Guainia department, bordering Venezuela in the lush jungles of eastern Colombia, is home to many stunning natural and cultural attractions. Second perhaps only to the incomparable beauty of the Cerros de Mavecure is the Estrella Fluvial del Sur and the beaches of the Atabapo River, on the border between Guainia, Vichada and Venezuela…
This meeting point of 3 giant rivers, the Atabapo, Guaviare and Orinoco was first documented by Alexander Von Humboldt, who gave it the name “Fluvial Star of the South” (it has also been called the Estrella Fluvial de Inirida, Estrella Fluvial del oriente, and Estrella Fluvial de Humboldt) At this point, the blackwater river of the Atabapo merges with the muddy waters of the Guaviare and the Orinoco, and all 3 merge into one to become the main trunk of the Orinoco, which will continue on across the whole of Venezuela before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.
Visiting from Inirida is relatively easy: book a ticket on a voladora speedboat, which departs daily at 6am (ish) from the same docks as the police boats – Hotel Toninas can help you organize your passage, which costs 20.000 COP each way. The boat will head to Amanaven (technically in Vichada), where you can arrange for a bongo canoe to take you to enjoy the meeting point of the river (where you can stop and enjoy bathing in the waters of 3 rivers at once), and then on to the Maviso Rock on the Atabapo – this giant rock was home to a (now ruined) naval base, and is the site of a stunning white-sand beach, and red/coffee colored waters, full of colorful fish, and ideal for swimming. Ask the boatman to drop you there and come back a little later, before you catch the 3pm boat back to Inirida. When I visited, 7 of us split just 30.000 COP for this little half-day trip…
Words can’t do this stunning sight much more justice, so I’ll leave you with a photo gallery of the Estrella Fluvial del Sur and the beaches of the Atabapo River…
If you have any questions about visiting the Estrella Fluvial del Sur or the beaches of the Atabapo River, please get in touch via the comments…
Chris
