I Found The Lost City!

Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) is an archaeological site of an ancient city located in Northern Colombia that is said to pre-date Machu Picchu. The journey to the city boasts incredible natural scenery of abundant jungle greenery, pristine rivers and stone paths. Prior to my trip, I had not heard about this trek and eventually when other travellers mentioned it, it wasn't in a positive light. But don't let the idea of walking 60km in 30 degree heat, up and down inclines, completely sweating through your clothes, deter you from embarking on this incredible adventure! The scenery alone is incomparable as I had never seen such deep green vegetation span over such a large area.

The trek can last 3, 4 or 5 days depending on which tour you choose. I booked my 4-day trek with Wiwa Tours, and I wouldn't recommend any other tour provider based on the fact that they are the only ones that have Indigenous guides. Although the Wiwa guides spoke Spanish, an English translator was also assigned to the group, but having members of the Wiwa tribe with us was a great way to learn about their culture directly from them. All the tour companies for this trek charge the same amount to avoid competition, I did this trek in May which was during rainy season so because of this, all the tour companies offered a significant discount. The rainy season definitely changes the experience which I will explain later...

The temperature in Santa Marta is fairly consistent throughout the year, which means it will always be around 30 degrees celsius whilst you are walking, so you don't want to bring any 'nice' clothes because you will sweat through ALL of your layers. That being said, you don't want to pack too many things as you have to carry your own bag so a small backpack with just the essentials is recommended. I took; two hiking outfits which I alternated over the 4 days (2 sports bras and 2 shorts), something to sleep in, bug spray, sun cream, toiletries, underwear, socks, dry towel, water bottle, headlamp and you're going to need some cash to buy water along the way, as the only refill stations are at the overnight lodges. I also took my power bank and cable as although there is an area in the lodges where you can charge your phone, there are not many outlets and it can get busy if there's lots of people trying to use them, they are also in a public, open space or it's hard to always keep an eye on it. Regarding footwear, I wore my running trainers but I strongly advise you to take walking boots, especially if you are going in rainy season.

There are only two ways to reach The Lost City, walking or by mule, so keep that in mind before signing up to this trek. And actually, if you're going to use the mule for yourself or your bag, don't bother going. If you don't want to carry yourself or your own bag in that heat, on uneven terrain, up and down inclines, don’t make the mules do it either. And also bear in mind that this is a challenging, remote route so if something happens to you, medical assistance is not always immediate. Although all the guides are first-aid trained, for more serious injuries evacuation can involve being taken back along the exact route you arrived on, or in dire cases, helicopter evacuation which can only be executed in specific areas due to the dense jungle. Anyways -

Day 1

A Wiwa guide picked me up from my hostel and we walked to the meeting point nearby, here we checked in for the trek and could leave our big bags safely whilst we were away (if you are not returning to Santa Marta you can tell the office staff and they will make sure to bring your bag to the pick up point at the end of your trek). Then, nicely air conditioned cars took us on a 2 hour drive to the starting point, near El Mamey, where we collected our bracelets (worn to identify your tour groups) and had lunch before starting the trek. The first day was pretty easy, walking on a wide paved road up a steady incline for 7km, there are a few points along the route where we stopped that had benches and opportunities to buy water or soft drinks, and we were told the further along the route we got, the more expensive the water would get. At least one stop per day was a fruit stop where we were given watermelon, bananas or oranges. Once we reached the camp, we had time to shower and change and we were the only group there for the whole night. The showers were fine, but cold, and there were clothes lines around the lodge to hang up our sweaty/wet clothes. Once everyone had reached and was ready, we were given dinner which I remember being decent and filling, although I can't remember exactly what I ate, specific plates were bought out per person depending on their dietary requirements. After dinner we had a talk from our guide about the history of The Lost City, then had time to socialise before going to bed. The bunk beds were comfy at the first camp and covered by a mosquito net.

