Amacayacu National Natural Park ( es, Parque Nacional Natural Amacayacu) is a national park located along the Amazon River in the

Amazonas Department Amazonas () is a department of Southern Colombia in the south of the country. It is the largest department in area while also having the 3rd smallest population. Its capital is Leticia and its name comes from the Amazon River, which drains the ...

in the south of Colombia. The word "Amacayacu" means "River of the Hamocs" in the indigenous language

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

. 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. The park is of considerable interest to scientists. Many zoological specimens have been collected in the park.http://www.morphbank.net/Browse/BySpecimen/ Morphbank

Traveling

In order to travel to the Amacayacu National Park, travelers 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 ''Isla de los Micos'' where you can find hundreds of monkeys, Mocagua's island where one can see Victoria Regia or

lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often re ...

and one of the most interesting activities: a trip up the Amazon River to Tarapoto Lake which has

boto Boto is a Portuguese name given to several types of dolphins and river dolphins native to the Amazon and the Orinoco River tributaries. A few botos exist exclusively in fresh water, and these are often considered primitive dolphins. Classificatio ...

s (Amazon river dolphins). The park includes accommodations that consists of a '' maloka'' where travelers can sleep with a group of people in hammocks or cabins for 2 to 4 travelers. Travelers must be very careful about

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

s when the sun goes down. Travelers are advised to wear shirts with long sleeves and long trousers.

History

The park was created in 1975.

References

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
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070928014811/http://www.latinguides.com/travel/amacayacu-vacations-amazon-forest.html Amacayacu Vacations & Tour {{Authority control National parks of Colombia Protected areas established in 1975 Tourist attractions in Amazonas Department 1975 establishments in Colombia Geography of Amazonas Department National Monuments of Colombia