For many, Colombia conjures up images of cocaine cartels and guerilla groups, sometimes working in tandem to create chaos. For Nathaniel Waring, Colombia means unblemished beaches along the southernmost shores of the Caribbean Sea and the amazing ruins found at La Ciudad Perdida … the Lost City. “The Lost City does not have as many buildings as Machu Picchu to the south in Peru,” Nathaniel said. “But for me, it’s equally as beautiful as the Incan settlement. The stonework is incredibly intricate, and the sight of perpetually snowcapped Pico Cristóbal Colón—Colombia’s highest mountain at 18,701 feet—rising right above the steamy rainforest, is both transcendent and startling. The whole time you’re there, your mouth is hanging open. Most important of all, there are very few people … very, very few, relative to the Inca Trail.”
The Lost City—called “Teyuna” by the local people—was constructed by the Tayrona Indians sometime between the sixth and eleventh centuries (there is still debate on its inception, as archaeological research here has been less than exhaustive). In its heyday, Teyuna is believed to have served as a trading center, connecting the Incan empire in the Andes to the south with the Mayans to the north. At least several thousand Tayrona are believed to have lived here, forebears of the Kogi and Arsario Indians; some Kogi and Arsario still live near the ruins today. The city is carved into a mountainside at an elevation of approximately 3,500 feet; its plazas, terraces, and other structures were built from rocks hauled up from the Buritaca River, which has carved a large valley at the foot of the settlement. Much of the site has not been formally explored and remains shrouded in jungle overgrowth. “Lost,” it should be mentioned, is something of a misnomer, as members of the Kogi, Arsario, and Arhuaco tribes have long known of the city’s existence and tried to shield it from outsiders. It was “discovered” in 1975 by treasure seekers, who ransacked the site. Government presence at the Lost City in the form of a small military regiment has dissuaded other robbers.
Treks to the Lost City are generally done over six days, with three days heading in, a day to inspect the ruins, and two days to hike out. Treks generally stage near the coastal town of Santa Marta; all visiting groups must be accompanied by a Colombian guide. Though only fifteen miles each way and gaining less than 3,000 feet in elevation, the trek is fairly rigorous. “There’s a good deal of up and down, and many stream crossings,” Nathaniel recalled. “Thanks to the stream crossings and not infrequent rain, you’re often wet. Plus, it’s quite hot, and the mosquitoes and sand fleas can be very aggressive. But the jungle is beautiful—you’re very aware of the remoteness of the place, where you can pick bananas from trees you pass. There are nice swimming holes in the Buritaca River at each of the overnight camps along the route, and strong Colombian coffee to get you started in the morning.” Visitors will usually stop for a brief visit in a Kogi or Arsario village that’s near the trail for a glimpse of these people’s simple hunter-gatherer lives. (Some villagers act as porters, carrying food and other supplies into the camps for trek-kers.) There’s also another optional, unadvertised tour: Coca processors will approach visitors and offer to show you a primitive lab where cocaine paste is produced. (There is certainly an element of risk in a trek to the Lost City. Both Marxist guerillas and right-wing paramilitary groups have used the coca-rich region for narcotics processing, and in 2003, a group of tourists at the Lost City was kidnapped, though they were later safely released. Increased military presence in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park has undoubtedly made the region safer for visitors, but one should travel here with some discretion.)
Your travails in the jungle are well rewarded once you reach the base of the Lost City, though your work is not quite done. “You come out of the jungle to a vast series of steps, leading up from the river—1,200 in all,” Nathaniel described. “Some are six feet wide, all are almost perfectly even. When you get to the top of the steps, there is a series of foundations—terracing for growing crops—that go up the side of the mountain for another three quarters of a mile. You’re surrounded by stone constructions, and rising on three sides are incredibly steep and lushly forested hillsides, with waterfalls bursting out in all directions. There’s a guide stationed at the Lost City—along with the soldiers who protect it from the looters, all young and, in my experience, quite friendly (though heavily armed)—and he will provide some history of the site. You can also explore on your own. The site is quite expansive; as you walk around, you realize that parts of the settlement have not yet been extracted from the jungle. The last time I was there, my group was the only tourist group present.”
Visitors to the Lost City spend two nights in a modest camp, allowing a full day for exploration. Then you hike the same trail out … or, for a slightly different experience, you can helicopter out. “It’s a small helicopter that’s available for special charter,” Nathaniel continued. “It has to be light enough to land on one of the foundations at the site, as the hillside is otherwise too steep for landing. As you take off, you’re aware of how remote the city is; there’s no construction for many miles, only jungle. You can’t help but wonder why the Tayrona picked this remote site.”
Those trekking to the Lost City may wish to leave a day or two to explore the beaches of nearby Tayrona National Park. This preserve encompasses fifty-eight square miles, stretching from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park through equatorial rain forest to a swath of marine habitat along the Caribbean. Tayrona is considered one of the Americas’ most biologically diverse coastal zones and is home to jaguars, ocelots, red howler and lemurine owl monkeys, and some 300 recorded bird species, including guans and paujils; Andean condor and blue-billed curassows have also been spotted here. Idyllic palm-fringed beaches dot coves that are connected by trails slicing through the jungle. “The coastline is jagged, as if shaped by fjords,” Nathaniel added. “It’s reminiscent of Maine or Norway, though with tropical vegetation and warm translucent water instead of dense pine forests and freezing seas.”
NATHANIEL WARING opened the first U.S.A. office of Cox and Kings in 1989, and served as the company’s president. Since that time he has flown, kayaked, swum, hiked, biked, and surfed across much of Asia, India, Africa, and Latin America. Nathaniel has led exploratory trips to Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, along the Rift Valley Lakes, and into the jungle and islands of Burma. He is listed by Travel + Leisure and National Geographic Traveler magazines as an expert on Africa and Peru. Waring sits on the advisory board of the Oberoi Group of Hotels. A competitive masters swimmer, he enjoys swimming around small islands such as North Island in the Seychelles, Reethi Rah in the Maldives, and, closer to home, Key West, Florida. Nathaniel recently retired from Cox and Kings, and is devoting more time to surfing, free diving, and the study of marine biology.
► Getting There: Lost City treks generally stage in Santa Marta, which has air service from Bogotá on Avianca (866-998-3357; www.avianca.com).
► Best Time to Visit: Treks can be led to the Lost City year-round, though July and August tend to be a bit cooler and drier; spring and fall have the most precipitation.
► Accommodations: Lodging options in Santa Marta, the main staging area for Lost City treks are listed on www.santamartainfo.com.
► Guides/Outfitters: Currently, there are several guide services allowed to bring hikers to the Lost City, including Turcol Travel Agency (+57 5 4 21 22 56; www.buritaca2000.com) and Sierra Tours (+57 5 4 21 94 01; www.sierratours-trekking.com). Nathaniel Waring (nathaniel86@mac.com) can arrange a hiking/helicopter excursion.
