Cuidad Perdida,
Colombia
"…3 days later and
the arduous trek to
the Lost City has
forced us to climb
to the tops of one
mountain after
another, with heat
so overpowering that
our sweat
continuously burns
our eyes and
drenches our
clothes, and seldom
does a breeze or
wisp of air bring
relief through the
dense primary
Colombian jungle we
have chosen to
traverse. We
hop-skip an icy-cold
river haven for the
9th time on this
journey and round a
bend, until finally,
we are greeted by
the 2000 stone steps
that will lift us
back in time to the
7th century.
The pain in our legs
takes each of us
into a trance of
solitude as
we negotiate the
narrow moss-covered
staircase one step
at a time, until it
ultimately carries
us high above the
valley and into the
lower reaches of the
ancient city. We´ve
arrived…"
Ciudad Perdida (lit.
"Lost City") is one
of the largest
pre-Columbian towns
discovered in the
Americas.
And rightfully so,
it is now being
mentioned in the
same breath as Machu
Picchu of Peru.
Built on top of a
mountainous jungle,
high on the northern
slopes of the Sierra
Nevada de
Santa
Marta, just
50kms south
of Colombia's
Caribbean coast, it
is considered to
have been home to
the Tayrona Indians
and appears to be
their major
political and
economic center.
The city's origins
date back to the 7th
century and it is
believed that some
2000 to 4000 people
were thought to have
lived there.
Roughly 150 stone
terraces, which once
served as
foundations for the
wooden huts used as
meeting areas and
habitations for the
Tayronans, are all
that is left of the
great city. The
central part of the
city, which is by
far the most awe
inspiring, is
perched on a ridge
from which various
stone paths lead
down to other
terraced areas on
lower slopes. In
its entirety, the
city spans an
altitude between
950m to 1300m and a
radius of about 4sq
km.
During the Spanish
conquest, the
Tayronan
civilization was
wiped out and the
settlement was left
to disappear beneath
the thick jungle.
For years, it was
hidden from the
world except for the
descendants of the
Tayronans, the Kogi
Indians who knew of
its existence and
kept its secret.
For 4 centuries, the
city was "lost"
until its
"rediscovery" in
1975 by guaqueros
(treasure hunters)
who stumbled upon
it and began to rob
it of the gold,
pottery, and
semiprecious stones
that existed in
nearby tombs. Now,
the Colombian
government is in
control of its
national treasure
and the once great
city of the
Tayronans is now
"accessible" to
those who wish to
undertake an intense
and magnificent 6
day round trip trek
uphill into the
humid and
mountainous jungle,
crossing rivers,
sleeping under
wooden shelters in
hammocks, swimming
and bathing in
streams, and forging
new friendships.
"…We pause to gather
ourselves and
regroup for a final
ascent up the dozen
or so stone terraces
that lead up to the
central terrace
plateau. It's easy
to picture how the
jungle must have
completely covered
the ground we were
walking on up until
the site was
discovered by tomb
raiders 30 years
ago. Then, almost
as if we had
stumbled across a
lost world rather
than a city, we
reach the final
plateau, immediately
humbled and awakened
by what our senses
can barely absorb.
Sitting here in the
mystical
surroundings, is a
rare and special
experience; massive
stone terraces
perched elegantly
within the jungle
landscape so far
removed from
civilization, high
up on an extremely
remote mountain top,
amidst a
breathtaking canopy
of primeval forest
covering every slope
around us down into
the canyon carved by
the Buritaca river.
And way up here in
this remote space,
no one interferes
with its solemnity,
its presence, its
mystic air. The
animals and native
descendants guard
it, and we respect
it."
"The
terraces are all
that is left of the
great city, and
we can only imagine
life as it must once
have been. We
finally drop our
bags to lay in the
soft grass of the
largest terrace
which a long time
before may have been
the ceremonial and
political center of
the city. All we
can do is lay down
to take a moment of
rest and absorb our
immaculate
surroundings while
imagining what took
place here over a
1000 years ago. And
together we decide
that life could be
better here and
perhaps the 3 day
return trip should
be postponed for a
lifetime."
Daily Log: Ciudad
Perdida
*Read on for a daily
account from our
written log, of our
6 day/5 night
trek to and from
the Lost City.
Day 1
- March 02, 2007
-
Join 11 others (2
Germans, 3 Israelis,
2 Irish, 1 Danish, 1
Dutch, 1 American, 1
Australian) on a
chiva to El
Mamey for the start
of a 6 day trek into
the jungle to find
the Lost City.
Chiva breaks down,
join other jeep to
village. Jeep goes
back for the others,
and we find a juice
stand for some fresh
energy. Meet our
guide (Emanuel), our
cook (William), and
our porter. Start
hiking 3 hours up
and down to the
first encampment.
100% humidity, up
steep climbs, white
sand, red sand,
mosquitoes,
mountains, jungle.
