Yaigojé-Apaporis National Park, Protected natural area in Colombian Amazon, Colombia
Yaigojé-Apaporis National Park protects 10,565.49 km² of Amazon lowland in the departments of Amazonas and Vaupés, along the lower Apaporis River near the Brazilian border. Dense forest covers the whole area, and the woods beside rivers and lakes are flooded for eight months a year, from March to October. The land lies at 100–120 m above sea level, with an average temperature of about 27 °C.
The park received official protection in October 2009 after indigenous leaders requested safeguards for ancestral lands facing mining threats. This step secured territorial control and management by local communities who had stewarded the area for generations.
Seven peoples live in the reserve that overlaps the park: Macuna, Tanimuca, Letuama, Kabiyarí, Barasana, Yujup-Macu and Yauna. They consider hills, rapids, backwaters, lakes, streams, caves, salt licks, stones and springs sacred marks left by deities at creation. Shamans conduct rituals tied to the annual ecological calendar, forming a "Path of Thought" that guides hunting, fishing, gathering and horticulture.
Access is only possible with permission and guidance from indigenous communities who manage the area. Visitors should prepare for remote conditions and limited infrastructure, with travel mainly by small aircraft or river transport.
The area harbors jaguars, pink river dolphins, and giant otters living in complex social groups visible along the waterways. The dolphin populations are especially notable, making this one of the few places in the region where these animals thrive in healthy numbers.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,398 contributors worldwide.