15 facts you must know about The Lost City trek

+ useful comments and advices from hikers!

1) How difficult is the Lost City Trek?

It is not a walk in the park!
It’s a challenging jungle trek – not for the black out fainted.
This trek is a physical challenge but 90% humidity and hot conditions make them way more difficult.
You will find clear spots but mud is an issue especially in rainy season.
4-5 days like that? By the end of the trek, you will be really proud!

“This hike is an incredible and unique experience through the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. The 4-day hike is difficult and daunting yet beautiful and exciting. We crossed many bridges, saw (and heard) unique animals, learned and intermingled with indigenous communities, climbed 1200 steps to the sacred lands of the Ciudad Perdida and so much more”
Sara C/ Jan 2021

“Ciudad Perdida trek is sunny hot, humid, sweaty and some trails are steep uphill, downhill but the whole experience is worth it! Breathtaking view surrounded with greeneries. The trek is considered difficult as some trails are exposed to sun. A hat, sun screen and loads of water is a must! More mosquitoes encountered at the lost city area. Dip at the natural pool or have a cold shower at the end of the trek as it is very refreshing and you are clean for bed”
Milkfavpastime/ Mar 2020

2) It is not a loop! You do it in 4 or 5 days.

Most treks take two days to get to the Lost City plus a couple of hours on top of the ruins for some exploration.
Program usually looks like this:

Day 1. Car ride from Santa Marta + 3-5 hours hiking + night en route.

Day 2. 7-9 hours hiking + night en route to Lost City.

Day 3. 1-2 hours hiking + Lost City site visit + 6-8 hours hiking +
night on trail.

Day 4. 5-7 hours hiking + car ride back to Santa Marta.

You will be back to Santa Marta at about 4-5pm.

The trail and the facilities are shared by all the agencies, so the flow of tourists varies depending on the season and the amount each one carries.

“You’ll have a whole morning to wander around at the lost city, which was totally worth the hike. Definitely one of the highlights of my holiday in Colombia. Would recommend this to people that love nature and a good hike”
Chezlow O. / Mar 2020

3) Mosquito repellent!

Cover yourself right after waking up and at various times throughout the day. Use a DEET free, chemical-free bug spray. it seems to work more efficiently. Tics will also be part of the jungle especially in the dry season.
Please double check your shows in the morning before your put them on. Travelers have found scorpions inside.

“I’d recommend bringing a lot of mosquito repellent and maybe a sleep sack for the beds”
Chistina G/ Apr 2017

“Insect repellent and long sleeves are a great idea, but it didnt stop 100 mosquitos from biting me. Oh and if I’d known we’d meet so many indigenous children along the way, I’d brought more candy or small toys like keychains/pencils etc. They love to ‘trade’!”
Lizkonings Nov 2018

4) No porters in the Lost City trek to carry your stuff.

Unlike other treks, there is no porter service in this trek, so all your personal belongins will be carried by you!
Please don’t take more than 6 kilos in your backpack.

“Pack light – there are no porters, you must carry everything yourself. Although it is possible to hire a mule if you are really struggling. It is possible to wash your clothes along the way and dry them in the sun, though you may end up with wet socks”
Lynn3535/ Aug 2019

“I definitely advice trekking shoes , because if it rains it can get REALLY slippery. I took my trekking books and don’t regret a bit, actually they were super useful in Colombia. The camps , the 1st is the worst but not bad, the 3rd is the best. (2nd and 3rd you have natural swimming pool). Take with you just the essential, a small waterproof bag and light. My advice is underwear and socks (4each), toilet paper (1 roll is enough, I think 🙂 ) 2 shorts, 1 leggings, 1 super light pijamas, 1 towel, bikini, flip flops, boots, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, tooth brush/past , shampoo/shower gel 2 in 1 . The basics and you are fine”

5) You will sweat, You will just stink!

Be mentally prepared to be smelly/stinky for those 4 days and enjoy the night showers before going to bed (or hammock).
Bring an extra pair of socks, they will be really necessary, at least 1 pair per day.

