Guainía, the hidden treasure of the Colombian jungle that you should know before mass tourism arrives

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"Guanía is a hidden treasure in the Colombian jungle," says Víctor García, proud to live at the foot of one of the most precious jewels of this Latin American country.

The

three imposing monoliths with more than 1,800 million years old, that stand out among the immensity of the jungle plain, are only two hours away from the

by the homonymous river.

That proximity has not turned them, fortunately, into a mass

, not even when they appeared, majestic, in

, a film nominated for the 2016 Oscars for Best Foreign Film.

Being immersed in a

distant and ignored by city dwellers, together with its precarious tourist infrastructure and the rules imposed by the indigenous people in their ancestral territories, has managed to almost completely preserve its magic.

"God gave them to us so that we could take care of them," says Víctor.

His community, El Remanso, is next to

fell in love

, according to legend.

On

, her tears flow from the top and paint white lines on the stony gray of that whim of Mother Earth carved for centuries.

The three hills of Mavecure.

For the occasional visitor, it doesn't matter if it rains, the sun shines, the clouds hide it, the moon appears,

dazzles or the darkest night swallows the stars.

never fail to impress ,

divided by the river, and enveloped in a perennial calm.

early

, before the sun sets, or late in the afternoon, and observing the immensity of the savannahs, is another of the affordable luxuries of this spectacular enclave.

In addition, unlike other jungle regions that each year lose thousands of hectares consumed by fires and illegal logging, a brutality that increases every so often, in Guainía -"land of rivers" in the Puinave language-

The aborigines prefer to preserve it, especially those who live in small and scattered communities in the

the largest in the department and the one that keeps the wonders that are within the reach of travelers who come.

Most of these locals follow a peaceful lifestyle, absent of insatiable ambitions and worldly vices, largely thanks to the inheritance that

another great unknown, even for Colombians themselves.

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

The intrepid Protestant missionary, who arrived alone in

in the 1940s from her native New York, left an indelible and deep mark on the soul of

Curripaco and Piapoco communities, to name just a few of the ethnic groups that knew her.

So much so that it is the only department in all of Colombia where Catholicism was relegated to a marginal position.

In addition to evangelizing the indigenous people, teaching them to write and read their languages, abandoning certain

that only increased their misery, he empowered them against the whites who then exploited them in

.

Today, no one can travel through their territories without the consent of the captain, the highest authority in each of the communities, made up of about two hundred people.

And he doesn't always grant it.

Hence, it is essential to visit Inírida hand in hand with the indigenous people themselves or with one of the very few

that have established agreements with them to allow them to enter their paradise without restrictions.

A child from the communities in the area.

"The municipality of Inírida stood still in time and those of us who came from Guaviare and other regions, tired of the violence, found

here ," says Alejandro Vélez, a young regional deputy who arrived with his parents when he was alone I was a child, fed up with the coca boom and the gunshot deaths.

"I find that the isolation that we live in is a comparative advantage.

there are no drugs or looking for sex or crime, as unfortunately happens in many other places, only nature in its purest form," he adds convinced.

The pier of the capital, Inírida, a small city with tree-lined streets and hardly any traffic, where nothing ever happens, is the starting point.

The river of the same name,

is rich in fauna.

Gray and pink dolphins, otters, sloths swimming at their tiresome rhythm, payaras, catfish, cachamas, piranhas... It is also a paradise for

, being one of the best places in Latin America to develop this practice.

sport

in remote and lonely places, it is another attraction.

"The tucunaré is very popular, but the payana is highly desired because it pulls a lot. They fish them and return them to the river if they don't destroy the gills. If they look bad, we take advantage of them in the reservation," says Tomás Córdoba, a puinave from Caño Bocón and a seasoned boatman

BETWEEN WARM WATERS

Only those who know the rivers since they are born can navigate them smoothly, not only do

, but also because of the beautiful and rearing rapids.

Unnavigable due to the force of currents, waterfalls and waves, they force

and unload cargo and passengers, to pass them overland, either on shoulders or pushed with ropes, in a kind of sacrificial, exhausting and patient pilgrimage that It can be repeated several times in a single day.

Seeing how these untamed rivers cross

is an example of the daily struggle of human beings to coexist with

.

Without forgetting that each stop becomes an opportunity to bathe in warm and serene waters, a few meters from the strong waves.

If it were necessary to choose within the municipality the river destination most opposed to the noisy and abrupt rapids, the Atabapo River would have to be pointed out.

«Home to

, they baptized the river of colors because the jungles of bushes that guard it release leaves that give off tannins and dye it red and yellow tones," explains Camilo Puentes, a Bogota native who arrived in this area several decades ago and never wanted to leave. the Paradise.

The Atabapo, the river of colors.

During the summer months,

the white sand beaches appear, a perfect pairing with the transparent and calm waters of those extravagant and beautiful colors that attract the traveler so much.

The Atabapo is located about two hours from the port of the capital, crossing the Inírida, in the opposite direction to the Mavicure hills.

Halfway through the route,

waters are finished in an intense ocher color.

Immediately you cross Venezuela and you reach the Fluvial Star of the East, the name chosen by the eminent German naturist

for being the point of confluence of the Atabapo, the Guaviare and the Orinoco.

At other times, one could disembark in the Venezuelan San Fernando, but the critical situation in the neighboring country advises staying on the Colombian side.

a peaceful Puinave town with dazzling sunsets.

You can also stay on any secluded beach, jump into the water and let yourself be enveloped by a sense of calm and harmony that is difficult to find anywhere else.

PRACTICAL GUIDE

How to get.

Iberia and Avianca fly from Madrid to Bogotá from 500 euros.

Once there, the national airline Satena arrives at Puerto Inírida after a one and a half hour flight.

where to

In Fuente del Guanía, a charming hotel decorated in a traditional way and located in the town of Puerto Inírida.

Where to eat.

At the Fuente del Guanía hotel and in the indigenous communities visited, where they serve native cuisine prepared in front of travellers.

More information

.

In Colombia Travel: www.colombia.travel

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