Amacayacu National Natural Park

Amacayacu National Natural Park is a national protected area of Colombia, situated along the Amazon River in the south of the country, in the Amazonas Department. It is the country's only protected area that conserves the flooded forests of the Amazon River.

The National Park is home to many bird and mammal species and more than 5,000 species of plants. Its forests, characteristic of the Amazon biome, house the most extensive diversity of primates worldwide. There are 468 recorded species of birds, 11 species of herons, and 150 species of aquatic mammals, which include the Amazonian manatee and the river dolphin.

Amacayacu National Park encompasses 293,500 ha (725,254 acres) of Amazon Rainforest within the southern portion of the department, south of the Putumayo River, which is often called the "Amazon Trapeze" or "Amazonian Trapezoid." The area includes the triple border of Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. It also contains Colombia's access to the Amazon River and the department's capital, the port city of Leticia.

The park's elevation varies from 0 - 300 m (0 - 1,000 ft) above sea level. A significant portion of the park area is flooded annually by the Amazon River during the wet season. As a result, temperatures in the region vary only slightly annually and average 26 to 28 °C (78.8 to 82.4 °F).

The Amazon region has two differentiated high-water and low-water seasons. As a result, the region's rivers dramatically fluctuate in volume and water level during the year. The lowest rainfall occurs from June through November, and the highest from December through May.

In September, the dry season, the riverbanks are bare. However, as rain increases, the river's water level reaches 10 m (32 ft) of flood stage during May. As a result, the upper forest canopy in the park varies between 30 and 50 m (98 and 164 ft) in height.

The Ticuna people currently inhabit a portion of the park. San Martín de Amacayacu is an indigenous Ticuna settlement deep in the rainforest.

Southwest of the park is the village of Puerto Nariño. It has about 6,000 residents, and most of them are indigenous. The city is entirely pedestrian, with no cars or motorcycles allowed. It offers a viewing tower as well as hiking trails.

Amacayacu National Natural Park is accessed by boat from the city of Leticia. Nearby, Lake Tarapoto is known for its pink dolphins.