COLOMBIA

Diverse as it is dazzling, Colombia is where vast regions of rainforest sit at the foot of some of the highest mountains in the world, where hundreds of miles of Pacific and Caribbean coastlines promise countless, untouched beaches. But this isn't just a place to marvel at the scenery, it's a place for adventure: ride out with cowboys in the lowlands; scuba dive off remote islands; taste Colombian-grown coffee right at the source; spend time with Indigenous communities in the Amazon; and lose yourself in some of Latin America's most captivating cities

- HANNAH SUMMERS

THE AMAZON WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Arrive in Leticia, the humid 'capital' of the Colombian Amazon, and you'll already feel far from home; but journey a further 30 miles by boat upriver for wild river safaris and memorable encounters with Indigenous communities

His watery eyes urging me to listen, 75-year-old Victor Angel Pereira stares at me intently. “This,” he says, while pointing to a tree next to him, “is what I give people for head and stomach issues. But not much,” he says, stopping to make sure I appreciate the gravity that comes with his role as village healer, “because too much and you’ll die.”

Here in the depths of the Colombian Amazon, right at the very southern tip of the country, deadly plants are remarkably low down on my list of concerns. One day here has gifted me sightings of a multicoloured dart frog the size of a thumbnail, yet one of the most poisonous creatures on the planet; a furry tarantula suspended in a web at eye height; and a trail of bullet ants, which can cause 24 hours of intense pain with one bite of their tiny jaws. I also learnt that the presence of a snake on the breakfast table has the capacity to wake one up more efficiently than a cup of coffee.