Ciudad Perdida is an archaeological site located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern Colombia. Archaeologists believe that the city was founded 650 years before Machu Picchu, but the ruins were not discovered until 1972. The ruins consist of 169 stone terraces carved into the mountainside, where houses of the Tayrona people were believed to have been located.

Some of the views along the trek

The only way to reach the Lost City is via a 4,5 or 6 day trek through the Sierra Nevada mountains. This hike can be grueling but is one of the highlights of our trip so far, read below to get all the information you need to know about this trek.

How to book the tour

Santa Marta is the base for booking trips to the Lost City. There used to be a route from Minca but this has now been closed indefinitely. There are around 6-8 tour groups in Santa Marta with which you can book the trek, and all have the exact same price as the government has it fixed. When we went in March 2018 this price was 950,000COP but please note that the price has been going up almost constantly in the last few years. You will be presented with the option of either doing the tour in 4, 5 or 6 days. In truth the only difference in each option is that you spending a night in the camp where you have lunch in Day 4. Our advice is to just do the 4 day option, trust us, you will want to get back and have a hot shower ASAP!

A macaw at one of the camps

When deciding which tour company to go with you need to consider whether you will need a Spanish translator or not. Aoife and I can understand Spanish to a relatively high level but we felt more comfortable having a translator available for anything we didn’t understand. So if you need a translator make sure the company provides one! We talked to Wiwa tours first and they told us that having a translator depended on what day we went went! For this reason we went with Magic Tours and we can highly recommend them. They were extremely professional, from the minute we entered their office to enquire about the trip, until we had left after the tour. We got a great guide, Jose Aguilar who was extremely knowledgeable on the area, he knew all about the different plants and any medicinal benefits they can have. He also knew alot about the indigenous tribe and was able to demonstrate to us the culture of using a poporo and how to make one. Our translator, Thomas, was excellent also, he had fantastic English and really looked after the whole group well. We had tasty meals and a bed every night also.

Some local pigs being fed!

What to expect

We went during the dry season so we had two things which are different to the rainy season – no rain (surprise!) but lots of fellow tourists! We can imagine that doing this trip in the rainy season is going to be a lot tougher, so respect to anyone who does it then!

Expect some unbelievable views

The below are some notes on what to expect on each day of the Ciudad Perdida trek (camp stops are specific to Magic Tours, the route there is the same for everyone):

Day 1

We left Magic Tours office at 9am and made it to Restaurante La Negra ( the starting point of the trek) at around 11.45am. Here we had lunch and got an introduction on what to expect for the next few days. We then started hiking around 1pm. This day was HOT! There is not much shade from the sun and a lot of the day is going uphill, but you do get lots of breaks. You get a watermelon snack and also have the chance to buy water, Gatorade, coke, etc. After walking uphill for about 2.5 hours, you then have about 1 hour of going down hill before reaching the camp for the night, Camp Adan. You get a nice meal, good showers, and a bed with mosquito net!

Some of the views on Day 1!

Day 2

This is the toughest day of the trek. You are going to be covering about 16/17 km in total. We set off at 6.30am after getting up at 5.30am. They first part is level before you have a lung bursting (but short) trek uphill. It’s then down hill for about an hour before you arrive at Wiwa Camp. There we had a nice 3 hour break, first heading to waterfall to refresh, and then having lunch. When we set off again we had about 1 hour of flat terrain before enjoying another dip in a river. After this, it gets tough. There is a long, long uphill climb, and this part is the toughest of the entire trek. It takes about 2 hours before you finally get to the top and have some fruit! After that it’s downhill, and then a little uphill before reaching your camp for the night, Camp Paraiso. You are just 3km away from Ciudad Perdida here and as such EVERY group stays there. It means there are about 200 people in camp, and only 4 toilets and showers! So expect to queue! You get dinner and, if you are like us, head to bed early!

A traditional indigenous village

Day 3

Ciudad Perdida!

