At 1,200 metres above the Caribbean Sea you can find Colombia’s Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) of the Tayrona people. It is an indigenous site in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Beyond the secrets of this ancient settlement, the journey there is what makes Ciudad Perdida a real experience. Crossing the jungle, sleeping in the camps of indigenous communities, crossing rivers and spotting exotic birds are some of the adventures that lead to your goal.
What is the Ciudad Perdida of Colombia?
The Ciudad Perdida is an archaeological park within Colombia’s largest rainforest, the Sierra Nevada, a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
It was discovered in the 1970s by chance by some treasure hunters known as guaqueros. They found it empty of people but not of gold and very valuable objects, which they took with them. The Lost City was alive between the 7th and 16th centuries and was inhabited by around 1,500 Tayrons, its inhabitants, who called it Teyuna.
With the arrival of the Spanish colonisers in the country and the new diseases they brought with them, the indigenous population almost completely disappeared and the few who managed to survive moved to even less accessible areas of the highlands.
For dozens of years it has been a very unsafe place due to the violence of the Colombian guerrillas and, later, the paramilitaries. Today, however, it is a safe place with more than 20,000 tourists a year and tours organised from Santa Marta.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
How to get to the Ciudad Perdida?
The way to Ciudad Perdida is in itself the essence of this trip. This trekking route starts from the city of Santa Marta in northern Colombia. You can get there directly by plane to the recently refurbished Simon Bolivar International Airport, 16.5 kilometres from the city centre.
In order to safeguard the natural landscape in which the Lost City of Colombia is located, you can only visit by buying a tourist package. These package trips are provided by different companies offering itineraries between 4 and 6 days, depending on the level of difficulty. An official guide will take you into the jungle giving you valuable information on the tour.
The starting point is Santa Marta, from where you will be driven to the village of Mamey, 50 kilometres away, by jeep on dirt roads (3 hours) or in a 4×4 truck by road (1 hour and a half).
Trip to Ciudad Perdida, Colombia
Once in Mamey, you will start to walk to your destination. It is convenient to know that you must have some experience in hiking and mountain climbing to do this hike. The terrain is uneven and crosses rivers.
You can easily find online the official websites of agencies that offer this thrilling excursion. Typically, you are given a choice according to your physical fitness. You have the option of doing the route in 4 days: 2 uphill and 2 downhill. This is one of the most popular options among tourists, who usually do the trip in groups of 3 to 10 people. If you want to enjoy more days of walking and adventures and a slower, more personalised pace, then opt for the 5 or even 6-day route.
Prices for these tour packages are usually around COP$1,200,000 per person. They normally include transport between Santa Marta, as well as meals, accommodation in native camps, a guide and medical insurance. In addition, there is the option to hire mules to transport backpacks for 130.000 COP for each trip.
What to see and do in Colombia’s Ciudad Perdida?
Before arriving at the ancient pre-Hispanic society of Teyuna, the 4 to 6 day tour will take you past different attractions and amusements listed below:
Discover Ciudad Perdida from the locals
Along the way, learn about the history and legend of the Lost City from the indigenous natives who still inhabit the area today: the Wiwa and the Kogui, descendants of the Tayrona. They continue to live in settlements immersed in the rainforest and provide you with food and accommodation.
The Kogui are easy to recognise because they dress in white and are usually accompanied by their children and their oxen or donkeys. They consider the Sierra to be a sacred place. They call themselves “big brothers” and consider us “little brothers” or “hermanitos” because we do not belong to their ethnic group.
Bird watching
You can also enjoy the lush flora and abundant fauna of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, one of the most ecologically diverse places on Earth. Bird watching is a common activity. There are 260 species, such as the exotic Caribbean Toucan, and 6 of them are exclusive to this mountain, such as the Flanged Spiderbird, an almost endangered species.
Buitarca River
Nature will surprise you at every step. The Buritaca River is another attraction. One of the experiences of the trip is to cross it on foot, something that depending on the time of year and the rains can be dangerous and must be done with harnesses.
The impressive architecture of Ciudad Perdida
The last step before arriving at the Lost City of Colombia is to climb an imposing stone staircase that has been there since the origins of the city and has more than a thousand steps. Then, we will glimpse the terraces, stone paths and small squares where its inhabitants built their huts or cabins with palm roofs and circular shape known as bohíos.
Travel Map to the Lost City of Colombia
Ciudad Perdida or Machu Picchu?
Machu Picchu is one of South America’s top tourist destinations for the undeniable beauty of its architecture and natural scenery. However, Colombia’s Ciudad Perdida has nothing to envy. There are several things to consider when choosing between the two destinations.
The first is whether you simply want to enjoy the archaeological wonders in these places or whether you want to spend several days in the jungle. If the answer is the former, the right destination is Machu Picchu. The route to get here takes only a few hours, whereas to get to the Lost City of Colombia you need at least 4 days. If, on the other hand, you prefer the latter, both Ciudad Perdida and the Inca Trail are good options.
Another issue to consider is the convenience of services and overcrowding. Both Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail in general are very touristic destinations that gather more than 1.5 million visitors every year. Therefore, it is easier to find better accommodation and services dedicated to tourism. However, Ciudad Perdida, located in a biosphere reserve, avoids this overcrowding in order to protect the site.
As you can see, they are different experiences, but one is not better than the other. If one thing is clear, it is that the majesty of both destinations outweighs everything else.
Frequently asked questions about Ciudad Perdida in Colombia
To get to Ciudad Perdida you have to buy a tourist package which usually costs around 1.200.000 COP (€265/$315 USD) per person with transport from Santa Marta, food and accommodation included.
Ciudad Perdida has a tropical savannah climate and temperatures are warm all year round, with hardly any difference between the wet and dry seasons. However, as a tropical climate there are very few days of the year without rain, an average of only 38 days a year without rainfall. Highs tend to be in the high 30s every month of the year and lows of 19 degrees Celsius. Although temperatures are constant, January, February, March and December are the best months to travel as they are the least rainy.
Tips for your trip to the Lost City of Colombia
- Only 5 companies take you to Colombia’s Ciudad Perdida, so it’s important to book in advance.
- Always carry water, sunscreen and insect repellent.
- The trek is long and sometimes the terrain is not ideal. So don’t carry more weight than necessary and make sure you wear hiking boots or shoes.
- Help preserve the environment. Don’t throw rubbish on the ground and respect wildlife.
- Wear quick-drying clothing for the day, as temperatures are high and humidity is up to 90%. At night, we recommend trousers and long-sleeved shirts.
- Never leave the trails indicated by the guide. You can get lost and in the depths of the Sierra Nevada there is no mobile coverage.
- If your backpack is too heavy for you, you can hire the mule service to transport backpacks for a price of 130.000 COP (€30/$33 USD) each way.
How to organise your trip to Colombia’s Ciudad Perdida?
- Get inspiration from the experiences of other travellers.
- Create your own itinerary and add the app’s suggestions to it.
- Add the spots you are most interested in, as well as the restaurants and bars where you want to eat (you can use the points of interest listed in this post as a reference).
- Organise your itinerary by days and according to their location (you can take inspiration from the routes presented in the post).
- Check the travel budget that the app calculates for you based on your travel stops, restaurants, and leisure activities.
- Make the necessary modifications and you are ready for your trip.
- Finally, share your experience. Upload photos of each of the places you have visited to the app so you can inspire other users.
If you have any doubts, read our post: How to create your travel itinerary with Passporter.
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