“Expect to sweat, a lot, and not be able to dry anything on the trek as it’s so humid and most of it is through jungle Virtually no flat bits, and a lot of steep up and down, I imagine it would be very hard indeed in the rain, and involve a lot of slipping”
DocHewitt/ Mar 2020

6. Best seasons

The area of the Northern part of Colombia has 2 very different seasons: “winter” (rainy season) and “summer” (drought) .
From the middle of May until September you can count on heavy rain in the Sierra Nevada where the Lost City trek takes place.
Don’t let this stop you from taking this trek and travelers actually seem to like it, simply keep it in mind as an extra challenge.
If you think it is going to be quite difficult then consider taking it in the dry season.

“The weather during the wet season is sunny and humid in the morning with afternoon clouds and torrential rain that can turn a mild stream into a raging river”
Fietslvr/ Jul 2019

7) Hiking poles will make the difference!

They will give you plenty of support, probably one if enough as that will allow you to have a free hand to carry your camera or bottle of water.

8) Money

Food, water and lodging are included in the cost of our trek, but it is always good to bring spending money in small denominations if you want to buy coca cola, gatorade beer, ice creams from locals along the trail.
Every camp has a small shop where you can purchase them too. Tips to local guides are always welcome if they do a great job.
Make sure you always have Colombian Pesos.

9) You will love Santa Marta!

Santa Marta is the gateway to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains – and it’s a great small city!
There’s a primary shoreline, with markets along the coast line and individuals getting away to the water to cool themselves down from the Colombian heat. These little roads connect up to tremendous open squares or connect busier strips, and it’s no peculiarity to see neighborhoods break moving bunches busking in a few of the most zones.
Parque de Los Novios is the middle of the notable middle and well worth your time, the Tairona Gold Gallery, may be an awesome history lesson on the starting of the local communities.
Probably adding 1 day to explore would be a great idea.

No cocktails the night before the trek please!

10)Bathroom Facilities in the excursion

They are primitive and adequate.
Each camp has toilets and cold showers, bring your own toilet paper.
You will also find toilets on the trail for COP2000.
It is Always important to bring a Medium Sized Micro Fiber towel.

“They recommend travelling light but also carrying clean clothes for each day (as you sweat loads and nothing drys in the jungle), warm clothes for the evenings (it can drop to 14 degrees), shoes for river crossings, a torch each (scorpions on the camp floors, really, I saw one!), toiletries, mozzy spray, first aid kit, camera, drinking water, etc, all in zip lock bags and everyday it gets a little heavier as dirty clothes won’t dry due to the humidity”
AntonyC / May 2019

11) Water and Hydration

Lost City trek is strenuous, you will sweat like crazy and being hydrated is more than essential. We recommend a refillable hydration bladder for your pack as it is the most convenient and saves having to carry water bottles. Probably 3-4 liters of water a day will not be enough. You will be able to fill up from various springs and rivers along the way. Each sleeping camp has safe drinking water available.

12) Food in the trek

All our clients are satisfied with the meal portions as they find them tasty, carb-heavy, yummy and more than enough for the trek.
Food supplies are carried by the mules and locals who will arrive to the camps before the groups do, you will also have fresh fruits along the way like pineapple and watermelon.
Are you a Vegan? Please let us know with the booking information you provide.

“The camps are simple, clean and well managed. There lots of freshly prepared food at the camps! On the way there are lots of stops where you’ll get some fresh fruit, a snack, lunch etc. There are quite a few shops where you can get a coke, water, a beer etc.
The views on the way are amazing”
Chezlow O/ Mar 2020

“You should be in a good shape and, more important, have good hiking shoes! That’s one thing what will make your trip nice but though or really painfull (because of injuries, blisters and whatever) and tough. You need to carry your own stuff so pack as light as possible. Also a comfortable daypack is really important, to prevent backpains. The walking is a lot going up and down. The food was really good. Lots of snacks, fresh fruit and the meals were great! Big plates so you could fuel yourself with enough new energy”
Arjan V / January 2019

13) Accomodation and lodging services in the tour

The accommodation and food spaces belong to the local communities, we collaborate together to provide a quality service, however they are independent and the standards of the facilities depends exclusively on them.
Bunks and hammocks are provided in the tour.

14) Tour insurance

The insurance coverage includes accidents or injuries that occurred during the trek.

15) Is PCR test / COVID 19 required prior the trek?

The local authorities mandates a negative RT-PCR certificate that is not older than 72 hours for those who want to join the trek. Please let us know if you need to take the test, we can help you with more information to make it easier for you.