Emanuel, in his
early 50s, walks
with a troubled gait
ever since he
slipped and fell on
a previous
expedition. Very
experienced and
still keeps up
regardless of the
difficulty. Arrive
at dusk and go for a
swim in river pools
in the dark.
Refreshing!
Delicious chicken
for dinner. Deep
conversation with
Israelis about
politics and war.
Get to know one
another by
candlelight. Hop
into our moist
hammocks protected
under mosquito
nets. Not so
comfortable, kind of
chilly. Strange
noises throughout
the night.
Day 2
- Mar 03
-
6:15 AM
rise! Grilled
cheese sandwiches
and putrid coffee
for breakfast. Trek
for 4 1/2 hours to
"Gabriel's
encampment".
Nice clearings appear
now and then during
the hike for
splendid views of
surrounding slopes.
Denser
jungle, flatter
terrain, easier than
yesterday.
Encounter a couple
of venomous snakes
along the way. Stop
for a pineapple
snack by the river.
Arrive at camp at
1:30 pm. Strip down
to our swim shorts,
and headed down to
the river for some
serious bathing!
Bathed, swam, dived
off rocks, cooled
off and numbed down
our sore muscles.
Smoked a fat one
with the Germans,
Israelis, and
Danish.
Conversation, comedy,
and stench in sweaty
proximity. Our cook
whips up a hearty
soup for lunch.
Nice to arrive in
the afternoon and
relax in the sun
amongst peaceful
sights and sounds.
Anders (Danish)
rolls a few more
while we all play a
game of In My Picnic
Basket (who would
pack their "favorite
costume from
Uzbekistan" in their
basket by the way?)
and Who Am I? Greg (Australian) finally
figures out he is
"God". Nourishing
dinner. Better
sleep in hammocks
with the peaceful
white noise of the
Buritaca river below
us. Blankets are
rather stinky. Find
Greg sleeping on
the table in the
morning because he's
had enough of
hammocks!
Day 3 - Mar
04 / Onward to the
Lost City
- Early rise
again, 6AM. Leave
camp at 7:30 with
lots of energy and
excitement as we set
off to the Ciudad
Perdida. Steep
climbs for 3 hours,
up, up, up! Amazed
by the habits of
some of our friends:
Timm and Jan
(Germans)
still trekking in
their flip flops!
Anders carrying only
a side satchel
containing just a
spare shirt, and
tools to roll
joints. Andrew and
Evelyn (Irish) seem
to have a spare set
of legs packed
somewhere, and seem
to be walking on
clouds. Maya, Adde,
and Tsur (Israelis)
entertain us with
their stories about
the tribulations of
Israeli military
service. Dick
(Dutch) telling us
that because he
overheard someone
say the American
President is a real
dick, that we should
now call him Richard
for the rest of the
trek. Greg
(Australian)
constantly sweating
like no man has ever
sweat before and
busting his ass to
prove he's better
than Andrew from
Ireland. And Francis
the American…well,
we don't have many
nice things to say
about Francis, just
that he sort of fits
the stereotype.
What a friendly and
interesting group of
people. We feel
fortunate to be
sharing such a great
experience with
such amazing and
unique
individuals. We are
amazed by how such
close bonds can be
made in such short a
time with complete
strangers from
different cultures,
and backgrounds.
Encounter 1st river
crossing and change
from hikers to
sandals. Wade in up
to our knees using
sticks for balance.
Feels very
refreshing. Cross 9
more times back and
forth. Rest in a
clearing. More
pineapples and
oranges for snacks.
Arrive at the famous
stone staircase that
leads to the Lost
City at the 4 hour
mark. Reesh counts
all 1991 stairs as
we battle our way
up. Narrow, moss
covered stairs,
difficult to
negotiate. Eerie to
imagine the feet
that had walked the
same path centuries
ago. Our guide
points out a hole
that was once a tomb
that was robbed.
Ashif tells everyone
that Reesh is really
crazy to be counting
all 1991 stairs.
Everyone agrees
that Reesh is
crazy. Calves
burning. Arrive at
first set of
terraces in utter
exhaustion.
Fascinating
structures. Not
done yet. More
steps, more
terraces. Arrive at
the central plateau
in a large jungle
clearing. Can't
believe the view.
Giant circular stone
terraces topped with
green grass almost
like tee boxes on a
golf course. Plenty
of slopes covered
with dense
vegetation on
opposing mountains
in all directions.
No other tourists.
Surreal and
unimaginable. Drop
our packs and drop
down on the main
terrace to soak in
the feeling.
Explore upper
terraces. Head over
to our encampment.
No hammocks tonight,
large wooden
shelter with 4 walls
and mattresses.
