In the quest to find the 'Lost City' (Ciudad Perdida) | Memories from a 4-day trek in the dense Colombian rainforests

When traveling around, it's always an exciting proposition to explore places that need a fair amount of 'hard work' to get there and then to actually be able to visit. On top of that, having a soft spot for hikes only adds to that adventure calling. With this little wild idea, me and my better half set off for a 4-day hike into the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the vast Colombian virgin rainforests in the north of the country to find a lost city that not only would give us an experience of a lifetime but also be one of the most strenuous and mentally-demanding trips of our lives. The below is a personal recollection of 4 days spent with levels of discomfort not known to us before, but indescribably fulfiling quest of going back in time and experiencing the might of humankind.

Ciudad Perdida (Spanish for lost city) is an ancient civilization and predates Columbian times - and true to its name, it was lost for several centuries until local grave robbers discovered it in 1973. The exact dates of the city's origins are still debated, but archaeologists claim that they orginated sometime around 700 AD. This predates the ancient Incan estate of Machu Picchu (in Peru) by several centuries. As with all stories of grave robbers, the initial accounts of Ciudad Perdida are of plundering and thievery as news of its discovery and the existence of buried gold travelled far and wide - come to think of Pirates of the Caribbean in quite a literal sense (the Caribbean Sea is a mere 40km away). In 1976, the Colombian government took control and sent in archaeologists. The excavation of the place took decades and what is visible to visitors at present is only about 50-60% of the total estimated area of the entire city. To give an idea, the excavated area spans about 2 sq.km at an altitude of 1150m above sea level.

The indigenous Tayrona people are believed to be behind the origins of Ciudad Perdida. The Tayronas were an advanced civilization that had social and political organisations, with distinctive culture long before the Spanish conquistadores (conquerors) arrived in this part of the world. Today, the Tayronas still inhabit the dense forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta co-existing with other indigenous communities of the Wiwas, Kogis, Arhuacos and Kankuamos. The communities do not mix, no intermarriages either but they use the forests' resources equally and call it home. During the trek, you get to witness their houses, ways of life and them. We undertook the trek with a travel operator, the only permitted way to visit the lost city. 

DAY 1 | SANTA MARTA TO CAMP ADAN

The Caribbean coastal town of Santa Marta is the perfect launchpad into the Ciudad Perdida. Most travel agencies operate from this town and will take you to the start of the hike. We chose Expotur for their longstanding experience in Ciudad Perdida tours and also for their promptness in responding to our questions. At 9.30am on Day 1, we embarked on our trip first with a 2h 4x4 ride into the Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria National Park. Already from inside the car you start getting the sensation of leaving civilization behind you. Phone reception and internet already disappeared and we hadn't even started hiking. Thus began the start of an exciting wild expedition of which we had very little understanding of what physical and mental challenges awaited us. The 4x4 ride brings you to the interior village of El Mamey where we got a sumptuous Colombian lunch of rice, salad, patacones (fried plantains), lentils, chicken and lemonade. 

      A typical Colombian meal during the trek

While we devoured our meal, we watched weary, wasted hikers returning from the Ciudad Perdida. After receiving instructions from our guide on the hike plan, we embarked on foot. The path started being rather wide, offering views of the surrounding green mountains, sounds of different birds and the gushing waters of the stream-fed river. The path shortly gets steep and we are immediately dripping with sweat, clothes turning wet and the humid weather intensely affecting our hydration. Overhanging patches of clouds offers some respite now and then, but barely does help with the intense humidity in the air. Did I mention that these were rainforests? Still enthusiastic and fresh on Day 1, the energy of the group is palpable but so is the unspoken fear of how intense this will turn in the next days. With short photo stops and after about 2.5h of mostly uphill hike, we arrived at our first watermelon break/stop. 

