abbi’s menu de las dias in leticia

Abbi Kemp arrives in Leticia, Colombia on her way into the jungle

We all have that iconic image of the bird’s eye view of the Amazon and its winding river with David Attenborough’s voice etched into our minds. It’s worth a trip to Leticia for that alone. As you fly over, your heart will skip a beat. And you’ll know that you’ve arrived when the humidity hits you smack in the face.

Leticia is a small town in Southern Colombia, a gateway to the Amazonian rainforest. There are no completed roads, so the only way in and out is by boat or plane. Take a 20 minute walk and you will find yourself in Brazil (Tabatinga) without even showing your passport. Or head into Peru by boat to visit one of the many indigenous communities. It truly is a frontier town.

Although not particularly attractive, it’s the perfect place to soak up local life. Watch the fruit and vegetables being brought in from Peru, indigenous women and men heading home with supplies and fisherman bringing in their catch, if you’re lucky you’ll see a 400kg Arapaima (that’s one big fish). At sunset, head down to the park and watch the parrots flock into the treetops to settle for the night.

The local cuisine mainly consists of ‘menu de las dias’ – soup, juice, meat, rice, beans and plantains all for a mere £2.50. For breakfast, pop into one of the super cheap bakeries, you won’t be able to resist the smell, trust me. And you most certainly can’t leave Leticia without filling yourself up with the Colombian bowl of Sancocho (best with freshly caught fish from the Amazon river). Finally, wash this all down with a healthy, delicious jugos con leche o agua. Guanábana and LuLo were my favourites.

Despite Leticia’s isolation, it still maintains that typical South American energy. Music blares from huge sound systems, fiestas break out from nowhere, football spills out from every bar, tooting mopeds whizz past and everything is “mañana mañana”.

The highlight of Leticia is heading into the vast Amazonian rainforest and becoming one with nature… but for me the true jewel is Puerto Nariño. A tiny village 2 hours upstream, where you can fish for Piranhas, visit local communities and see the pink Amazonian dolphins. It is worlds apart from Leticia… tranquil, clean and the perfect place to totally switch off. No phone signal, no internet. Bliss.

You want to discover something? Some place different. Some place outside your usual territory? Then Leticia’s the town to do it. Head to Colombia now.

Click through the image below to see more of Abbi’s photos of Leticia

To check out more of Abbi’s great photography – take a look at her work here. For your own Colombian experience, get in touch with Black Tomato.