Ciudad Perdida Trekking: Travel Guide

The Lost City Trek at a glance

To reach the Ciudad Perdida, you will have to travel a total of about 70 km, in the heart of the tropical forest. 

All along the way, you will discover a breathtaking landscape, between deep jungle, green mountains and a series of waterfalls. 

Don’t hesitate to take a dip to refresh yourself a little. 

Indeed, the humidity is such that a good swim will do you the greatest good. 

Difficulty level, the course oscillates between ascents and descents. Depending on your physical condition, you can do it between 3 and 6 days. 

Generally, tourists opt for the 4-day option, which means about 7 hours of walking per day. 

Bivouacs and several fruit stands are scattered all over the site. Starting the third day, you will finally find yourself facing the coveted ciudad perdida. And when you think you’ve reached your goal, you still have about 1200 stone steps to climb (count an hour of climbing!).

At the top, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking spectacle.  A hundred or so circular terraces, connected by numerous period stone steps, all in the fabulous setting of the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

At the top, there are circular terraces with lawns, connected by stairs and served by the remains of complex water distribution systems.

The view is simply exceptional! 

The huts of the Tayrona people have disappeared. Nestled in the heart of an impressive virgin forest, the Lost City is surrounded by curtains of tagua palms and tree ferns.

With your guide, you will explore the Ciudad Perdida for two or three hours and discover all the secrets of this ancient civilization. 

A real leap in history …

Lost City Trek Map

What you need to know before  you go to the Lost City Trek

• The Ciudad Perdida trek requires a good physical condition.
• You’ll need to carry everything on your back : so Travel Light !!!
• The trek is not a loop we go and come back by the same path. (Before we went out Wimake and the Tagua, but the indigenous communities decided to close the access to this valley.
• There will be no telephone network or internet connection during the entire trek
• It is necessary to cross many rivers, including the Buricata River, punctuated by splendid waterfalls.

• Make sure to respect the indigenous communities, avoid taking their picture or at least ask their permission before taking pictures of them.
• There is a lot of Zancudos (sunflies) along the trek, and the repellent can’t do anything for you.
• But the good thing is that only bite on the ankles. So protect yourself  with socks and you’ll be fine. Don’t last long barefoot after swimming. 
• You’re going to sweat like hell!
• We do not encourage animal milking, but be aware that you can rent a mule to carry your belongings (with extra charge).
• Moisture can seriously damage your electronic devices, protect them during the tour. It is very common for condensation to get into your photo lenses. 

What to Pack for the Lost City Trek

Very important :

Go LIGHT ! You should not carry more than 10% of your weight for girls and 15% for men.

The lighter you will go, the more you will appreciate the trek

In case you can’t carry your luggage, you may ask for a donkey for an an additional cost.

History of the Ciudad Perdida in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta

Located at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters, the lost city was probably built in 800 A.D. (650 years before Macchu Picchu), by the indigenous Tayrona people, before being abandoned during the Spanish colonization in the 16th century.

The Lost City is one of the few circular architecture reference that exists in the world.

Almost all the pre-Hispanic villages were established near the rivers, however, at the Buritaca 200 site, a completely different system of canalization can be observed.

An ingenious civilization

Little is known about the way of life of the Tayronas, a lost civilization.

But the topography of their territory, from the Caribbean Sea to the towering mountain peaks, allowed them to engage in all kinds of agricultural activities, as well as fishing and hunting.

Archaeological discoveries have revealed that they were highly skilled artisans, potters and goldsmiths.

Great builders, the Tayronas had dotted the massif with villages, linked to each other by stone roads.

Above all, they had shown architectural audacity: to adapt to the slopes of the terrain, they had become experts in the construction of terraces, both for housing and agriculture.

Their architecture consisted in preventing erosion caused by rain on the slopes, thanks to an efficient rainwater distribution network.

This ability to carry out large earthworks suggests that their social organization was efficient.

It is assumed that the Lost City, with at least 2,000 inhabitants, was once the political and economic center of the Buritaca River region.

Of the twenty-six archaeological sites found to date in the Buritaca River basin, Teyuna appears to have been the largest, most important, and most historic of all.

It was the seat of political power in the villages.

Discovery of the Lost City by “the Civilians”.

In the 1970s, Guaqueros – indigenous grave robbers – made an unexpected discovery after several days of trekking through the jungle.

By chance, they had just laid their hands on a priceless and unalterable treasure.

In front of their eyes, a forgotten city rose up, almost buried under the vegetation.

An incredible city in ruins, formed by a hundred limestone terraces on the mountainside.

Alerted by the unlikely discovery, the Colombian government protects the site and the first tourists eager for sensations ventured there in 1984.

A secret place until its discovery?

Not exactly.

The abandoned city was in fact well known by some indigenous people living on this mountain – Kogis, Wiwas, Arhuacos… – descendants of the Tayronas (a people decimated by 80% by the colonists), but they had “hidden” its existence.

Because, for them, Teyuna – as the natives call it – is a place full of mysticism, and its terraces are considered as ceremonial sites.

A place that is now safe

In the early 2000s, this remote and hardly accessible site was the scene of armed conflict between the Colombian army, the FARC, the ELN and the extreme right-wing paramilitaries (AUC), in particular for the control of coca plantations.

The site has been totally secure since 2005, with the regular army guarding this important archaeological site in Colombia.

How to Book for the Lost City Trek

Again, for information, it is not allowed to do the Ciudad Perdida trek by your own means, you are obliged to go through an certified company. 

Departures : Everydays at 8:00am – 9am from Santa Marta, but also from Tayrona Park & Palomino

Encountering Indigenous Peoples

During your journey, you will have the opportunity to pass through an authentic indigenous village. 

They are the Kogis, direct descendants of the Tayronas people.  When the Spaniards arrived, the Kogis were forced to retreat into the mountains.  Today, nearly 10,000 Kogi still live in the mountains of Sierra Nevada. 

More than a place to live, the mountain is for them a sacred land, the center of the world.  They live there in perfect harmony with nature. Perhaps you will have the chance to communicate directly with the chief of the Kogi tribe.

• More info : Kogis Colombia Complete Article

Lost City Trek FAQ