Today is the day that you get to see Ciudad Perdida! We got up again at 5.30am and left at 6.30am. You have around 20 minutes of walking and crossing a river before you get to the fabled steps of Ciudad Perdida. I believe the official step count is 1,200 uphill steps, but it will feel like more! You will feel your legs burn like never before. When you get to the top you are at Ciudad Perdida. The tour groups organise themselves so that you go up to the famous terraces one at a time. Up there you will get a talk about the city and the Tairona people who lived there. After you get your chance to take some photos before heading back down the 1,200 steps! You get around 4 hours in Ciudad Perdida, and even get a little snack up top! You return to Paraiso camp for lunch before starting the journey back to Santa Marta! The rest of the day is long, but there is no long uphill trek’s. The big uphill climb from yesterday is now a downhill so you can enjoy the views more! You finish in Wiwa camp (where you had lunch yesterday) at about 5pm.

The many, many steps leading to the Lost City

Day 4

Final day of your trek! You leave at the normal time and you have two big uphill climbs to do before reaching the camp where you stayed on night 1. From here it’s a pretty straightforward trek, mostly down hill, but like Day 1 it is HOT! Eventually you will reach La Negra for lunch and the relief you will feel will be incomparable!!

Some local indigenous children

What to bring

Shoes – bring hiking shoes. But try to make sure they are breathable, because mine weren’t and I suffered because of it! Literally puddles in my shoes!! Bring a spare pair of shoes for the evening, either flip flops or sandals to let your feet breath. You will also need these as there is a river crossing on day 2 and 3!

Clothes – two pairs of shorts, 4 t shirts, 4 pairs of underwear, 4 pairs of socks. What you need to know is that you will sweat – alot! And when you arrive in camp your clothes will not dry! So you need to bring enough because there is nothing worse than putting on wet clothes in the morning. Also bring your swimsuit and a towel, there is alot of swimming opportunities!
Also bring a change of clothes for the evening so you can change into clean clothes everyday. And make sure it includes long pants, there are alot of mosquitos!!

A Toucan in the Lost City

Torch – bring some sort of light for the night time, when the lights go out it’s pitch dark so you don’t want to be stumbling around looking for the toilet!

Sleeping bag liner – something to sleep in, the hygeine in the camps isn’t great, the beds are damp (they are in the jungle) so having something dry and clean to sleep in is nice!

Ear plugs/eye mask – it’s a dorm with alot of people, and alot of torches going on all the time during the night so the eye mask is handy!

A refreshing waterfall on the hike

Toiletries – all the toiletries you need, plus soap and small shampoo! Don’t forget toothpaste!

Toilet paper – they provide some but it’s better to be prepared for in case they don’t!

Medicine – any medicine you take and also some diarrhea tablets. It’s well known that people can get sick on this trip, so just in case!

Plastic bags – to cover your clothes in case it rains and also somewhere to put your wet, smelly clothes. Can’t emphasize enough how wet and smelly you will be!!

Water – take 1.5 litres on day 1. After that you can refill with the purified water provided in camps or buy water at each camp.

Money – you can buy beer, water, Gatorade and sodas at every camp, ranging in price from 5-6,000COP. So bring enough money in case you will need some!

Alan helping to make the poporo!

Insect repellent – so important! Bring a full bottle, you might just use it all! There are ALOT of moquitos and sand flies around so make sure to top up throughout the day. Alot of our group got attacked by sand flies, we didn’t get one bite, because of topping up!

Sunscreen – the sun gets hot and particularly on day 1 and 4 there is no shade so you need it!

First aid kit – at least the basics like plasters and blister gel. These saved my life on the trek!

Hat and sunglasses – to help with the sun!

Camera/GoPro – for memories!

We made it!

These are all our trips for visiting Ciudad Perdida. Its a tough trek but it is worth every drop of sweat when you arrive at the Lost City. If you have finished Ciudad Perdida and you have anything else to add, let us know!