Lost City Trek, Colombia – Complete Guide To The Legendary Ciudad Perdida

On the Caribbean coast of Colombia, in the heart of a wild and mysterious mountain range called the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta,  lies one of the most mysterious archaeological sites in South America: the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City).

I bet you can already foresee the amazing adventure it is to explore the area. You are not alone!

Indeed, all the ingredients are there for a fantastic but challenging trek, and the Lost City Trek is quickly becoming the most renowned trek in Colombia. The trail goes up and down mountains, crossing countrysides, rivers, and rainforests for about 22 km one way, 44 km in total.

Despite having to hike on the same path to get to the Lost City and to come back (a loop is always nicer), it is truly one of the most beautiful treks I have done in South America, along with the Mount Roraima trek or the trek to Machu Picchu.

On this page, I will share my experience trekking to the Lost City, and share my best tips, as well as things I wish I had known before going. Let’s go!

 

Trek Overview

When you sign up for a trek, it’s not always easy to know what to expect in terms of organization, local weather, or infrastructure. So let’s see what the Lost City Trek looks like.

It departs from your agency’s office in Santa Marta and starts with a 2-hour drive to a small town called Machete.

It is a 4-day trek, from Machete to the Ciudad Perdida. You will be using the same path to go and come back, and each way is about 22 km / 14 miles long.

In the detailed itinerary below, I wrote the hiking distance and hiking time for each day. Of course, it can be a little longer or a little shorter depending on how fast you walk. But the most you will have to walk in a day is about 7 hours.

All along it is a simple dirt path, and a few times you have to hike across the river. But it is shallow enough to do so safely.

Along the way, wooden huts were built allowing trekkers to take a break, buy cold drinks and enjoy some fresh juicy fruits. Make sure to bring enough cash with you, in these shops, the drinks are overpriced (5000 pesos – double the normal price) but you will still need to buy them because it’s very hot and you will be incredibly thirsty. And well, you probably pay for the fact that all these bottles had to be brought all the way there as well.

Various camps were also created for the hikers to have lunch, dinner, a shower, and spend the night. I didn’t really know what to expect from the camps. Will they be small? Big? Comfortable? Or just an old hammock between two trees?

They are actually much bigger and more developed than I imagined. All the camps have a dormitory area with two levels of beds, each with a mosquito net.

Each camp also has flushing toilets and simple showers, and also a “restaurant” area with a kitchen and large tables. The camps are built along rivers and most people enjoy a nice swim after a long day of hiking.

 

Can I Do The Trek Alone?

No. The Lost City Trek is a guided trek, it is illegal to go on your own. And honestly, I don’t really see the point of going alone. Such a trek requires quite a bit of logistics and it’s nice to just focus on your hike and discovering the landscape, without worrying about all that stuff.

I find the price very reasonable, and you get everything included except drinks outside of the camps or small extra snacks you might want to buy. You get access to the camps with a bed and a shower, the food is good, the guides are friendly…

And you get to meet other trekkers from all over the world, from your own group but from other groups as well when you spend the night at the same camp.

Moreover, no one forces you to hike as a group. I know I am a fast hiker and I was often in front of the group walking either alone or with a few other fast movers. It’s fine. So go ahead, book your trek with an agency and enjoy!

Is The Lost City Trek Safe?

Yes. I know Colombia has some kind of reputation, but the Lost City Trek is safe. In 2003, 8 tourists were kidnapped at the Lost City by guerilla groups but this is a remote memory. Nowadays, the Lost City is guarded by the military and the guerillas do not longer operate in the region.

So now you only need to pay attention to not get a heat stroke and be careful while bathing in the river if the flow is strong.

Lost City Trek Hiking Itinerary

Machete, 63 km west of Santa Marta, Colombia. It’s in this village that I got to know the group of people I was about to share this adventure with, with a nice lunch. We didn’t know it yet, but it was also the last time we would be dry, and wearing dry clothes in 4 days! On the first day of the trek, the goal is to reach the Adán Camp. That’s an 8 km / 5.2-mile hike, more or less.

