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Published: February 23rd 2015
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It was early one Monday morning when we gathered outside the bus stop in Taganga. How I remember it was a Monday, I don't know. It was less important to know what day of the week it was when we had the road at our feet. Maybe it just felt a bit like a Monday, because we'd had a fun filled-night and had to be up early for an appointment to make a bus. The next few days though, we knew, would be fun even if there was a challenging trek ahead.
We had booked our trek with a company out of Taganga - Treks to Lost City are organized by only a few different authorized companies and it is not possible to visit the site on your own.
Dating from the 800s, Ciudad Perdida is older than Machu Picchu and was once home to as many as four thousand Tayrona Indians. The ruins were unknown by modern civilization and covered by dense forest until grave robbers re-discovered the city in 1973 (and stole everything that wasn’t nailed down). The lost City is located near the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Santa Marta and on Colombia’s northern coast. We
had heard about La Ciudad Perfidy about a year or two before we went there from a friend of ours who, before they were able to do hiking tours, did a helicopter excursion. No chopper for us though!
We started straight into it. The bus dropped off our group to combine with a few others at the entrance to the trail and we all started to hike up the muddy slope. The tropical climate and steep ascent on the first day, provided a few tricky and muddy routes for us to maneuver. It was hot and sticky, but we were all in it together and everyone enjoyed helping each other up the path as we chatted. I was surprised by how challenging it was. Not that it was going to get the better of us, but that we had done a four-day hike to Macchu Picchu which seemed it may have been easier. Ciudad Perdida was more unassuming.
After hours of uphill hiking, we leveled off a bit and scaled along a rocky river where we finally caught a reprieve and had a chance to cool down. Our guide nonchalantly asked if anyone wanted to go for a
swim and before the other hikers could decide if it was a good idea or not - Sarah and I had stripped down and were jumping in! After nine months of travelling, we knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth!
While we walked along side some rivers for a while, we eventually had to cross one. Aster taking our shoes off, we all waded forward, one by one in the shin-high water. It was a relatively easy crossing, although my thoughts wandered to a story we had heard while in Ecuador when a few trekkers did not have it so easy. Tragically, two backpackers were killed when it started to rain heavily while crossing the river. A flash flood swept a number of people down the river, three managed to find it to shore but unfortunately two did not. There is a cable car which can be manually operated on a pulley system in such circumstances, and I believe that the guide who didn't use it that time was investigated and banned. We crossed safety coming and going.
My complaints were minor compare to being wept down a river; I can't remember exactly when, but
possibly on the second day I started to feel ill. I had stomach ache, washy-head and lack of energy. It slowed me down a bit as we hiked and I wasn't my normal-energetic-self. Thankfully along the way, I managed to buy Gatorade which helped me rehydrate and power through the trek in the humid heat.
As we neared the Lost City Of Tayrona, adrenalin and Gatoradei started to kick in. As with Maccha Picchu, it was a sight for sore eyes when we ascended the series of steps to La Ciudad. As you can see from the photos, the City has been preserved extremely well. We enjoyed spending time meandering around the ruins, soaking up the atmosphere and taking photos. It was crazy to imagine a civilization living here, dying here and a city becoming lost for centuries.
The trek back was not too easy either. Following our personal discovery of The Lost City, we spent the night at a campsite and celebrated with a few beers. Early next morning, we made our trek back. It was on the final day that we had cross the river again and this time it was raining. Our guide didn't hesitate
in making use of the pulley car. Each of us made it over safely, one by one. Click
This link to a video of Sarah making it across!
The trek to La Ciudad Perdida is approximately 44km, so just shy of 30 miles. Don't let that put you off! While it sounds intimidating and it is a challenging trek, it was absolutely worth it for us and I am sure that it will be for you too.
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