TIPS FOR HIKING TO THE LOST CITY OF COLOMBIA

If you haven’t read the story of my incredible trip to the Lost City, please click here and check that out.

Below is some advice for booking and hiking to the Lost City in Northern Colombia.

We booked with Turcol tourism and landed the best guide ever. His name is Omar. Try to get him.

The tours are four, five or six days covering the same route and same distance. They also cost the same so if you want an extra night of accommodation or a couple of days worth of extra food (for no added cost), opt for a longer trip and relax more in this magical jungle.

The four day trip is ample time for the trek. We never felt rushed, though we did sometimes arrive to camp around 5 or 6 PM just before dark. You can often decide how many days you want after you begin the trip but it’s better to decide ahead of time so you can organize shorter hiking days right from the beginning. We had decided on doing five days so we could enjoy the area without being rushed but decided to end after four days because we loved our group so much. Also, because most of our group wanted to do the four day, we arrived at the last camp (or first camp when you begin the trek) around noon on day four. It was only 2-3 hours of hiking to get to the trailhead where the jeep would pick us up. Had we stayed, we would have basically been doing nothing for the whole day, which is another reason we decided to go.

The cost is approximately $300 USD, which includes guide, meals, accommodation and transportation.

The best places to stay before the trek are either Santa Marta or Taganga. Neither is worth writing home about.

The dry season is December to March, which is when we went. They go year round and if you want a much more crazy adventure, try going in the rainy season when you need to cross waist-high rivers with your bag over your head while holding onto a rope so you don’t get washed down the river. Good fun. Maybe?

Packing Tips:

– Pack light and only bring a day bag and NOT your full-size backpack. It is really hot and humid.

– I left my DSLR at the hostel, which I regret. I thought it would be too humid but it wasn’t that bad in March. Bring your camera and as many batteries as you can. The first camp has electricity. The rest do not.

– I didn’t find the bugs that bad but you’ll probably enjoy having bug spray. Waterproof sunscreen is a good idea as well.

– Toilet paper should be on you at all times when travelling South America, whether you go on a trek or not.

– A headlamp is probably the best investment I have ever made for travel gear. Get one and bring one!

– Bring a swim suit and 2 pairs of clothing. One pair for hiking and one pair for sleeping/resting at night. Don’t bother changing for the hike as it will be sweaty/dirty/wet within minutes. Also, nothing dries because of the humidity.

– Bring a towel. There are showers at the camps, though we didn’t bother. However, we did enjoy every swim we could, which was like a shower. Towels came in handy.

– In the dry season, running shoes are probably fine but hiking shoes are better. There are a few times where you need to take them off to cross the river so if you have hybrid sandles/hikers, that would be handy as well. Not a big deal but flip-flops are always a good idea.

– We enjoyed simply chatting in the evenings and sleeping early but many people love a book or cards or something to do when downtime hits.

– Bring a water bottle. Even if it’s just a bottle of spring water that you can refill along the way. Purified water is provided but the bottles are not. Also, some people prefer to extra-purify their water. Some had their own tablets and some had UV light machines. I just drank the water provided and was fine but if you want to go the extra mile, please do.

– We didn’t bring snacks, which was good because there are shops along the way and our guide was always giving us small chocolate bars and fruit. But, feel free to bring some snacks if it makes you jump for joy.

– That’s about it. The rest is common sense. Prescription drugs, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.

ANY QUESTIONS? PLEASE ASK IN THE COMMENTS!