Ciudad Perdida
What could be more mysterious than the discovery of an ancient abandoned city? Ciudad Perdida (literally ‘Lost City’) disappeared into the jungle around the time of the Spanish conquest and was only ‘discovered’ again in the 1970s. Deep in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, it remains accessible only on foot in what is easily one of Colombia’s most exciting and breathtaking hikes. Known locally by its indigenous name of Teyuna, the city was built by the Tayrona people on the northern slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Today, it’s one of the largest pre-Columbian towns discovered in the Americas, and the focus of Colombia’s most popular multiday hike. Doing the hike is a fantastic experience, and you don’t need to be particularly strong or experienced to do it, either. The landscapes and the sense of remoteness will stay with you long after you return, too.
Ciudad Perdida lies on the steep slopes of the upper Río Buritaca valley at an altitude of between 950m and 1300m. The central part of the city is set on a ridge from which various stone paths lead down to other sectors on the slopes. Although the wooden houses of the Tayrona are long gone, the stone structures, including terraces and stairways, remain in remarkably good shape.
There are around 170 terraces, most of which once served as foundations for the houses. The largest terraces are set on the central ridge and these were used for ritual ceremonies. The vast majority of the site is totally unexcavated, as the indigenous people will not allow further investigation.
Recent surveys have pinpointed the location of about 300 other Tayrona settlements scattered over the slopes, once linked by stone-paved roads. Of all these, Ciudad Perdida is the largest and is thought to have been the Tayrona ‘capital.’
Archaeological digs have uncovered Tayrona objects (fortunately, the guaqueros didn’t manage to take everything). These are mainly various kinds of pottery (both ceremonial and utilitarian), goldwork and unique necklaces made of semiprecious stones. Some of these objects are on display in the Museo del Oro in Santa Marta and in Bogotá. It’s a good idea to visit the museum in Santa Marta before going to Ciudad Perdida.
TTours
Previously, just the one agency, Turcol, had access to Ciudad Perdida. However, in 2008 the Colombian military cleared out the paramilitaries in the area, which has effectively opened up the route to Ciudad Perdida to healthy competition. There are now six licensed agencies, all based in Santa Marta, guiding groups of travelers on the four- to six-day hike to the ancient ruins. You cannot do the trip on your own or hire an independent guide. If you’re not sure about the legitimacy of your guide or agency, be sure to ask for the OPT (Operación de Programas Turísticos) certificate, the essential document needed by any guide.
Once the market opened in 2008, the race to the bottom began, and prices and quality fell. The government intervened by regulating prices and service, and the official price of the tour is now set at COP$850,000 – though in 2017 it was still common to find tours available for COP$800,000.
The price includes transportation, food, accommodations (normally mattresses with mosquito nets, though some agencies still use hammocks on one night), porters for your food, non-English-speaking guides and all necessary permits. The price does not go down if you complete the walk in fewer days. Most groups tend to do the trek in four days, but less-fit walkers and those who want to take their time often do it in five. Six-day trips are the maximum and are only really necessary for the very slow and easily exhausted; we recommend the four-day version.
Take the strongest mosquito repellent you can find and reapply it every few hours. Local brand Nopikex is excellent and will protect you better than many stronger, foreign brands. Take some long pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, both of which are advisable at Ciudad Perdida itself, where the mosquitoes are particularly hungry.
Tours are in groups of four to 15 people, and depart year-round as soon as a group is assembled. In the high season, expect a tour to set off every day. In the low season, the agencies tend to pool resources and form a joint group, even if each agency still has its own guides. Other companies are middle people for these agencies and there’s really no reason to use them.
Do note that all access to Ciudad Perdida is closed (and thus no hikes depart) for the much of September each year, when the indigenous peoples meet to perform cleansing ceremonies at the site.
