Ciudad Perdida - encontrada

Phil was feeling under the weather so just us girls (Maya & me) decided to do the 4 day Cuidad Perdida (Lost City) trek to find the city in the mountains above Santa Marta where the Tayrona people fled to after the Spanish conquestadors started massaracing them. Feeling a little apprehensive we were picked up & met our hiking group who were a couple from London, Katie & Danny, we got on immediately and spent the whole 4 days chatting & laughing (sometimes in the face of adversity!)

We only walked for 4 hours the first day & although it was quite tough as it was up & down & very muddy, it wasn't too bad & our guide Gabriel was wonderful at helping us when we needed it. We were pleasantly surprised at the first camp, where there was a place to swim and we each had a bed with a mosquito net - luxury compared to camping! The second day was a big one - up at 5:30 & walking an hour later, by the time we reached the lunch spot & a well deserved swim at a beautiful natural swimming hole we were drenched in sweat. Unfortunately the hardest part was yet to come with a very muddy steep uphill section which took us over an hour. Gatorade which I would normally not drink tasted amazing (if v expensive!) from the little tienda (shop) at the top. 10 hours after starting we stumbled into camp just in time for a quick swim & shower before it got dark.

Day 3 dawned & we were all excited to be heading to the Lost City. We had to cross a fast flowing river before we started the 1200 steps which took us up to the city - wow it was worth every step - terraces which would have had round houses on were perched on a ridge with the Sierra Nevada mountains rising above us. As we took in the view we heard a huge military helicopter which proceeded to land on the area where the chief's house would have been. Some dignitaries from the military disembarked & were happy to say hello, let us explore the helicopter & pose for photos with a bunch of gringos!

We watched enviously as the bird took off for its 20 minute ride back to Santa Marta, a journey that was going to take us 2 days! We reluctantly left the city & retraced our steps back along this ancient pathway, spending another night camping on our way back.

I was very glad to get back, peel off my disgusting clothes & jump straight into the shower. It was a real adventure, with some very tough days of 7 - 8 hours walking but it was brilliantly organized - excellent food & comfortable beds, especially considering everything has to be bought in by mule! Definitely my highlight of Colombia so far, but we've obviously got a lot more to see (touch wood).Read more