La Ciudad Perdida, Colombia

La Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City), is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Colombia. The ruins of this ancient city are set in the jungles of the lower Sierra Nevadas near Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The city is believed to have been founded around 800 AD, though some believe it may be even older. Although the city was never lost to the indigenous people of the area, most notably the Wiwa, Kogui, and Arhuaco tribes, it was otherwise undiscovered until 1972. Since then, it has become a popular trek to visit the Lost City.

The ruins can only be reached on foot and requires multiple days of hiking, so the visit requires some planning. I originally had not planned to do the trek as it required a guided tour, which I am usually not fond of taking, but after meeting so many travelers who had done the trek and loved it, I decided I had to give it a try. Visitors have the option between doing the hike in 4 days or 5 days depending on how much they want to hike per day. There are several tour companies, mostly based out of Santa Marta, which all offer essentially the same service – they all use the same camps and hike the same trail. They have all agreed to set the same price as well, so you won’t find a cheaper option by comparing companies. The main difference between agencies is the guides, as well as who the money benefits more. I chose to go with Wiwa tours, which is owned and operated by one of the local indigenous tribes. The tour guides are all Wiwa and are able to share more of the culture than some of the other agency’s guides.

I was lucky to be in a relatively small group, only 8 people total. Since we were a small group and could all speak Spanish (good practice for me!) we went with just the guide and a cook. We set out from Santa Marta in the morning of the first day, and by afternoon were on the trail to the first camp. For the 4 day hike, the first and second day are hikes between camps, whereas the third day is when you reach La Ciudad Perdida, and the fourth is a rather long hiking day to return to the the starting point. I went in May, which was the beginning of rainy season. It was still very hot hiking during the day, but there were rain showers almost every afternoon as well. The first day the entire group got completely drenched in rain and I don’t think anyone’s clothes or boots fully dried the entire time (the humidity is very high). Despite this, the trek was absolutely beautiful. There are beautiful views of the mountains, and plenty of interesting sights and wildlife in the jungle. I saw several types of colorful birds, frogs, spiders, and even a snake on the walk.

My group’s guide was really good. He shared with us about the culture of the Wiwa and the the other tribes along the way, telling us from his own experience what it was like to be Wiwa and telling us about some of the traditions/way of life. The camps were rustic, definitely not luxury camping, but there were showers and beds with mosquito nets which was good enough for me. The food was very good and the portions were large. The tour included three full meals per day plus snacks and water which was more than enough. The trail itself was difficult but not too strenuous. There was a lot of up and down, but usually you would not be climbing up for more than 45 minutes or so before having a level or downhill portion following. You definitely need to be in good shape though and wear hiking boots as the terrain is rough and the pace is somewhat quick.

La Ciudad Peridida itself was absolutely beautiful. It is much larger than I had expected. Once you climb the 1,200 steps to reach the beginning of the ruins, you still walk for half an hour before even making it to the overlook point. There is plenty to see though, and my guide explained the different functions of the specific areas of the ruins and what they would have been used for when the city was thriving. The best part was to climb to the top of the hill and look down over the whole city sprawled out below in grassy circles. It was gorgeous.

The trek is certainly an investment of time and energy, but for me it was definitely worth it. I enjoyed not just the Lost City itself but the experience of trekking through the jungle, making new friends with the people I traveled with, and getting to learn about the indigenous cultures. If you have time and a sense of adventure, it’s a great experience to have in Colombia.