In 2022, I returned to Colombia. The main purpose of this trip was to explore the Amazonian rainforest areas near Leticia and then on the Rio Negro. In 2007 I was in the Leticia area on a volunteering project and the 2022 trip gave me the chance to see more of the area.
As these are border areas, with the rivers travelled actually being the borders, I also visited / transitted through Brazil, Peru and Venezuela. I will create one master set / album for the entire six week trip, plus separate country albums to help viewers who are interested only in a specific country.
I also spent time in Bogota and in the Boyaca region. Overall intinerary: London - Leticia - Bogota - Villavincenzio - Rio Negro - Puerto Inirida - Bogota (incl Nemocon) - Villa de Leyva - Tunja - Bogota - London.
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From Inirida we undertook an overnight trip on the Rio Inirida with the main target the Cerros de Mavecure (Mavecure hills), three rock formations by the river. The black, semi-rounded hills rise up against the backdrop of the Amazon rainforest. The hills Pajarito, Mono, and Mavecure are part of the Guiana Shield. The hills are made of volcanic rock – which gives them their dark color. The tallest Pajarito is 712 m (2,336 ft), Mono is 480 m (1,570 ft), and Mavecure is 170 m (560 ft).
The region around the Mavecure Hills is inhabited by several indigenous tribes belonging to the Puinave ethnicity, which consider the monoliths a sacred site. There are two indigenous communities near the Mavecure Hills, at El Venado and El Remanso, and we ate lunch at one of them after our climb.
The climb itself (of Mavecure, the only one where an ascent is permitted, is not long but it is steep and because it was forecast to rain in the afternoon we climbed around noon, when we could probably have fried steaks on the sunburned rock. The view from the top is sensational. For one part of the climb I welcomed the existence of a long rope to climb/abseil - where the rock was steep, exposed and (at least for me) treacherously missing suffiicient profile/features on the eroded, smooth surface to give me secure footing,
We camped that evening on a deserted sandy river shore with a grand view of the hills - and yes, the rain did come but long after our climb. I would not have wanted to be on the smooth, steep volcanic hill in the wet.