The Hike
After meeting your tour group (obligatory) in Santa Marta in the morning, you’ll be driven to the village of El Mamey (also known as Machete), the end of the road from Santa Marta, where you’ll have a leisurely lunch before setting off. The walk normally takes 1½ days uphill to Ciudad Perdida, with a half-day at the site on the morning of the third day, then one full day’s walking back downhill that is split over two days. The round trip covers 40km, but it feels like a lot more as you scramble uphill, slide through mud downhill and generally exhaust every leg muscle you have. In the dry season, the schedule can vary. Ask your tour company for a detailed itinerary. You walk in and out along the same route, which is a shame; travel agencies are continuing to negotiate with the indigenous Wiwa people to grant access to a different route out, but the Wiwa understandably remain extremely protective of their lands. From 2018 Guías Indígenas Tours and Expotur are offering a far tougher circular route, which takes five days/four nights and costs COP$1,200,000 per person. It’s quite a bit tougher than the normal route, but it allows you to see a totally different slice of the Sierra Nevada mountains on your way out. These tours have a strict limit of 30 entries per day, and it’s likely to be very strictly enforced.
The normal hike is challenging, but not mercilessly so; although each day covers only 5km to 8km, it’s nearly all very steep ascent or descent. If you’ve never hiked before in your life, you’ll find it tough, but even unfit first-timers complete the journey. At times, you will be scrambling alongside vertiginous river banks, clutching on to vines, and most people find carrying a stick helps with balance. Rainy season brings its own challenges, such as surging rivers, heavy, boot-caking mud; and collapsed walkways.
There are significant uphill slogs that can be brutal in the scorching jungle heat. When the sun isn’t blazing, it’s likely to be muddy, so you’ll trade sweat for loose traction. The driest period is from late December to February or early March. Depending on the season, on day three you might have to cross the Río Buritaca multiple times, at times waist-deep, and finally, you will have to slog up Ciudad Perdida’s mystical but slippery moss-strewn rock steps – 1260 of them in total – that lead to the site.
Along the way, the food is surprisingly good and the accommodations are comfortable, often located by rivers where you can cool off in natural swimming pools. The scenery is (obviously) nothing short of astonishing: this is a walk that is done at least as much for the journey as for the destination and, many veterans would argue, sometimes much more.
The site itself, a high plateau surrounded by blindingly brilliant jungle, is fascinating, and you will likely only be sharing it with your group and the few Colombian soldiers stationed there when you arrive.
It’s important to be aware that the mountains are sacred to all the indigenous people who live there, so it’s essential to leave absolutely no litter (and by all means pick up any you find on the route), and behave with respect within the Ciudad Perdida site.
THE LOST CIVILIZATION
In pre-Columbian times, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast was home to various indigenous communities, of which the Tayrona, belonging to the Chibcha linguistic family, was the dominant and most developed group. The Tayrona (also spelled Tairona) are believed to have evolved into a distinctive culture since about the 5th century AD. A millennium later, shortly before the Spaniards came, the Tayrona had developed into an outstanding civilization, based on a complex social and political organization and advanced engineering.
The city was built between the 11th and 14th centuries, though its origins are much older, going back to perhaps the 7th century. Spread over an area of about 2 sq km, it is the largest Tayrona city found so far; it was most probably their biggest urban center and their major political and economic center. Some 2000 to 4000 people are believed to have lived here at its peak.
During the Conquest, the Spaniards wiped out the Tayronas, whose settlements disappeared without a trace under lush tropical vegetation. Tayrona was the first advanced indigenous culture encountered by the Spaniards in the New World, in 1499. It was here in the Sierra Nevada that the conquerors were for the first time astonished by the local gold, and the myth of El Dorado was born. The Spaniards crisscrossed the Sierra Nevada, meeting with brave resistance from the indigenous people. The Tayronas defended themselves fiercely, but were almost totally decimated in the course of 75 years of uninterrupted war. A handful of survivors abandoned their homes and fled into the upper reaches of the Sierra. Their traces have been lost forever.
Ciudad Perdida subsequently lay untouched and forgotten in the jungle for four centuries until its discovery by guaqueros (grave robbers) in the early 1970s. It was a local man, Florentino Sepúlveda, and his two sons Julio César and Jacobo, who stumbled upon this city on one of their grave-robbing expeditions. Word spread like wildfire and soon other guaqueros came to Ciudad Perdida. Fighting broke out between rival gangs, and Julio César was one of the casualties.
In 1976 the Colombian government sent in troops and archaeologists to protect the site and learn its secrets, but sporadic fighting and looting continued for several years. During this time, the guaqueros dubbed the site the Infierno Verde (Green Hell).
