Pamplona is a Colombian city in the Northeast of the country near the border with Venezuela in the department Norte de Santander. It is situated in the mountains above the largest city in the region, Cúcuta. The international border in Cúcuta is said to be the most dynamic of South America, both in industrial trade and human crossing. Since 2010 this has become the epicenter of the migration crisis as Venezuela falls deeper into socioeconomic and political collapse. This collapse began during the presidency of Hugo Chávez, and has continued into the presidency of Nicolás Maduro. It is marked by hyperinflation (predicted to hit 10 million percent in 2019), hunger, disease, some of the highest rates of crime and violence in Latin America, and massive emigration from the country. Approximately 5,000 people left the country per day in 2018, and UNHCR estimates there are 4.5 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide. Of these, 1.4 million are in Colombia. It is one of the largest mass migrations in Latin American history.
Without money for airfare, bus tickets or even a passport, thousands of Venezuelans, including families with babies are on foot, walking to find what they hope will be better lives in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. Their journey begins in the sweltering border desert near Cúcuta, with the sun beating on their backs and leads them to climb towering mountain ranges defined by cold temperatures, pouring rains and winding roads. Some head to nearby towns in search for work, others travel to Colombia's large cities like Bogota (walking 563km or 350 miles) and Medellin (595km or 370 miles), many more flee across the region to countries like Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. Almost all are unsure of what waits ahead.
Making the choice to take the journey on foot makes traveling light essential. Most people including women and children have nothing but a small bag with a change of clothes and a mobile phone. Some walk even barefoot as they do not have shoes to wear. There is only one route to get to the Southern cities, known as the Cúcuta-Bucaramanga Road. People will walk for 8-12 hours a day. In some cases Colombian residents that live along the road have opened up their homes to allow for exhausted and hungry people to have a warm place to sleep at night before going on their way. These shelters are limited and often first serve mothers and young children or the elderly. International aid organizations have created a few medical stops along the way to provide treatment and support. A humanitarian organization has been handing out solar-powered lanterns for visibility from ongoing traffic after various people were hit in the last months.
360 Video experience:
For optimal viewing watch on a computer or monitor with headphones or VR glasses.
You can explore a 360 video with your arrow keys, mouse, or trackpad to explore the scenario.
A young boy looks from the back of a truck providing transport to Venezuelan migrants walking along National Route 55 from Pamplona to Bogota. Colombians driving this route in empty trucks will stop to pick up travelers either altruistically or for a fee. Families traveling with young children will elect to use whatever small resources they have at their disposal to pay for this service instead of walking the dangerous and unlit road.
Venezuelan migrants prepare to spend the night in a makeshift tent alongside National Road 55 in Colombia, a busy and poorly lit transit road between the Venezuelan border and Bogota. They use solar lanterns to illuminate the shelter that were donated by US company SoLight Design, which provides humanitarian aid to the region. In rain and freezing temperatures these makeshift structures provide little shelter or comfort for weary travelers.
Venezuelan migrants seek rest in the home of Martha Duque (not pictured), now a shelter in Pamplona, Colombia. Recognizing the inability of humanitarian organizations to meet the demands of this massive emigration, Martha created the imporavised shelter in 2018 despite resistance from neighbors and the municipal government. Various parts of her home, such as the living room pictured here, have been turned into sleeping and common areas. She works there now with five migrants who decided to stay and help others who have also elected to leave their communities and make the journey. She opens her doors each night to 45-60 women and children, providing shelter and basic medical assistance. The shelter additionally feeds 200-300 people daily.
Venezuelan emigrants Santiago Gonzalez (28), Victor Castillo (21), Jose romero (27), Manuel cortina (23), and Jona Valera (23) walk at night on the road from Pamplona to La Laguna, Colombia. They have been walking for two days with little rest or shelter. Without money for airfare, bus tickets or even a passport, thousands of Venezuelans, including families with babies are on foot, walking to find what they hope will be better lives in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. A humanitarian organization working on the Colombian-Venezuelan border has been handing out solar-powered lanterns for visibility from ongoing traffic after various people were hit in the last months. The lanterns have been donated by SoLight Design, a US company working to provide solar light to areas in need. The United Nations estimates 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled since 2014 as the country with the world's largest oil reserves sinks into the country's most severe economic crisis. It is one of the largest mass migrations in Latin American history.