"The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay"

I'm 100% criolla, that is, I'm 100% Colombian. I live in in Colombia, lived here all my life in fact, and my family is of Spanish descent, and yes, they have been here since the first Spanish conquistadors came into this land. But making the story more interesting, I want to let you know some of the best places you can visit in my country. You may think that all the Latin countries are pretty much the same, but you'd be surprised to see that although there is much in common, there is a very big difference not only form country to country but from region to region. Colombia is a very good example of this. Now, the country is composed of five main regions: Amzonia, Orinoquia, Andina, Caribe, and Pacifico. The Spanish names might not help for anything if you have absolutely no idea of what the country's geography is like. So, basically the five regions are, the Amazon jungle, the Caribbean coast, the Andean mountain range, the Pacific coast, and the eastern plains which border with the Orinoco river. All these regions vary in climates, vegetation, cultures, and accents and they each offer very unique types of travel and tourism.

To begin, let me tell you about the Amazon. I've been very lucky because I've been 3 times in the Amazon rain forest and these visits have allowed me to become more familiar with the jungle and appreciate it even more. This region has very hard access. The dense jungle makes it hard to build roads (not that it's necessary because that would completely destroy the wildlife and plants) and also, the infamous Colombian terrorist groups take advantage of the inaccessibility of the jungle to keep their hostages and plan their next assault. Regardless, Colombia is very diverse and it's full of rare creatures that only inhabit the Amazon rain forest. So, if you have plans on visiting this magical place, I recommend you fly straight to Leticia. The capital of the departamento del Amazonas, Leticia is a small town-like city with just over 15,000 people. However, its full of warm loving people coming from all over the country (and indigenous descendants) that will make your stay much more pleasant. The Amazon has many places you can visit and Leticia happens to be right in the middle of it. Bordering both Brazil and Peru, you get a little of the three countries in a perimeter of a few blocks. The Amazon region has many national parks made to conserve nature and there's one in particular that I liked the most: Amacayacu. You won't regret having visited Amacayacu. Complete with a cabins for visitors and many options of outdoor adventure like the canopy or canoeing, you won't get bored. Also, you can ask for any guided walks across the jungle in which, if you're lucky might even get to see monkeys or birds in their natural habitat. Finally, you might even get to swim with dolphins or see them come close to you from a boat or a kayak. So, there are many things to do while you visit the Amazon, and trust me, it's safe and you will be glad you went there.

The next region, the Orinoquia is one of the mos beautiful regions of Colombia. The region, also known as the Llanos Orientales, is complete with birds and mammals such as the capibara. It has a very nice climate and a lovely scenery. The Orinoquia is made up of some of the most beautiful ----------