Near the end of our round the world trip we participated in a 5 day trek through the Colombian jungle to visit the ruins of Ciudad Perdida, the “Lost City.” This ancient city was reportedly founded by the Tairona people in 800 AD, which would make it older than Machu Picchu. We were unable to go on the Inca Trail in Machu Picchu and had been looking for a trekking adventure in South America. Fortunately, the Ciudad Perdida trek was a fraction of the price– just $225, all inclusive– and was much less crowded.
We set out from the town of Taganga with a small group that included the two of us, an Israeli backpacker and a guide with a mule. It was a relatively difficult trek uphill through the sweltering heat and humidity of the jungle, but we had an unforgettable time.
The heat was in the 90’s with 100% humidity. We had never sweated this much in our lives! While the Ciudad Perdida trek is growing in popularity, our guide explained that it was not safe for tourists until about five years ago. Colombian paramilitary groups were based in the area and tourists were occasionally kidnapped on the trail. When we visited in 2009, a dozen Colombian soldiers armed to the teeth were based at the historic ruins.
As we headed up into the mountains, we had amazing views of the rolling hills.
A view of the trail, with the guides and horses in the distance. I loved the fact that we were among the only people in sight.
Leslie had no trouble scaling a steep section of trail.
Occasionally we came across remote villages deep in the jungle.
We saw a demonstration of how coca leaves are processed into cocaine. The practice was common before the Colombian government began subsidizing the farmers not to grow coca, but now it is done for tourists. Check out the sterile conditions!
The area around Ciudad Perdida is still occupied by indigenous people who wear traditional white clothing. The other backpacker in our group asked to take a picture of one of the indigenous men, but he refused. The villagers largely ignored us as we passed on the trail, except for a few children who visited our campsite to get food and supplies from the guides.
We had to make frequent river crossings to get to the Lost City, some of which were near scenic waterfalls.
Leslie braved a raging river crossing with her walking stick.
I paused at the bottom of the 1,000+ slippery stone steps that led to the Lost City.
When we first reached the Lost City the fog was so dense that it was tough to see the rock formations.
Leslie posed at the summit in front of stone terraces.
Steps made out of stone led to another section of ruins.
We stayed with other trekking groups in a small campsite near the ruins. They even had a lovely bathroom for two!
In the morning the fog lifted and we got our nice postcard shot of the ruins.
The ruins weren’t as spectacular as Machu Picchu, but we had the entire place to ourselves.
We faced another tough river crossing on the way back down. We were always a slip away from soaking our packs and all of our belongings!
The trail had spectacular views of the canyons. Note the lone horse in the distance.
Our sleeping conditions for most nights consisted of a hammock under a lean-to. Fortunately they came with mosquito nets because the bugs their were ruthless.
The Ciudad Perdida hike is a great value. The organized trek is a bit rough around the edges; your guide might disappear for hours to chat up a neighbor and the sleeping bags are little more than wool Army blankets. But if you want to explore the Colombian jungle and live like the locals, then this is the trek for you!
For more info
Check out the Ciudad Perdida Wikipedia page for a brief history of the site, and the Ciudad Perdida WikiTravel page for details on what companies operate there, itineraries, etc.
Browse the carousel below to find helpful books on Colombia travel:
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Hiking your way to Ciudad Perdida looks like a great experience! I look forward to checking it out myself one day. All the best with your continued travels.
Thanks! I’d highly recommend this hike. It was intense but worth it 🙂
It’s great to see posts like this. So many people do the “same same”. But here you guys went off the path and had an adventure. High humidity, sweat, treks, cocaine making and a lost city!
Can’t get much better than that!
Agreed!
Wow watching the method cocaine is made, very scary and crazy! The toilets look pleasant! hahaha!
Every 12 year old should have to watch this cocaine making demo. It’s totally gross and makes you never want to use drugs!
Great journey. But I can’t help but think the ruins look like part of a golf course. One that’s built in the hills behind a cocaine processing plant. Definitely has the ghost of Escobar about it.
Inspired.
… and more primitive bathrooms 😉
such a ignorant comment… probably your brain is not even half because of that cocaine you mention with your words… that is treasure of nature and human history… not the piece of crap your mind is making you eat!
Wow, a place I’ve never heard of how, yay!!! What an incredible hike and experience!
Wow, that’s cool– you are a South America expert too! A jungle trek wasn’t quite as relaxing as Fernando de Noronha. I think you’re making the right honeymoon choice 🙂
wowee! looks like an exhilarating experience! I know about the humidity! it makes the ache in your body so much worse.. like you cannot breathe. Must have been nice cooling off in the river leslie;)
Haha, so true Ciki! The river was refreshing after a long hike. I wore the same shirt and pants every single day and they never completely dried in the humidity.
That’s a great & exciting outdoor trekking adventure !
Missed my days when I was hiking through rainforest & waterfalls ! Too much time inside the concrete jungle !
Time to go outdoors for me !
JH
http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv
Thanks JH. Go for it– and take lots of photos too!
you guys had quite an adventure, i feel like i have already been there, due to your post
Thanks Zablon! It was a real adventure.
Wow! I didn’t know you could get into when the Kogi Indians, the decendents of the Taironsa. We say “Elder Brothers Warning= From the Heart of the Earth” (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-521537373096312859#) in 1994 and my understanding from the end of the video was that they cut themselves off from western civilization. The film left a HUGE impression on me. You are very lucky to have accessed this remote community that lives as it did hundreds of years ago. It’s not surprising they largely ignored your group. They think we have destroyed the planet and they believe that they are the guardians of the earth. I invite you to watch the video. It’s pretty amazing. For more info on the Kogi http://www.crystalinks.com/kogi.html.
Thanks for sharing your experience and the wonderful photos you took. It is not surprising that they did not allow photos. I’m not sure how the person on the link got the photos. BBC was able to make a film of them because they wanted to get their warning out- but after that, they were pretty-much done with western civilization.
Thanks for the links! I hadn’t heard of these documentaries.
They are incredible. And since you’ve been there, probably even more so.
It’s nice to go to the less touristy areas that aren’t as crowded. Very cool you went by traditional villages. That’s some rustic conditions you were sleeping in (hammocks outside!).
yeah i was shocked that a long island girl like leslie was able to rough it in those hammocks!
Haha! Those blankets were pretty gross. They smelled like mold!
Looks amazing!!! Oh hammocks…. look so good right now. You guys look so exausted and excited! Ruins look beautiful. Wow, I love visit old ruins. It’s very mysterious..!
-from a girl who’s in charge of 75% readers from South Korea-
Looks amazing! Not sure if I could rough it (the toilets–YUCK!) like you did…beautiful scenery though!
–Meliha
http://travel.desiblonde.com
Looks so good! Very sweaty but worth it for the photos! I hate bugs though, so not sure how I would have gone!!! 🙂
That looks amazing! I’m will go and do this for sure next time I’m in Colombia!
I’m going put a link to your article from my blog
Great photos and write up mate! Really enjoyed reading it and seeing the difference from when I did the hike.