Cuidad Perdida

One of my main reasons for visiting Colombia was to complete the 5 day trek to Cuidad Perdida; The Lost City, hidden in the depths of the Colombian jungle. Many people are unaware of the trek to Cuidad Perdida, making it difficult to find information about how to reach the magnificent Lost City. Luckily, Gillian, an Australian girl that I had met earlier on in my trip was also eager to do the hike, so we made our way to Santa Marta, the closest city to the trek, packed up all our essentials into one backpack, and boarded a little chiva bus that took us three hours out of Santa Marta along bumpy dirt tracks hanging over tree covered cliffs.

After our adventurous drive, we took to the road on foot following the narrow path through the trees on the steep inclining mountains, and waded through rivers. We stopped off at a stunningly beautiful lagoon where we jumped off the rocks into the refreshing water, desperate to cool down.

It was a tough climb to the top but the scenery was stunning, overlooking green mountains amongst the stormy black sky with the clouds hovering below. It seemed very eiree.

We continued to the camp descending on the narrow muddy paths of bright white and illuminous orange and red. Eight hours after leaving Santa Marta, we finally reached our home for the night.

That night it rained, which gave us hope that we would not be bothered by the numerous poisonous snakes surrounding the camp, we would only be bothered by the noisy frogs jumping around our hammocks. It was exceptionally cold and uncomfortable sleeping in hammock, so I awoke with sunrise feeling far from refreshed for our second day of hiking.

It was a difficult morning, leaving the camp at 7am into the depths of the jungle with more steep inclines and river crossings. We passed a small village of round, thatched-roofed houses belonging to an indigenous tribe. The children came running to greet us but soon became shy as we attempted to speak to them in Spanish.

 After a couple of hours of difficult hiking in the heat, we were rewarded with an incredibly beautiful lagoon with small waterfalls on either side. The emerald green tinted water surrounded by vines and hidden by trees was far too inviting to ignore. It was the perfect refreshing break from our trek.

I was reluctant to leave the lagoon and its beautiful surroundings but eager to get to our next camp. After walking in the midday heat with  heavy backpack I was delighted to finally reach our camp for the evening, and even more delighted with the view from our beds.

We had a relaxing afternoon sunbathing on a rocky island in the middle of the river, surrounded by incredible scenery.

Day three was another early morning and a difficult start up slippery, muddy mountains and through the depths of the jungle. The river crossings were the most difficult yet with fast flowing rivers and strong currents pulling at us as we crossed. After two hours of extremely tiring inclines, battling with the heat and humidity, the scenery dramatically changed into an eiree-looking, almost mystical rainforest. We spent hours crossing over waterfalls and negotiating pathways over slippery, moss covered stepping stones. It felt as if we had entered a forgotten jungle.

 

Our camp for the night was a tent perched on a rock overlooking a cascading waterfall and fast-flowing river, in the depths of our hidden rainforest. An incredibly beautiful sight.

The next day, we woke up at 5am in order to start our uphill hike to The Lost City. We set out across the river before sunrise, climbing over huge rocks and boulders. There were a few occasions were I was a little scared and hesitant as I jumped from rock to rock clinging on in the hope that I would not fall into the river 20 metres below. We finally reached the 1200 moss-covered stepping stones leading up to Cuidad Perdida.

The steps were steep and narrow making it a difficult climb, but well worth it for the incredible views of the Lost City ruins, set amongst the mountains. Incredible.

After admiring the view with a well deserved beer, we began the dreaded journey back. What we had covered in the past three and a half days, we would hike in the next day and a half. Meaning very early starts and long, hot days through our forgotten jungle, mystical rainforest, eiree mountains and beautiful lagoons.