River and waterfall crossings

Tiny kiosks, mostly run by the local Tayronas, provides fruity breaks (included in the trek costs) where you can also restock on water, other drinks and snacks. They also sell handmade products made by the indigenous communities mostly utilising dried fibres from the Fique plant. While at our little break, the rain gods made their presence known! It was soon time to put on rain gear as the guides were certain that it will turn into a downpour in no time. And how correct were they!!! In no time and right when we started to hike again, it started raining all cats and dogs. We were largely ready in our gear and with an extra layer of garbage bag covering! However, the shoes weren't. Nobody's were! So we hiked in the rain, feet squishing water, clothes completely soaked and hearts pumping with even more excitement. What however helped was the end to the incessant sweating, since we were so drenched by rain. Let's talk the trek route - well, soon the road turned muddy adding an extra scoop of adventure where we really had to try hard and decide where to put the next step...so much so that at one point one foot forward ended up becoming a full unintentional 360° twirl on the spot! At the same time, co-hikers had some nice muddy additions to their clothing from landing on their bottoms. Waterfalls swelled in volume thereby adding to the drama. Luckily for this part of the day, the route turned downhill and we wear nearing Camp 1 (Adan). The rain never dissipated and we arrived in camp soaked to the bone, with wrinkled feet and unfortunately, to a breakdown in power and water supply as well. Camp managers helped in getting a little bit of water for the absolute necessary needs, but hopes of a shower and charging phones had to be stowed away for later. Dinner didn't disappoint and we had another Colombian dinner of rice and fish, supplemented by overhead makeshift lighting from our torches stuck into the ceiling (talk about picking fish bones without light)! With very little to do, we went to bed early and quite necessarily since the wake up call for next day would be an early one...

How Day 1 started!

DAY 2 | CAMP ADAN TO CAMP EL PARAISO

4.40am, Day 2, one of the guides sings her favorite song to wake us up. We are supposed to start hiking at 5.30am and be packed and get breakfast before that. There's little scuttering. People are bruised from the meteorlogically-challenging Day 1 trek. Trekkers are getting out of beds, groggy and groaning, for some even challenging to move around. Still without water and electricity, individual torches are the only glowing things. Shoes are wet and nobody has another option than to put the wet ones on and continue walking...I did the same. The feeling of putting on wet socks and shoes on clean feet and to survive hours of trekking in this manner cannot be expressed in mere words! Weather forecast for the day expects to have rain in the afternoon. Nobody seems to care anymore. 

Early morning sunrays through the forests

Breakfast of Arepas (toasted corn bread), scrambled eggs, fruits, juice and tinto (Colombian black coffee) await us. A quick bit of cleaning up and food makes us ready to a good degree. The day is supposed to be challenging and it surely was. Nevertheless, the most beautiful route awaited us...full with numerous waterfalls, the explosive gushing river and a treacherous path which at certain points were not any wider than about 2 feet. Day 2 was a combination of up- and downhill trek and mostly alongside the river. We made our customary fruit stop. A 1h uphill trek lied ahead of this stop. Remember the rain from the day before? That had impacted the route to a good extent. Getting a firm foothold felt like a Herculean task and it didn't help that mules (the only mode of transporting goods here) trudged along the same path. A glimpse of one of the routes is below.

The muddy trek route

The uphill stretch felt like it went on forever. I long ago gave up checking on my watch. All I cared at that point was to not give up and keep going. The struggle to keep going was another feat. I took to focusing on each step...one foot in front of the other and repeat. Finally, the 1h uphill was behind us. Next would be a mix of terrains, albeit with a looming fear of impending steep uphills ahead and repeating them during the return trip. Shortly after, we arrive at Camp Mumake for lunch. We wouldn't be sleeping here but will refuel our batteries (bodies), get food and be on our way to Camp El Paraiso (Spanish for paradise) where we will be put up for the night. From Mumake, another 3.5h of hike will bring us to our final camp of the day. Once again, we ate our meals and set forth on a terrain that was challenging but rewarding with breathtaking views and drenched in wilderness. A pineapple-orange break in the middle, provided a refueling stop to nurse the mosquito bites and to relax briefly. 

Glimpses of the route 

Arriving at El Paraiso indeed felt like paradise - this time we felt blessed to have water and power supply (courtesy of generators). The shower felt like a hug to the soul. Some went for a swim in the stream next to the camp. Hot chocolate and popcorn awaited us. Phone and camera batteries could charge. This was followed by another sumptuous dinner and soon everyone turned to their beds. The energy from Day 1 differed hugely from Day 2, but the impending excitement of seeing the lost city on Day 3 was not lost on any. We returned rather early to bed which were set up on the banks of the gushing stream, the sound of which would be the perfect lullaby to fall asleep to. Lights would go out at 9pm.

