Los Katíos National Park, Natural World Heritage Site in northwestern Colombia.
Los Katíos National Park is a protected area spanning two departments with tropical rainforest, wetlands, and mountain terrain. The land includes river floodplains where water shapes the landscape and plant life throughout the year.
The Colombian government established this national park in 1974, and by 1979 it had reached its current size of approximately 72,000 hectares. This expansion showed growing recognition of its ecological importance.
The Wounaan indigenous community Juin Phubur lives by their traditional ways in this protected land, alongside Afro-Colombian and farming communities. Each group has its own relationship with the forest and its resources.
The park administration in Sautatá offers guided tours along set trails and recommends planning ahead due to the remote location. Connecting with local rangers before your visit ensures you get the most from your time there.
Cativo trees, which give the catival formation its name, grow to about 50 metres and occur in Colombia, southern Central America and Jamaica, but nowhere else. The park also holds the 25-metre Tendal waterfall and the 100-metre Tilupo waterfall, and its wetlands cover nearly half of its area.
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