Day 2

My Everest. We had an early start and after breakfast, we began our day. The morning portion of the hike was a lot of walking downhill on muddy jungle trails which took a toll on the knees. Our lunch spot was at an overnight lodge however we would not be staying here until the following night on our way back. Once we reached, we had time for a quick dip in the Buritaca River and this had to be my personal highlight of the entire trek because the view of this swimming spot was unreal! And obviously, I didn't have my phone on me to take a picture so here's my poor attempt at describing its beauty; imagine thick green jungle along both sides of the river, the water is clear and there's a slow current flowing through the middle section, until it reaches an area full of rocks where it begins to look like small rapids. The sun is out, you climb onto one of the rocks and sit there pretending to be the little mermaid as you stare at the jungle ahead, life is good. After some time here, we had lunch and were able to hang our wet swimwear and leave it at this camp as we would be back there the next day. We started walking again and this is when I started having strong shooting pains in my knee every time I took a step and at the same time, rainy season kicked in and it was so heavy that some of the small trails turned into thin rivers, the dirt trails became muddy and slippery, everything was soaked through and I began regretting every life decision that bought me here. The weather made this portion of the day difficult and when I finally thought I'd made it to the lodge, it was just a halfway rest stop and I still had a long way to go. After a little moment alone, I managed to block out the pain and carry on, the guides were incredible and helped me on the slippery slopes and stayed with me until we eventually made it to the lodge where popcorn and hot chocolate were waiting upon arrival. At this lodge, other tour groups were also staying here so it was a bit busier, so I had to queue for a shower. We ate dinner in our tour groups, had a little group chit chat then went to bed, and I was so tired and the bed was so comfy I did not want to get up the next morning.

Day 3

Another early start, had breakfast, took some painkillers for my knee and off we trot. The morning walk felt shorter as we headed towards The Lost City, the entrance of which is only accessible by climbing 1200 stone steps, and again, I wish I took a picture because these were some REALLY steep, thin steps, you really do have to climb them. As we were one of the first groups up there it was really quiet and we barely saw anyone else. We walked around the city, listening to our guide tell us about his culture, the history of the city and it's significance to the Indigenous community. Once we reached the main area and had taken all our photos, the guides came out with a platter of snacks for us to enjoy whilst they gave us more information and sang for us in the Wiwa's language. We then left the city and began walking back along the same trails we had followed to get to the city until we reached our final lodging. This was by far the worst lodge in terms of bugs all around us whilst we tried to eat, it was the first night I did not sleep well as I was constantly waking up to itch my bites.

Day 4

The same morning routine, expect this time I knew I was so close to this all being over. Luckily it did not rain during our last day of hiking but the heat was unbearable and I remember this one long, steep, incline that was in direct sunlight the entire time which probably took about an hour to get to the end of. On this day, I made one stop which was at our first lodge where we were given some snacks, but apart from that I just kept going until I saw the end. From our first lodge it was possible to get a motorbike down to the end (at a cost) but the journey from this point was a lot easier due to the fact that we were back on a paved road. Every group has a different meeting point and it took me a while to find ours, being the first down (I'm like an Ibex goat on the way down from a hike). Eventually when I found it, I waited for the others and then we had a celebratory lunch and a drink, before the wonderfully air conditioned cars came back to pick us up.

In comparison, the 3-day trek is exactly the same but you complete it in one less day which means your days are filled with longer walks. In contrast to that, the 5-day allows you to finish a little slower or visit an extra Waterfall near the start of the trek and this was still the same price as the 4-day.

Having completed this trek, I fully understand everyone's objections to doing it. Although it was horrible at times, I'm so glad I can say I did it, and so lucky to have seen such a well preserved area filled with nature, which we are seeing less and less of today. If you're in Santa Marta and this hasn't put you off, give it a chance!

A happy bunny who's happy to no longer be hiking!

Was that not enough for you? Okay, check out my Tayrona National Park Blog for another hiking experience or explore more of Colombia here!