Close-up of a scarlet macaw: yellow eye, curved beak and red feathers.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Guainía

River of dark waters

7 days
6 nights
Maximum 12 people
1 to 7 March 2027
COP 4,290,000 with flights

CONTRASTES · CUCACO TravelMarch 2027

A covered boat travels along a brown river, with forest on the bank.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Seven days of forest, granite and water, in Curripaco and Puinave territory.
You did not come to look.
You walk, you sail, you listen with the communities, not about them.

The journey

The idea

CONTRASTES joins two territories that look nothing alike and puts them in conversation, never in competition. Every route crosses four contrasts. The landscape: forest against desert. The peoples: languages and ways of living side by side, with no ranking. The calendar: high water and low water. The body: silence, light, temperature, texture.

Guainía is the first side. Dark water, humidity, low forest and granite. The other side is La Guajira, and it is in design. We publish nothing about that leg until local partners confirm it.

Cerro Mono from the air: a dome of dark granite above the forest, under a rain sky.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

An Epidendrum grasabanense orchid, with a pink flower and buds, against the forest. — OrchidPhoto: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

The buttress roots of a large forest tree. — Buttress rootsPhoto: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Destination: Guainía, Colombia
Departure: 1 to 7 March 2027
Length: 7 days, 6 nights
Group: Maximum 12 people
Effort: Moderate
Flights: From Bogotá

Overview

At a glance

Length: 7 days, 6 nights. Monday 1 to Sunday 7 March 2027.
Group: Maximum 12 travellers.
Physical level: Moderate. One night in a hammock, heat and humidity, stretches by boat and the climb up Cerro Mavicure with a guide.
Hours per day: Day 2, 10 km on foot. Day 3, about 12 km, partly on foot and partly by boat depending on the water. Day 4, the climb up Cerro Mavicure. The rest of the trip moves by boat.
Weather: Dry season. By day, 30 to 33 °C. At night, 22 to 24 °C.
Nights in a hammock: One, in Morroco.
Lodging: 2 nights at Hotel Boutique Manacal, in Inírida. 4 in communities. Shared rooms.
Flights: Satena, direct flight. Bogotá, Inírida and return. Included.
Flight times: Out: leaves Bogotá at 13:50 and lands at 15:20. Back: leaves Inírida at 13:13 and lands at 14:45. The airline may change the times.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Who travels with you: Giuliano Cavalli Gaitán, of CUCACO Travel, as tour leader, with local guides.

An aerial panorama of forest and river, with low cloud and a glowing horizon.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Day by day

Seven days. Tap each day to see the detail.

Day 1: Arrival · Monday 1 MarchIníridaFlight, town and river.
Start time
13:50, direct Satena flight from Bogotá.
What happens
You fly from Bogotá to Inírida and land around 15:20. You walk the town and go down to the river for the first time.
Getting around
From the airport to the hotel. A tour of the town and its surroundings, by bicycle if the group wants.
Meals
Lunch on arrival and dinner.
Where you sleep
Hotel Boutique Manacal, in Inírida.
Weather plan B
Activities in town. They do not depend on the river.
Day 2: Immersion · Tuesday 2 MarchSardina Bagre, El Edén, MorrocoWalking and river. Night in a hammock.
Start time
Before dawn.
What happens
You walk and travel by river between Sardina Bagre, El Edén and Morroco. The night is in a hammock, in Morroco.
Getting around
By vehicle to Sardina Bagre. A 10 km walk to El Edén, across flooded savannah and transition forest. Then by boat to Morroco.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Where you sleep
Morroco, in a hammock.
Weather plan B
With low water you walk more. With high water the stretch is done by boat. The river level changes the path, not the day.
Day 3: Immersion · Wednesday 3 MarchLa Ceiba and RemansoStingless bees and river travel.
What happens
In La Ceiba you meet the stingless bees. Then you travel by river to Remanso.
Getting around
About 12 km to La Ceiba: the first stretch on foot or by boat, depending on the water. Then by boat to Remanso, with a stop facing the Mavicure hills.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Where you sleep
Remanso, in a bed with a mosquito net.
Weather plan B
With low water you walk more. With high water the stretch is done by boat. The river level changes the path, not the day.
Day 4: Break · Thursday 4 MarchCerro MavicureClimb with a community guide.
What happens
You climb Cerro Mavicure with a community guide, under the community's rules.
Getting around
Climb on foot up Cerro Mavicure. In the afternoon, time with the Puinave community of Remanso, if the community is available. Sunset on a nearby creek.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Where you sleep
Remanso, in a bed with a mosquito net.
Day 5: Rest · Friday 5 MarchCaranacoaFarms, forest and community.
What happens
In Caranacoa you take an ethnographic walk with the community, through its farms and forest.
Getting around
By boat or motorised cart, then on foot.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Where you sleep
Community lodging in Caranacoa.
Weather plan B
With low water you walk more. With high water the stretch is done by boat. The river level changes the path, not the day.
Day 6: Rest · Saturday 6 MarchFluvial StarWhere the rivers meet.
Start time
Early.
What happens
You travel by river to the Fluvial Star, where the rivers meet. You return to Inírida.
Getting around
By boat to the Fluvial Star. Back in Inírida before sunset.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Where you sleep
Hotel Boutique Manacal, in Inírida.
Weather plan B
With low water you walk more. With high water the stretch is done by boat. The river level changes the path, not the day.
Day 7: Return · Sunday 7 MarchIníridaCrafts and flight to Bogotá.
Start time
Free morning.
What happens
A free morning for Inírida's craft shops and Indigenous market square. The Satena flight to Bogotá leaves at 13:13.
Getting around
Transfer to the airport.
Meals
Breakfast.
Where you sleep
Last day. You sleep at home.
Weather plan B
Activities in town. They do not depend on the river.