This first day is, in my opinion, the hardest of the trek. The culprit? A really sweltering heat that surely doesn’t help when you need to climb challenging, long steep slopes. The result: all your clothes quickly get drenched in sweat. And they will stay that way for the whole trek (bring enough clothes!).

The thing is, on the first day, you need to cross the countryside, and this heat is the direct result of the heavy deforestation that took place in this area. Not many trees are left to provide some shade and keep some “coolness”. The whole day, I bet everyone kept thinking of the wonderful natural pool awaiting us near the camp to escape the heat!

Nevertheless, the scenery is already stunning as we keep getting closer to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, with its mysterious peaks hidden in the clouds.

After three and a half hours of hike in the countryside and a bit of jungle, you will arrive at the Adán Camp, nicely located next to the Río Honduras. Before dinner, your long-awaited reward is now within reach: jumping in a natural pool in the Honduras River, surrounded by jungle. It’s the perfect way to get rid of the sweat covering your body!

 

The program for this second day is to first walk no less than 14 km / 8.7 miles to reach the Paraíso Camp, which is the closest to the Lost City. The lunch break takes place at another camp, the Mumake Camp, conveniently located exactly in the middle of today’s hike. So you hike for 3:30 hours in the morning, and 3:30 hours in the afternoon.

This day is also an opportunity to learn about the Kogi and Wiwa tribes, which have survived the Spanish Conquistador invasion, unlike the Tayronas. They are trying hard to preserve their culture and their lifestyle, and are not always too happy about getting more and more trekkers crossing their land – but they do get involved in the tourism economy and they are able to make some money out of it.

On this second day, you leave the countryside to really penetrate into the rainforest, enjoying the most welcome shade from the trees. Some of the mountain views are really stunning! Untouched forest and mountains as far as you can see. As you slowly gain altitude, the heat becomes more and more bearable. The Lost City is perched at 900 to 1300 m / 3000 to 4300 ft above sea level.

Most of the trail follows the course of the Río Buritaca, and the Paraíso Camp was built on its bank. It is a really privileged environment to relax in, surrounded by untouched nature, with the sound of a small waterfall nearby.

 

Finally! The legendary Lost City is now (almost) within our reach! From the Paraíso Camp, a last small effort of 1200 steps is needed to get there.

As soon as I arrived at the site, I saw something very different from what I had imagined. Before going, I was just imagining a few small terraces lost in the jungle – I soon realized that it is much more extended than that.

But what I did imagine correctly is the incredible view of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, still largely untouched. When you think about it, it is often the surrounding scenery that makes an archaeological site stand out. It is the case for Machu Picchu for example, and it is also the case for the Lost City.

It is fascinating to imagine the Tayrona people building all this and living in these mountains. The site is divided into two main parts, linked by a really beautiful stone staircase. When you reach the furthest, most elevated terrace, the view of the whole archaeological site and the forested mountains around is unforgettable.

More About The Lost City

The Ciudad Perdida, or Lost City as it is known in English, is often considered “Colombia’s Machu Picchu”. However, it is said to have been founded around 800 CE, which is no less than 650 earlier than the foundation of Machu Picchu!

The Ciudad Perdida is made of 169 terraces carved into the mountain, serving as a construction ground for the traditional round houses, as well as stone staircases.  It was built by the Pre-Columbian Tairona culture high up the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, at an altitude ranging from 900 to 1300 m / 3,000 to 4,300 ft above sea level.

The town is believed to have been home to several thousand people (some estimate around 2,000 people). Unfortunately, the Tairona and the Lost City did not survive the Spanish invasion.

Even though the local Kogi and Wiwa tribes had been visiting the ruins regularly, it was only “rediscovered” in 1972 by looters. Nowadays, there are no more houses but the terraces and stairs are still in very good condition and are a real delight to discover.

