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The stone terraces of the Lost City amid the Sierra Nevada jungle

Nature · Culture · Active

Lost City trek

Four days of rainforest and 1,200 stone steps up to the Tayrona sacred city.

Duration
3 or 4 nights
Difficulty
Challenging
Zone
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Starts at
Santa Marta

The Lost City — Teyuna to the indigenous people of the Sierra — is an eighth-century Tayrona settlement, six hundred years older than Machu Picchu, hidden in the rainforest until 1972. It remains a site of important indigenous ceremonies today.

The climb reveals a new landscape, a new climate and a new thermal zone with each sunrise. You cross the Buritaca River several times, pass Kogui villages such as Mutanshi, and sleep in camps, in a hammock with a mosquito net or in a bed, depending on availability.

The fourth day starts very early with the 1,200 stone steps built by the Tayrona themselves. At the top the guide explains the site and there is plenty of time to walk it and rest before descending. It is the most demanding experience in the portfolio, and the one most people later describe as the most important part of their trip.

What's included

  • Return transport from Santa Marta
  • All meals: breakfasts, lunches and dinners
  • Fruit and snacks during the hikes
  • Camp accommodation, with mosquito net and blankets each night
  • Specialist guiding
  • Entrance to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Archaeological Park
  • Contribution to the indigenous communities
  • Travel insurance

Not included

  • Porters and mules, at extra cost
  • Bilingual guiding or translator
  • Other services and consumption not specified

Itinerary

  1. 1Day 1: Santa Marta – El Mamey – Camp 1. Two and a half hours by 4x4, lunch and a hike to the first camp, surrounded by rivers and natural pools.
  2. 2Day 2: Camp 1 – Camp 2. Descent into the Buritaca river valley, past the Kogui village of Mutanshi, and four hours of walking.
  3. 3Day 3: Camp 2 – Camp 3. Four and a half hours along indigenous trails in the National Park, crossing the Buritaca River.
  4. 4Day 4: Camp 3 – Lost City – Camp 2. The 1,200-step climb, a full morning at the archaeological site and the return to the second camp.
  5. 5Day 5: Camp 2 – El Mamey. The way back with stops at rivers and waterfalls, lunch at El Mamey and transfer to Santa Marta.

What to bring

  • Good physical condition: several days of demanding hiking
  • Broken-in trekking shoes, not new ones
  • Insect repellent and sunscreen
  • Light quick-dry clothing plus one dry change
  • Torch with spare batteries
  • Waterproof bags for clothes and equipment

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