The route

Schematic, not to scale.

A clearwing butterfly, Haetera piera, resting on a leaf.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Places

MavicurePhoto: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez
The Mavicure hills
What it is Three granite hills rising out of the forest on the bank of the Inírida. The rock is dark and smooth, and it holds the heat of the sun.
What you do On day 4 you climb Cerro Mavicure with a community guide, under the community's rules. From the top you see Remanso and the river.
IníridaPhoto: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez
The Inírida river
What it is A river of dark water, the colour of tea, between low forest and banks of rock.
What you do It is the road of the trip. You travel it between communities, and its level decides the plan.
Fluvial StarPhoto: Felipe Rocha, Pexels
The Fluvial Star
What it is The place where four rivers meet. Their waters arrive in different colours.
What you do On day 6 you travel there by river.
River dolphinPhoto: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez
River dolphins
What it is The dolphin of the river. Its skin runs from grey to pink.
What you do They can appear anywhere along our river route. We do not promise them.
MacawPhoto: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez
Birds
What it is Forest, riverbank and rock each have their own birds. The macaw is one of them.
What you do You see them all along our river route.

Forest and river from the air, with a rainbow over the horizon.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Regenerative

A journey that gives back more than it takes.

First we share, then we sell. Host communities are co-authors of the route, not scenery.

Twelve seats, not one more.
A small group on a hill with a carrying capacity study.
Two departures a year.
Few visits, so the communities are never overloaded.
Families take turns.
Morroco hosts in hammocks, with no new cabins built. Host families rotate.
The sacred is respected.
The hills are sacred to the Curripaco and Puinave. You climb with a community guide and under their rules.
Clear accounts.
We tell you how much of your trip stays in the communities and we measure the impact of every departure.

Some places are not in this trip or in these photos. We publish no coordinates for any site.

Is it for you?

It is for you if

You can sleep one night in a hammock.
Heat and humidity do not bother you.
You enjoy stretches by boat.
You can walk 10 km across savannah and forest.
You can climb a granite hill on foot with a guide.
You are fine sharing a room.
You would rather listen than take photos.

It is not for you if

You need air conditioning.
You want a private room.
You need a fixed plan, hour by hour. The river sets the pace. If the water level changes, the plan changes, and we tell you the same day.
You want to see everything. Some places are not shown by the communities, and they stay out of the trip.

A dark river at dusk, with trees on the bank and rain clouds.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Price

Flights Bogotá, Inírida and returnIncluded
River transportIncluded
Lodging, 6 nightsIncluded
MealsIncluded
Local guidesIncluded
Inírida tourist contributionIncluded
Medical assistance insuranceIncluded
Entry permits to indigenous reservesIncluded

Per person, flights included

COP 4,290,000

About USD 1,350

Not included: flight from your city to Bogotá, and personal expenses.
Hold your seat with 30 percent. Balance: 21 January 2027.
Departure: 1 to 7 March 2027.

Cancellation. If you cancel, this is what it costs. By 21 December 2026, 70 days before: the 30 percent deposit, which you can use on another CONTRASTES departure. Between 22 December and 29 January 2027: the deposit plus half of the balance. From 30 January: the full price of the trip. We recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.

The slope of Cerro Mavicure: bare rock and vegetation under a clear sky.

Photo: Nicolás Latorre Rodríguez

Questions

Are flights included?

Yes. Satena, direct flight. Out at 13:50 from Bogotá. Back at 13:13 from Inírida.

How much luggage can I bring?

Satena allows 15 kg in the hold and 5 kg of hand luggage. Excess is paid at the airport. Pack light: on the river everything is carried by hand.

Which vaccinations do I need?

You need no other vaccinations. Only yellow fever: get it at least 10 days before you travel.

What does the insurance cover?

Yes, the trip includes medical assistance insurance. Before you travel we send you the full cover.

Do I need to bring cash?

Yes. Bring cash for your own expenses and for buying crafts.

Is there mobile signal?

In Puerto Inírida, yes. In the communities it is not reliable. That is part of the trip: a few days to disconnect.

Can I drink the water?

Yes. There is drinking water throughout the trip. Bring a reusable bottle.

What is the food like?

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Fish is the main protein. If you eat vegetarian or vegan, tell us when you book.

How demanding is it?

Moderate. On day 2 you walk 10 km and on day 3 about 12, partly on foot and partly by boat. On day 4 you climb Cerro Mavicure with a guide. There is heat, humidity and one night in a hammock.

What happens if the river rises or drops?

The river sets the pace. If the water level changes, the plan changes, and we tell you the same day.

How do I hold my seat?

With 30 percent of the price. The balance is due by 21 January 2027. There is no online payment: we arrange it with you by email or WhatsApp.

What if I cancel?

If you cancel, this is what it costs. By 21 December 2026, 70 days before: the 30 percent deposit, which you can use on another CONTRASTES departure. Between 22 December and 29 January 2027: the deposit plus half of the balance. From 30 January: the full price of the trip. We recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.