Devour lunch. Spend
the early evening
listening to stories
from Manuel our
guide. Manuel
delivers a profound
recount of the
kidnapping of a
group of 8 tourists
in 2003 by
guerrillas. Can't
believe Manuel was
the guide on that
trek and are shocked
to hear the entire
story in the exact
same location it
happened! Explains
how the guerrilla
group came to the
camp at 4:50 am,
tied up the guides,
and chose the
fittest tourists
with the best shoes
to kidnap. They
tied up the rest of
the tourists, and
the indigenous
families living in
the nearby village
as well. He
explains how he
freed himself from
his ropes, and
managed to escort
the remaining
tourists back down
to safety. Jan acts
as translator and as
night falls, we are
all keen on knowing
more about the
motives and tactics
of the guerrillas.
Learn that the
hostages were
released 101 days
later, unharmed. No
reason except for
publicity. Emanuel
shows us newspaper
clippings containing
pictures of him and
stories of the
event. Quite tense
afterwords since we
would all be
sleeping up in the
same area where the
kidnappings took
place. Guides go
to bed. Timm and
Jan teach us all a
German game called
Werewolves.
Hilarious, cut
throat, and a lot of
fun. Lay under our
mozzie nets on our
mattresses and play
a couple of more
games in the dark.
Sleep and wait for
4:50 am to pass
without any
incident!
Day 4
- Mar 05 / Tour of
Ciudad Perdida, Trek
back to camp 2.
-
Ashif wakes up to
realize he left his
spare pants and a
pair of boxers in
the toilet at the
previous camp.
Beautiful morning
view of hills and
jungle around Ciudad
Perdida. Lovely
tour of the main
terraces of the
ancient city. Learn
how most terraces
were foundations for
the wooden homes.
Understand the
political and
economic systems of
the Tayronans.
Learn how the
central plateau was
the sector used for
ceremonies and
celebrations. Men
and women used to
sleep in separate
houses and learn
that sex was not to
be performed as a
nocturnal activity
and must be done in
the fields during
the day so that
children wouldn't be
born blind! Descend
along lateral slopes
to discover more
terraces and various
sectors of the city
cleared from the
jungle. A massive
settlement indeed.
Learn how the
Spanish destroyed
the habitants by
simply cutting off
trade routes to the
coast, and
introducing foreign
germs that the
natives did not have
antibodies to
fight. Climb to the
highest terrace on
the central plateau
and capture gorgeous
views of the lower
terraces (one of
which is used as a
helicopter landing
pad for those
willing to fork out
the cash and
unwilling to conquer
the trek)with their
circular stone
layers, topped with
green grass and
surrounded by a
spectacular
mountain/jungle
landscape.
Lunch. Begin our
hike back down,
down, down.
Millions of steps to
descend. Seems like
forever. Hiking
stick helps as knees
feel sore. Long
day. Hard to keep
going. Forget to
turn off at final
river crossing,
climb over large
boulders. Lost.
Emanuel spots us
from a height and
gets us back on the
right trail.
Finally arrive at
Gabriel's encampment
at 6pm, 5 hours from
the Lost City. No
sign of Ashif's
pants or underwear.
Stolen by a porter
from another group.
Shower in the dark
and chow down.
Smoke up. Reesh
gets sleepy and
Ashif gets
"stupid". Comfy
sleep in cozy
hammocks!
Day 5
- Mar 06
-
Lazy morning. Sit
by the river pool
and enjoy the
waterfall. Relax,
swim, bathe. Knees
feel shot. Enjoy a
coke at a plantation
owner's
house. Arrive at
camp around 1:30pm.
Run down to river
for a swim. Dive in
from 5 meter
height! Thrilling
and refreshing. Use
rope to get
ourselves back up
and out.
Difficult. Decide
with a handful of
the others to hire
an 18 year old
farmer to guide us
into a narrow,
overgrown, off track
ravine near his
plantation about 20
minutes from the
camp. The
destination, a
small laboratory for
processing one of
Colombia's largest
exports. We
received quite an
education indeed.
(Sorry, no details
here…it all stays in
our written log).
Played more Werewolf
at night. Ashif
can't seem to get a
chance to be a
werewolf. Anders
keeps killing
Ashif. Everyone
knows Reesh is a
werewolf. Greg goes
nuts and begins to
take game a little
too seriously.
Strange night.
Day 6
- Mar 07 / Final
steps
-
Final day. Only 2
1/2 hours until the
end. Long uphill
climb right at the
start. Painful, but
a good challenge.
Exhausted from the
heat. Steep
downhill sections.
Return to the
village of El Mamey
at 11:30am.
Celebrate our
accomplishment with
massive jugos (fruit
juice). Play
Shithead while
sipping our exotic
nourishment.
Dirty. Tired. 2
hour Chiva bus ride
back through long
dusty jungle road to
Santa
Marta. Lunch
with all. Bid
farewell to our new
close friends. Back
to beautiful and
relaxing Taganga
village on the sea.
Waste not a single
moment to jump into
the ocean and float
weightless. Get
Tata to sanitize our
clothes. Pizzas and
cervezas for
dinner. Feeling
accomplished and
happy to have scuba
dived in the
Caribbean of
Colombia and trekked
into the jungle to
its remote and
ancient gem…Ciudad
Perdida.
