogotá.
Although Leticia is the capital of the Amazon region, it is a relaxed, small town in the middle of the jungle. And since it's also a three-border town, you will be able to easily cross into Brazil and Peru by foot or boat. There is a soft border in Leticia, so you do not have to go through customs. You can even do a multi-country day trip if you wish!
By Bus
Duration: 13 hours, more with connections
This option is best for intrepid travelers who are very familiar with Colombia and are fluent in Spanish or those who are being accompanied by a trusted friend who is fluent. Compared to Leticia, infrastructure in Mocoa and San Jose del Guaviare is minimal, especially for tourism, so it will not be easy to explore the jungle from these outposts.
You can take a bus from the Bogotá Transport Terminal to Mocoa. However, there are no direct buses from Bogotá to San Jose del Guaviare. One option is to head to Villavicencio and connect to San Jose del Guaviare from there. Of course, this will significantly add to your travel time.
Once you arrive at one of these towns, you will have to plan your trek wisely as only parts of the surrounding jungle are open to tourism.
By Boat
Duration: 11 hours, more with connections
If you want to take the long way into Leticia, you can fly to Manaus in Brazil or Iquitos in Peru and then take a boat to the Brazilian city of Tabatinga. Although this city is officially within Brazil, you can walk to Leticia without crossing a border post.
By boat, it's about 36 hours from Manaus and four hours from Iquitos. Keep in mind that the facilities on these boats are likely to be quite basic, and their schedules can be highly irregular, so this is not a very reliable option.
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