Amacayacu National Park
Encyclopedia
Amacayacu National Natural Park is a national park
located along the Amazon River
in the Amazonas Department
in the south of Colombia
. The park was created in 1975. The word "Amacayacu" means "River of the Hamocs" in the indigenous language Quechua
. The Ticuna people currently inhabit a part of the park. The park comprises 4,220 square kilometres of jungle, a significant portion of which is annually flooded by the Amazon River
during the wet season. The park's elevations vary from 200 to 300 meters above sea level, and temperatures in the park vary only slightly on an annual basis, from 26 to 28 degrees Celsius.
In order to travel to the Amacayacu National Park, travellers must arrive in the city of Leticia then embark by boat upriver to the park itself. In the park visitors can do different activities such as trips along the Amazon river to different islands like Mico's island where you can find hundreds of monkeys, Mocagua's island where one can see Victoria Regia or lotus flower and one of the most interesting activities: a trip up the Amazon River to Tarapoto Lake which has boto
s (Amazon river dolphins).
The park includes accommodations that consists of a Maloka
where travellers can sleep with a group of people in hamocs or cabins for 2 to 4 travellers.
A recommended visit lasts approximately three days. Travellers must be very careful about mosquitos when the sun goes down. Travellers are advised to wear shirts with long sleeves and long trousers.
The park is of considerable interest to scientists. Many zoological specimens have been collected in the park.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located along the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
in the Amazonas Department
Amazonas Department
Amazonas is a department of Colombia in the south of the country. Its capital is Leticia. Its name comes from the Amazon River that drains much in the department and the rainforest that covers a large part of the department....
in the south of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The park was created in 1975. The word "Amacayacu" means "River of the Hamocs" in the indigenous language Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
. The Ticuna people currently inhabit a part of the park. The park comprises 4,220 square kilometres of jungle, a significant portion of which is annually flooded by the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
during the wet season. The park's elevations vary from 200 to 300 meters above sea level, and temperatures in the park vary only slightly on an annual basis, from 26 to 28 degrees Celsius.
In order to travel to the Amacayacu National Park, travellers must arrive in the city of Leticia then embark by boat upriver to the park itself. In the park visitors can do different activities such as trips along the Amazon river to different islands like Mico's island where you can find hundreds of monkeys, Mocagua's island where one can see Victoria Regia or lotus flower and one of the most interesting activities: a trip up the Amazon River to Tarapoto Lake which has boto
Boto
The Amazon river dolphin, alternatively Bufeo, Bufeo Colorado, Boto Cor de Rosa, Boutu, Nay, Tonina, or Pink Dolphin , is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela...
s (Amazon river dolphins).
The park includes accommodations that consists of a Maloka
Maloka
"Maloka" is an indigenous word for "house" or "cabin" used by Colombian aborigines.-Other uses:* Maloka Museum, an interactive museum of sciences at Bogotá, Colombia* Maloka collective, a French band...
where travellers can sleep with a group of people in hamocs or cabins for 2 to 4 travellers.
A recommended visit lasts approximately three days. Travellers must be very careful about mosquitos when the sun goes down. Travellers are advised to wear shirts with long sleeves and long trousers.
The park is of considerable interest to scientists. Many zoological specimens have been collected in the park.
External links
- The park's page at Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia
- Cano Correa, Marcela. Título: Manejo comunitario de fauna silvestre en el P.N.N Amacayacu, Colombia
- PROCESO DE TARAPOTO SOBRE CRITERIOS E INDICADORES DE SOSTENIBILIDAD DEL BOSQUE AMAZONICO - Consulta Colombiana de Validación
- Amacayacu Vacations & Tour