DAY 3 | CAMP EL PARAISO TO CIUDAD PERDIDA

Everything around us is bustling. First the water from the stream, then the movement of different groups going up and about. We had received instructions from our guide the previous evening - wake up at 5am, breakfast at 5.20am and start moving at 5.50am! An 1 to 1.5h trek would bring us up to the lost city. We would finally make it! How exciting!! However when waking up, the body barely registered! Everything and everywhere was aching. The intense humidity wasn't helping either. Following the wake-up call, we went about readying ourselves. Since the trek was an uphill one, we were to leave behind all our stuff at camp and take only cameras, phones and water. The last stretch to reach the lost city comprised of mixed terrain types followed by 1700 stone steps until we reached the foot of the excavated city. And so the final bit of the quest ensued. The morning rays of the sun brought glee and excitement, intermixed with struggle and sweat to conquer those last steps. The steps went about in a zigzagging manner and it wouldn't be incorrect to compare them to a vertical wall. It struck me at this moment - the level of serendipity needed to find something so hidden, so deep in the jungles and so lost by someone who didnt have a path like we did, didnt have stairs ro climb like we are. How on earth do you just stumble upon something lost for so many decades?! Insane! We continued ascending the steps, calf muscles bearing the full brunt of the exercise. 

Finally, we arrived! And that first glimpse was nothing short of pure bewilderment and disbelief - the lost city, Ciudad Perdida, the city of the Tayronas, long lost and refound! What a sprawling view! 

Circular terraces supposedly remnants of houses

Three perfectly circular terraces greets you at the first sight. This is a minuscule part of what lies ahead. The area is huge. Terraces are scattered around. Eleven perfect circular-shaped terraces meant they formed houses of important persons or places for ceremonies. You walk further and the plan of the city spans out in front of your eyes. The houses form a cascade of houses interlinked and interspersed. The ones at the edges are less pronounced, nevertheless are part of the same colony. Another flight of steep stairs led to a larger set of terraces! These are not only larger but also paints a better image of the depth and height of the houses. 

The sprawling terraces of Ciudad Perdida

The surroundings of the lost city is buried in wilderness. Dense rainforests interspersed with waterfalls in the distance, which feed into multiple streams gushing down the valleys and lowlands.

A perfectly perched waterfall to the left of the lost city

Wandering about in this unfathomable place, listening to its history and fables, walking past a couple of present-day Tayrona houses and their cultivation of banana, frijoles (beans), coca, corn, potatoes, oranges among other things, transports you back in time. Even in this age, this place remains largely hidden and is only accessible via foot over a multi-day trek. The indigenous people living here continue leading a life that has no parallels with the life we know. Deep inside the forest also harbours indigenous communities that remain uncontacted till today. Ciudad Perdida is closed off for some months every year where access is solely reserved for the indigenous people. They perform ceremonies on the grounds of the lost city, which holds immense significance in their culture and beliefs. This place existed so far back in time. An unreal sensation takes over your thoughts and body! A little humble, hugely amazed, somewhat perplexed we make our way back after 3h of wandering in the lost city. The trek back, down the same steep stairs, was focused on not losing foothold or slipping on the partially moss-covered steps. We get back to El Paraiso where lunch awaited us. After lunch, we headed back further down the route to Camp Mumake to hang up our hiking boots for Day 3 and to a well-deserved dinner.

DAY 4 | CAMP MUMAKE TO EL MAMEY AND BACK TO SANTA MARTA

One would say that after 3 straight days of hiking, it gets easier. Only if this was true! Our guide announced that Day 4 is going to be a tough one as we have to make it back to base (El Mamey) by early afternoon (1pm). This is necessary because in case it rains (and it does almost everyday), the river would swell and even the guides can't help in crossing it. In total, we were looking at covering a largely uphill trek of 6-7h. So we go again - wake-up call at 5am, out and about at 6am. The first part was pure horror. We had descended quite a bit from Camp Adan to Camp Mumake. So the ascent was impending. And what an ascent it was! My calf muscles worked overtime, but every step needed every ounce of mental stamina that I could muster. Muddy tracks, wet shoes, sky-high humidity and rising heat of the day - all worked against my determination. I trudged along. We all had to. In pain, drenched in sweat, we all kept moving. There was little talk. Watermelon break at a tiny kiosk helped only briefly. Finally, Camp Adan greeted us and our chef handed out lemonade and chocolate cookies. The first 3h were behind us. The next 3-4h would be easier you might think! Sadly, no. The sun was scorching already at 10am and the sky was devoid of any clouds. A 30-minute uphill was enough to tear us all apart. Guide kept us going. A mixed terrain and few more vertical ascents brought us closer to El Mamey. 

Waterfall on the way back

We reached where we started from and everyone collapsed here and there. High-fives and fist-bumps arrived shortly after. Tired faces split into smiles and then laughs. Bruised, battered, drained but extremely content, all of us dug into platefuls of the last trek meal. What an experience! What a 4 crazy days! But how worthwhile! I'm humbled and so glad to have been part of this rollercoaster of an adventure.

The last meal - every bit satisfying