Trekking Adventure to Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City
The “Machu Picchu” of ColombiaWhat is this trekking adventure all about?
Hidden deep within the dense jungles of the Sierra Nevada mountains lies the ancient Lost City, or Ciudad Perdida, one of Colombia’s most iconic archaeological sites. Believed to have been founded around 800 AD by the Tairona civilization and been “lost” for over 400 years until its discovery in the 1970’s. This remote site is older than Machu Picchu and offers an unforgettable journey through history and nature.
This was our favourite part of our trips to the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, however we must warm you that this 4-5 day hiking adventure requires a good physical condition and is quite challenging, so it is not for everyone. If you decide to go for this, please use a certified agency: the only way to access the path and get to the lost city is with a paid and certified guide and there are several scam-offers trying to sell fake excursions to the Ciudad Perdida.
The cost of this excursion is between 200-300 USD per person, but includes guide, accommodation, transport, and food for 4-5 days, which makes it a good cost-quality experience. The recommended route lasts five days, but if you have a good physical condition, you can easily manage it in 4 days (and three nights).
Day 1
On the first day, you will either be picked up from your hotel or meet at the travel agency and drive with a jeep to the town where the official road starts. Then you will walk for around four hours to the first camp, which you will reach in the afternoon, giving you enough time for a swim in its natural pool and a good dinner.
The first part is discouraging since it is very steep, under the burning sun, and with a not-very-interesting landscape. However, as soon as one enters the jungle, the road becomes much easier and the temperature much milder.
The camps are surprisingly comfortable and offer you options to sleep either in a hammock or in a bed with mosquito net (recommended), their food and drink offer is very decent, and they have showers, and medicines, among other useful services for hikers (such as clothes washing or mini-stores).
Day 2
The next day will start early in the morning, have a stop for lunch in another camp, and then continue with a few very exhausting hours to the sleeping camp, which is the first one on the way managed by indigenous people.The lunch camp is one where people that do the slower trekking stay, we howevere moved on quite quickly to reach the next camp on the same day.
The agreement between the indigenous people of the Sierra and the campesinos that have settled in the area is that the first half of the way is administered by the latter and the second farm by the former, providing a proportional split of the income.
By the third camp, you will be more than 1500 meter above sea level and the temperature will be proportionally lower, so do not forget to bring some warm clothes for the last part of the hike.
Day 3
The third day is the most spectacular one: you must wake up early and walk the last bit of road to the lost city, which will require you to cross a river by foot, and walk up 1260 steps. At the end of the stairs you will find the ruins of what used to be an important city for the indigenous people of the Sierra. For some unknown reason the city was abandoned at some point and, since these groups did not have written records of their history, got “lost” for more than 100 years under the vegetation of the Sierra, to be only discovered a few decades ago by Colombian archaeologists.
Since then, it became increasingly a touristic attraction that is often compared with the “Machu Picchu” of Colombia, which paradoxically became globally famous in the early 2000s after a group of foreigners were kidnapped on their way to it by local guerrilla groups. These guerrilla groups are no longer active, and the route is very safe now, but it is a good reminder of the hard times that most Colombians in rural areas of the country had to live only a few years ago. Indeed, one of the guides who walked together with our group was a local inhabitant from the area, whose family was oppressed and partially killed by armed groups active in the area when he was a kid, and now is part of a government program, which helps victims of the armed conflict to study: in his case, he is could become a trained tourist guide thanks to this program and has now been able to save enough money to buy a house for him and his family.
Last day and longer excursions
After spending a few hours in the lost city (and if you are lucky even being able to interview with the local mamo that lives there) you will start to return to the starting point, first going down the stairs, passing by the camp for lunch, and so on until you reach your sleeping camp. Here, the people taking the 5-day excursion will stay in the lunch camp, while the other will continue until the late afternoon.
The final day, you will reach the starting point, and the travel with the jeep back to your hotel, with the heart and mind full of positive energy and amazing memories after visiting this magical place.
One important warning is that we were lucky enough to do the entire trip in a group of only 15 people, but before the pandemic, there were groups of around 200 people going up, which can reduce the quality of the experience. If you want to avoid the crowds, talk to your travel agency and ask for a recommendation about the best day to go, or make a speedy start with a horse, to ensure you are a few hours ahead of the masses of people.
