Mitu

Mitu sits on the Vaupes river near the Brazilian border with no road to anywhere - flights, mostly from Bogota, are the only practical access, and the surrounding country is Amazon forest on white sand and rock of the Guiana Shield. That geology is why birders come: white-sand forest supports a specialised bird community that does not occur on richer soils, and the trails around Mitu hold species that are extremely difficult to see anywhere else in Colombia, with lists from a week here running very high. Access to the trails goes through the indigenous communities whose land they cross, with permissions and guides arranged locally. The population is largely indigenous, of several peoples.

History

The town grew out of the rubber trade: Brazilian and Colombian rubber men competed across the upper Guainía and Apaporis basins, and by 1903 rubber was worked intensely around the Vaupés. Miguel Cuervo Araoz set up Mitú as a small hamlet in October 1936, a meeting point of indigenous communities and a centre of rubber, the fur trade and missions; it became the capital of the Vaupés commissary in 1963, a municipality in 1974 and the capital of the new department of Vaupés in 1991 (Wikipedia, Mitú).

What's there

• White-sand forest birds - a specialised community found on poor soils.
• No road access at all - flights from Bogota or Villavicencio only.
• Guiana Shield geology - rock and white sand under Amazon forest.
• Community-controlled trails - permissions arranged locally.

When to go

December to March. Several days.

Good to know

Flights are limited, expensive and sometimes cancelled. Trails cross indigenous land and require permission and guides. Facilities in town are basic. Heat, humidity and insects are constant.

Nearby

The Brazilian border is close; Puerto Inirida is north-east.

Key facts