MAVECURE — Residents of Remanso, Colombia, have shifted from gold mining to tourism-related work as visitor interest in the Mavecure Mountains grows in 2025. Many now serve as guides, operate hostels, or sell crafts to tourists seeking access to the remote natural site.
The Mavecure Mountains consist of three massive buttes of sandstone, shale, and quartz that rise about 2,000 feet from the Amazon jungle floor. The climb to the top of the smallest peak takes about two hours in 90-degree heat and involves guide ropes and ladders. From the summit, visitors can see a panoramic view of the jungle, the winding Inírida River, and the two taller Mavecure peaks.
Remanso, a village at the foot of Mavecure, now relies on tourism as the main engine of its local economy, according to Mayor Delio Agapito. “Tourism here is still very small-scale,” said Fernando Carrillo, head of Aroma Verde, an environmental foundation that also promotes sustainable tourism.
Fabio Pérez, a former gold miner, now runs a hostel and an apiary project, selling honey to tourists. “Now, I don't abandon my family like I used to. My family is with me. My sons are with me. Tourism has improved our quality of life.” Pérez said.
Gold mining in the area previously polluted jungle rivers with mercury and sediment. The transition to tourism follows Colombia’s 2016 peace treaty with cocaine-trafficking rebels, which helped open once-inaccessible regions to visitors. During the first eight months of 2025, Colombia received 3.1 million international visitors, a record number.
Mavecure receives far fewer visitors than Colombian tourism hotspots like Cartagena or Medellín. There are no roads connecting the area to the rest of Colombia—only rivers—and flights to the nearest airport are sporadic. Tourists sleep in rustic bunkhouses due to a lack of proper hotels. The mountains are sacred to the Puinave and Curipaco Indigenous groups, who climb the ridges to leave offerings to the spirits. The name “Mavecure” refers to the poison-dart blowguns used by Indigenous groups in the region for hunting.