Tour Operators
o(
%5-420-7739; www.expotur-eco.com; Carrera 3 No 17-27, Santa Marta)
Expotur is exemplary in terms of how it treats its staff and has worked hard to ensure all its guides get qualified. Its certified indigenous guides, with whom radio contact is maintained during the hike, are delightful, even if they don’t speak English, though translators are usually provided. With years of Ciudad Perdida experience, you’re in good hands here.
Magic ToursHIKING
(map Google map; %317-679-2441, 5-421-5820; www.magictourcolombia.com; Calle 16 No 4-41, Santa Marta)
A very highly recommended operator, Magic Tours has led the way in terms of treating its guides well, providing them with social security coverage, health care and pensions, while also doing much to ensure that tourism benefits the indigenous communities it affects. Guides are from the mountains, and are knowledgeable and certified.
Guías Indígenas ToursHIKING
(map Google map; %321-742-7902, 5-422-2630; www.guiasindigenas.com; Calle 19 No 4-12, Santa Marta)
This new agency has only been operating since 2017, but as its name suggests, it’s entirely run and staffed by indigenous people and has superb access to sites in the Sierra Nevada. The company offers Ciudad Perdida tours, including an option to take the circular route through the jungle.
Guías y Baquianos ToursHIKING
(map Google map; %316-745-8947, 5-431-9667; www.guiasybaquianos.com; Hotel Miramar, Calle 10C No 20-42, Santa Marta)
Located inside Hotel Miramar, this was the original agency to offer treks to Ciudad Perdida. Using guides that have at least a decade of experience (and often twice that), the company has strong relationships to the indigenous communities with which it works. Many of the guides themselves have farms in the Sierra Nevada.
TurcolHIKING
(map Google map; %5-421-2256; www.turcoltravel.com; Calle 13 No 3-13 CC San Francisco Plaza, Santa Marta)
Turcol has the most experience on the Ciudad Perdida route, starting in the 1990s, and has professional guides who work hard with its groups. Most of its guides don’t speak English, but they ensure there’s a translator available if you don’t speak Spanish (do check before you book your tour).
Osprey ExpeditionsTOURS
(map Google map; %300-478-7320; www.ospreyexpeditions.com; Calle 22 & Carrera 2)
After years of experience in Venezuela, Osprey Expeditions have opened an office in Colombia and offer tours throughout the country, including Ciudad Perdida and PNN Tayrona trips. They also offer transport services to Venezuela, one of the few agencies to do so in the current climate. Owner Ben Rodriguez speaks fluent English and is a superb source of travel information.
HIKING TO CIUDAD PERDIDA: WHAT TO BRING
The following items are broken down into the essential and less essential. Be aware that most camps have some kind of generator-powered recharging facilities, so it’s not ridiculous to bring your phone and charger (for taking photos, at least – there is no mobile reception along the way!). However, do carry as little as possible, as you’ll find the trip miserable if you take too much.
Must Have
A Flashlight
A 1.5L water bottle
A Insect repellent
A Sunscreen
A Sunglasses
A Long pants
A A different T-shirt for each day’s walking
A Multiple pairs of socks and underwear
A Two pairs of shoes (ideally walking shoes for the hiking and strap sandals for river crossings)
A Multiple plastic bags (very useful for carrying wet clothing)
A Towel
A Ciprofloxacin and Loperamide (antibiotic and antidiarrhea medicines)
Nice to Have
A Playing cards
A Band-Aids or bandages for blistered feet
A Peaked cap
A Swimming costume
A Waterproof bag cover
A Sweatpants or pyjamas for the evenings
A Ziplock bags to keep things dry
A Antihistamine pills to soothe mosquito bites, and cream to treat blisters
A Five extra pairs of socks
A A book or journal for the evenings
A Earplugs (for the communal sleeping experience)
8Getting There & Away
Ciudad Perdida lies about 40km southeast of Santa Marta as the crow flies. It’s hidden deep in the thick forest amid rugged mountains, far away from any human settlement, and without access roads. The only way to get there is by foot. The trail begins in El Mamey (Machete), a 90-minute drive from Santa Marta.
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