 

After walking 22 km to the Lost City, it is now time to walk this 22 km back to Machete. If we had to find a negative aspect of the Lost City Trek, it would be that we take exactly the same path to go to the Lost City and come back, instead of making a loop for example. However, I wouldn’t consider it to be a really negative aspect – the landscapes are gorgeous enough for you to bear seeing them twice!

We had been lucky with the weather so far but in the afternoon of the third day, thunderstorms burgeoned and before we knew it, we got caught in an insanely heavy rain only the tropics can produce.

As I was always among the fastest-moving hikers, I was lucky to arrive at the next hut just as the heavy downpour started. And I just watched the other people in my group arriving slowly, under the heavy rain. A good rain poncho and backpack cover are important!

As a result of the rain, the once swimmer-friendly rivers were in spate, violent and muddy. As for the mountains and jungle, they were caught in an elegant mist.

At the end of the day, we got back to the Mumake Camp, where we had lunch on the second day. This time, we got to spend the night there.

 

After a good night at the Mumake Camp, we crossed back the overheated countryside to Machete, and the trek was over! Exhausted and sweating but feeling happy and satisfied with what I had just accomplished, I was sitting at the restaurant in Machete, watching the new batch of hikers getting ready for the trek, all fresh and dry, thinking “if they knew all the heat, the sweat and the slopes that are awaiting them…!”.

What To Pack For The Lost City Trek

The Lost City trek is marked by a lot of heat… and very high humidity. One thing I wish I had known before is the necessity to take 2 pants. At first, I was thinking that pants are heavy, I will just wear the same pants for 4 days and be a little dirty, never mind.

The thing is, after the first day, your pants are already drenched in sweat. On the first night, it dried a little so it was still okay to wear the next day. But at El Paraiso Camp, the air is not only extremely humid but also quite cool: nothing dries at all.

I just couldn’t wear my pants anymore and ended up finishing the trek with my swimming shorts! That’s all I had left. So better bring 2 hiking pants, quick-drying ones preferably.

As for t-shirts, it is also good to have one that you will keep clean and dry to wear only at night after shower (+ on the 4th day going back to Santa Marta). If you absolutely need to change your shirt every day, take 4, but I think you can do with 3. Again, every bit of weight you can avoid will be greatly appreciated by your shoulders.

As for the shoes, of course, you will need good trekking shoes or boots. My personal preference goes to hiking boots because I like my ankles to be supported, but the trails are pretty clean and hiking shoes are probably enough if that’s your preference.

To sum up – Packing List:

• 4 days is pretty short so I recommend trying to squeeze everything in a smaller backpack instead of carrying a big one
  → You can read our Guide to Hiking Daypacks
• 2 quick-drying hiking pants
• Swimsuit (to bathe in the river!)
• 3 or 4 t-shirts
• Good hiking boots/shoes
• Protection against the hot sun
• Some cash to buy drinks and snacks
• A good headlamp, very useful during camp time
  → Check out our complete Guide to Hiking Headlamps

What To Do With The Rest of Your Luggage?

Don’t worry, your agency will most probably have a dedicated, secure place to store your things while you are on the trek. So I was backpacking with my main, bigger backpack across Colombia and a smaller backpack where I usually put my electronics.

I simply used this smaller backpack for the trek and left my main backpack at the agency in Santa Marta.

Last Thoughts About The Lost City Trek

This trek is an awesome challenge to take, as it will make you hike in a mind-blowing landscape, make you discover an interesting local culture, and make you meet a lot of really cool people!

This trek is in my opinion a must-do in Colombia if you enjoy the outdoors, and one of the top treks in South America. The Ciudad Perdida may not have the beautiful stone houses and temples of Machu Picchu, but it is a really mysterious and fascinating archaeological site and totally deserved to be discovered.