Mosquitoes in Leticia & the Colombian Amazon: Malaria, Yellow Fever & Oropouche (2026)

Q: Do I need malaria pills for Leticia?

The CDC reports malaria transmission in "All areas <1,700 m (<5,600 ft) elevation" of Colombia, and its only city exceptions are Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín. Leticia, Puerto Nariño and the lodges sit at about 330 feet (100 m), well inside that rule. The CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine, and which one suits you is a decision for a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure. Bring the rest of your Colombia route to the same appointment.

Q: Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Leticia?

The CDC recommends it for all travelers 9 months and older except on a short list of exceptions, and none of them covers Amazonas. It also lists Colombia's entry rule as "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old" and says entry rules can change, so confirm it with a Colombian embassy or consulate and carry the certificate. Its outbreak notice says to get vaccinated at least 10 days before travel. The outbreak is centered on Tolima, and no yellow fever cases were reported from Amazonas in 2025 or 2026.

Q: Is Oropouche still a risk around Leticia?

Leticia was the center of Colombia's 2024 outbreak, with 68 cases there and 2 in Puerto Nariño through July of that year. None of the 26 confirmed cases PAHO counted in Colombia from January to mid-July 2025 was in Amazonas. The virus is spread mainly by a tiny biting midge and has no vaccine, so the CDC advises avoiding bites during the trip and for 3 weeks after. Pregnant travelers should talk to a healthcare provider before going.

Q: Can I day-trip to Tabatinga or Santa Rosa?

Yes, and the CDC's advice doesn't change when you cross. It lists malaria medicine for all of Brazil's Amazonas state and for Peru east of the Andes below 8,200 ft (2,500 m), and recommends yellow fever vaccine for both, which covers Tabatinga and Santa Rosa. Neither Brazil nor Peru requires the vaccine for entry. Mention both at the travel clinic; our Manaus and Peruvian Amazon briefings cover those countries' Amazon.

The CDC recommends malaria medicine and yellow fever vaccine for Leticia and its river lodges, and it lists Colombia's vaccine entry rule for every arriving traveler 1 and older. The town was the center of Colombia's 2024 Oropouche outbreak, and Tabatinga in Brazil and Santa Rosa in Peru carry the same CDC advice.

Are there mosquitoes in Leticia? Plenty, and this is the part of a Colombia trip that starts at a travel clinic. Leticia sits on the Amazon at about 330 feet (100 m), far below the CDC's 5,600-foot malaria line, so its malaria-medicine advice covers the town and every lodge around it, and it recommends the yellow fever vaccine as well. Our Colombia briefing covers the rest of the country.

Disease risk HighCDC recommends malaria medicine and yellow fever vaccine for Leticia, and the town was the center of Colombia's 2024 Oropouche outbreak; no yellow fever cases were reported from Amazonas in 2025 or 2026.

Bite nuisance AnnoyingVisitors describe mosquitoes and small biting flies as constant on forest walks and boat trips; screened, netted lodge cabins tend to keep nights manageable.

CirculatingMalaria (below 5,600 ft, CDC)Yellow fever (vaccine advised and required)Oropouche (2024 focus)Dengue (stable in Amazonas)No yellow fever cases in Amazonas (2025–26)Chikungunya vaccine only for long stays (CDC)

CDC noticesLevel 2 · Yellow fever in Colombia (outbreak centered on Tolima) · CDCLevel 1 · Global dengue (Colombia listed) · CDC

Travel clinicCDC reports malaria in all areas of Colombia below 5,600 ft (1,700 m), which takes in Leticia, Puerto Nariño and the lodges, and recommends yellow fever vaccine for travelers 9 months and older; it lists Colombia's entry rule as vaccination from age 1. Tabatinga and Santa Rosa carry the same CDC advice. See a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.

Dec–Apr tripsDecember to April is roughly the wetter half of the year, with the river rising toward its high-water peak around April and May and opening canoe routes through the flooded forest. The CDC's malaria and yellow fever advice applies in every month, and dengue in Amazonas was stable going into late 2026.

Data checkedOctober 2026 · sources

Malaria and yellow fever

What CDC says: malaria transmission occurs in "All areas <1,700 m (<5,600 ft) elevation" of Colombia, with "No malaria transmission in the cities of Bogotá (the capital), Cartagena, or Medellín." Yellow fever vaccine "is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old except as follows," and none of the exceptions covers Amazonas. Under entry requirements: "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old." What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure with the whole route, including any hop across the border, and confirm the entry rule with a Colombian embassy or consulate. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.

The CDC's Level 2 yellow fever notice, last reviewed October 16, 2026, says "Most cases are being reported in Tolima" and advises getting vaccinated at least 10 days before travel. No yellow fever cases were reported from Amazonas in 2025 or 2026. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) placed Colombia's 125 confirmed cases of 2025 in six other departments and all 25 from early 2026 in Tolima.

