Colombia
23 April 2023
Medellín
Day 1 - Medellín
- Corto Maltés Amazonia
- Nature Walk
Medellín
When you get off the boat, you’ll be looking at the main lodge. I loved the building’s aesthetic. It feels like something out of a movie set. The building is made from wood, and there are mosquito screens everywhere.
Inside is the dining room, a bar area, and a small gift shop. Walk through the building to the other side, and you’ll see where we stayed. There are a dozen or two bungalows spaced a good distance apart from one another behind the main lodge.
Day 2 - Medellín
- Sandoval Lake
Nature Walk
From the lodge, we set out on a nature walk as a group. We walked past the soccer field and the ayahuasca hut into the forest.
Yan cut some small branches from a tree and said it was bug repellent. The mosquitoes aren’t bothered by your average bug spray, apparently. So, we rhythmically swatted ourselves with branches on our exposed skin as we walked.
Day 3 - Guatapé
- Sandoval Lake
Nature Walk
From the lodge, we set out on a nature walk as a group. We walked past the soccer field and the ayahuasca hut into the forest.
Yan cut some small branches from a tree and said it was bug repellent. The mosquitoes aren’t bothered by your average bug spray, apparently. So, we rhythmically swatted ourselves with branches on our exposed skin as we walked.
We ate dinner in the lodge and the sun set over the Madre de Dios river. The sunsets over the river are among the most beautiful I have ever seen.
Day 4 - Guatapé - Santa Marta
- Sandoval Lake
Sandoval Lake
We disembarked on the riverside and started a 3km walk along a wooden boardwalk to the lake. We saw a lot of cool things along the way. I’m sure I don’t remember everything we saw. I do remember we saw a ton of blue-and-yellow macaws waking up and making a lot of noise. The most interesting animal we saw was hard to identify. We saw it off the side of the trail, walking on a downed tree trunk. It seemed to be eating termites or ants off of it. It had a small head, brown body, and red hindquarters and tail. Its tail was meaty and long. I learned that it is a kind of anteater called the southern tamandua.
Day 5 - Santa Marta
- Sandoval Lake
Sandoval Lake
We disembarked on the riverside and started a 3km walk along a wooden boardwalk to the lake. We saw a lot of cool things along the way. I’m sure I don’t remember everything we saw. I do remember we saw a ton of blue-and-yellow macaws waking up and making a lot of noise. The most interesting animal we saw was hard to identify. We saw it off the side of the trail, walking on a downed tree trunk. It seemed to be eating termites or ants off of it. It had a small head, brown body, and red hindquarters and tail. Its tail was meaty and long. I learned that it is a kind of anteater called the southern tamandua.
I cannot believe how much wildlife this lake sustains. This was a truly magical experience. There were all kinds of birds flying overhead from branch to branch and butterflies fluttering over the water. Almost immediately, we spotted a pack of giant river otters. They were mildly curious, and a couple poked their heads out of the water to stare at us.
Day 6 - Santa Marta - Salento
- Sandoval Lake
Sandoval Lake
We disembarked on the riverside and started a 3km walk along a wooden boardwalk to the lake. We saw a lot of cool things along the way. I’m sure I don’t remember everything we saw. I do remember we saw a ton of blue-and-yellow macaws waking up and making a lot of noise. The most interesting animal we saw was hard to identify. We saw it off the side of the trail, walking on a downed tree trunk. It seemed to be eating termites or ants off of it. It had a small head, brown body, and red hindquarters and tail. Its tail was meaty and long. I learned that it is a kind of anteater called the southern tamandua.
Day 7 - Salento
- Sandoval Lake
I cannot believe how much wildlife this lake sustains. This was a truly magical experience. There were all kinds of birds flying overhead from branch to branch and butterflies fluttering over the water. Almost immediately, we spotted a pack of giant river otters. They were mildly curious, and a couple poked their heads out of the water to stare at us.
Day 8 - Cartagena
- Sandoval Lake
Sandoval Lake
We disembarked on the riverside and started a 3km walk along a wooden boardwalk to the lake. We saw a lot of cool things along the way. I’m sure I don’t remember everything we saw. I do remember we saw a ton of blue-and-yellow macaws waking up and making a lot of noise. The most interesting animal we saw was hard to identify. We saw it off the side of the trail, walking on a downed tree trunk. It seemed to be eating termites or ants off of it. It had a small head, brown body, and red hindquarters and tail. Its tail was meaty and long. I learned that it is a kind of anteater called the southern tamandua.
I cannot believe how much wildlife this lake sustains. This was a truly magical experience. There were all kinds of birds flying overhead from branch to branch and butterflies fluttering over the water. Almost immediately, we spotted a pack of giant river otters. They were mildly curious, and a couple poked their heads out of the water to stare at us.
We saw groups of squirrel monkeys and capuchins traveling together, foraging for food in the trees near the water. Yan let us borrow his binoculars for much of the trip. He pointed out bats nesting on a tree trunk and many birds in the trees. One strange bird we saw a lot was the hoatzin. It can’t fly well and instead waddles along tree branches, eating leaves. It’s so weird, look it up.
After a while, we stopped and ate our prepared breakfasts in the canoe. Yan told us to pinch off some of our sandwich and throw it in the water. It was quickly and violently attacked by piranhas.
Day 9 - Cartagena
- Sandoval Lake
Day 10 - San Andrés
- Sandoval Lake
Day 11 - San Andrés
- Sandoval Lake
Day 12 - San Andrés
- Sandoval Lake
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