Medicinal Plants Orito Ingi-Ande Flora Sanctuary, Flora and fauna sanctuary in Putumayo and Nariño, Colombia.
The Medicinal Plants Orito Ingi-Ande Flora Sanctuary is a protected area of humid forest in southwestern Colombia, spanning from 700 to 3,300 meters in elevation across about 10,200 hectares. The terrain shows different forest types as the landscape rises through this mountainous border region between Putumayo and Nariño.
The sanctuary was officially established in June 2008 to protect medicinal plants that indigenous communities have used for generations. This creation came from the need to safeguard both the knowledge and natural resources of the Siona and Cofán peoples.
The name Ingi Ande comes from the Cofán language and means 'our territory', reflecting the ancestral lands of indigenous communities living in this region. This connection shows how the sanctuary remains central to the identity and way of life of local people.
Reaching the sanctuary requires flying to Puerto Asís and then traveling overland to the village of El Líbano, or taking a bus from Bogotá to Orito. Visitors should expect humid conditions and steep paths, especially when exploring higher sections of the forest.
The sanctuary holds medicinal plants such as the yoco vine and yagé, whose properties have long been known to traditional healers among the Siona and Cofán. These plants thrive in this particular elevation range, making them especially valuable to local practitioners.
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