Oropouche and dengue

Leticia was the center of Colombia's 2024 Oropouche outbreak. Almost 95% of the country's cases through July of that year were in Amazonas, 68 of them in Leticia, according to National Health Institute data. No Oropouche cases were reported from Amazonas in 2025, when PAHO placed all 26 of Colombia's confirmed cases from January to mid-July in Vaupés, Tolima, Córdoba and Huila. The virus is spread mainly by a tiny biting midge and has no vaccine, so the CDC advises avoiding bites during the trip and for 3 weeks afterward. Pregnant travelers should talk to a healthcare provider before going.

PAHO counted 83,905 suspected dengue cases in Colombia through late September 2026, fewer than in 2025 but at outbreak level for the time of year, and it described the trend in Amazonas as stable. The dengue mosquito bites by day, so in Leticia, Tabatinga and Santa Rosa, repellent goes on in the morning as well as at dusk.

Dusk on the river

Lodge cabins tend to be screened, with nets over the beds, which keeps nights manageable. Forest walks have a reputation for fierce mosquitoes, and night caiman trips and dawn outings on the Tarapoto lakes put you on the water at the worst hours, when malaria mosquitoes and the sand flies that spread leishmaniasis bite. Wear permethrin-treated long sleeves, trousers and socks, keep repellent fresh on exposed skin, and check the net for holes before you sleep.

Across the border

The CDC's advice is the same on the other two sides of the river. Tabatinga is in Brazil's Amazonas state, where the CDC lists malaria in "All areas" and recommends yellow fever vaccine, with none required for entry. Santa Rosa, in Peru's Loreto region, falls inside its malaria area east of the Andes and its yellow fever recommendation, also with no entry requirement. Continuing to Ecuador? It requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from travelers aged 1 to 60 who spent more than 10 days in Colombia, Peru, Brazil or Bolivia.

Where you're going

Scores are for a December–April trip.

jungle

Amacayacu park lodges

Disease risk HighBite nuisance Annoying

Community lodges on the edge of Amacayacu National Park. Cabins tend to be screened and netted, but forest walks have a reputation for fierce mosquitoes, and sand flies bite there from dusk to dawn, so wear treated long sleeves and trousers.

jungle

Puerto Nariño & the Tarapoto lakes

Disease risk HighBite nuisance Annoying

The car-free village and base for pink-dolphin trips on the lakes, with 2 of Colombia's 2024 Oropouche cases. Dawn and dusk on the water are the hours to cover up.

city

Tabatinga, Brazil

Disease risk ElevatedBite nuisance Noticeable

Leticia's twin town across an open land border. Brazil's Amazonas state counted 24,437 malaria cases from January to July 2026, 25% fewer than a year earlier and mostly in interior municipalities.

island

Santa Rosa, Peru

Disease risk ElevatedBite nuisance Noticeable

A short boat ride from Leticia, in Peru's Loreto region, which had 17,383 malaria cases in 2026 through late September, against 26,445 a year earlier. Yavarí district, along the same border, had 980.

Our Manaus briefing covers Brazil's Amazon downriver, and the Peruvian Amazon briefing covers Iquitos and Tambopata.

The Leticia lodge kit

Treated clothes for the forest, spray for the town and the boat.

Permethrin 0.5% for jungle clothes: treat a long-sleeved shirt, trousers and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. It goes on clothing, never on skin.
Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the humidity and layers over sunscreen for the daytime dengue mosquito in town. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.

Permethrin → Carry-on trio → Full rankings

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor threads and linked so you can read them in full. One is a March 2017 trip report and the other is undated, so read them for how the biting feels rather than for this season's risk.

Colombian Amazon (Leticia) · March · 2017
A trip report said a repellent that also contains an oil against the small biting flies would have helped, and advised applying repellent under clothing as well as over it because many insects bite through. TripAdvisor ↗
Leticia
Asked which repellents work without harming wildlife, a reply said natural alternatives do not give enough protection in Amazon conditions and recommended a DEET-based spray sold in Colombian pharmacies. TripAdvisor ↗

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during the trip or in the weeks and months after means a doctor visit, and you tell the doctor you were in the Amazon at Leticia.

Traveler questions

Do I need malaria pills for Leticia?

The CDC reports malaria transmission in "All areas <1,700 m (<5,600 ft) elevation" of Colombia, and its only city exceptions are Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín. Leticia, Puerto Nariño and the lodges sit at about 330 feet (100 m), well inside that rule. The CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine, and which one suits you is a decision for a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure. Bring the rest of your Colombia route to the same appointment.

Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Leticia?

The CDC recommends it for all travelers 9 months and older except on a short list of exceptions, and none of them covers Amazonas. It also lists Colombia's entry rule as "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old" and says entry rules can change, so confirm it with a Colombian embassy or consulate and carry the certificate. Its outbreak notice says to get vaccinated at least 10 days before travel. The outbreak is centered on Tolima, and no yellow fever cases were reported from Amazonas in 2025 or 2026.

Is Oropouche still a risk around Leticia?