What to know before hiking Colombia’s Lost City Trek
Location: Started in Santa Marta, Colombia
Length of time: 4 days, 3 nights
This past January 2024 we flew to Colombia for the first time to hike the Lost City trek. Charlie had backpacked before so was prepared, but I had never done anything like this so I was understandably QUITE nervous. When doing research on this trek, we found a few very helpful blog posts but, now having done the trek, I don’t feel that any of them FULLY prepared me for it. I hope this post helps you feel more prepared, and maybe even convince you to do the trek yourselves - which we highly recommend!
What is the Lost City trek?
The Lost City Trek, also known as La Ciudad Pérdida, is a trek through the jungle about 2 hours outside of Santa Marta, Colombia. The trek is normally ran in four-day lengths in which you hike close to a total of 30 miles in-and-out. The trek leads you to the ancient indigenous city ruins of La Ciudad Pérdida, AKA The Lost City. The local indigenous populations refer to the city as Teyuna, and it is incredibly scared to them and their history.
The view from the top of La Ciudad Perdida looks out across a vast landscape of mountains and trees – some of the most vibrant green I’d ever seen.
The trek takes you through hot, humid, jungle climate, and you’ll be surrounded for the entirety of the hike by some of the most beautiful surroundings I’ve ever seen. Sometimes treks have a fairly monotonous landscape until you reach your destination (especially in the States) - this is NOT that trek. Every step I wanted to stop to take photos, which never did the beautiful landscapes justice. I (Madison) was shocked at how persistent the beauty was throughout the entire experience, including of finale of the Lost City.
Most of the hike looked like this – lush, green, landscapes that were impossible to look away from.
The Lost City trek is strenuous. That is probably the biggest thing we would stress about our experience (besides the beauty, of course). I thought myself quite fit before we left for Colombia, and this trek absolutely humbled me. While I completed every day (and didn’t even need to send our packs with the mules on the last day), it was hard work and I’m not sure I’ve ever been as sore as I was on Day 4. It’s doable, but I would recommend training even more than I thought I did, which I’ll include as a tip in the final section of this post.
This is what we looked like most of the time – sweaty but smiling!
Booking the Trek
We booked this trek fairly last minute, and truthfully chose it mainly because we planned to travel in January which was the peak season for the Lost City trek.
Like many South American countries, Colombia has a rainy and dry season. While this hike is possible to complete in the rainy season, I would highly recommend to book it during the dry season, which is as follows:
Dry season = December through March
Rainy season = April through November
How to book
We found this experience thorough Viator, and chose it specifically because of the large amounts of reviews (I’m a big review-reader and think I read hundreds on this trek before agreeing to go). The tour company we used for the Lost City trek was Expotur, and they are incredibly well-known and respected for running this trek. Of all the tips and tricks we could give, our biggest would be to book with Expotur. We had an absolutely amazing experience with their guides, translators, and cooks. More on this later, but we booked through Expotur and they run this trek every. single. day. I’ve spent more hours of my life than I care to admit thinking about the logistics that go into the planning and execution of this trek, and I’m still left amazed at how seamless and effortless they make it seem.
Our Expotur guide, Daniel, was one of the coolest and kindest people we’ve ever met.
We booked our trek for January 2-6th, and it was as easy as clicking through Viator, purchasing two tickets to the experience, and that’s it! You’ll receive more information from your tour provider after booking.
Also of note: we had done some some high-level planning for other treks similar to the Lost City, and for what is provided with this one, the price cannot be beat.
What to expect
As mentioned before, we did this trek in 4 days, but we know others who hiked in 6 days and even someone who was doing it in 3 days (though at one point we saw him literally running down the mountain, so maybe… don’t do that). This itinerary was specific to our trek, but know that your experience may differ. The trek has many camps along the way, so you may stay at a different camp than we did, which would change your experience slightly. All of the camps are quite similar, though, so we feel this is a pretty accurate representation of the trek.
Day 1
The first day we woke up and were picked up by Expotur around 7:30am. I think we missed some communication around this because we thought we were getting picked up at 8:30am, so that was a bit of a surprise! Thankfully we had already eaten breakfast so we grabbed our bags and actually walked over to the office - it was much closer than we thought.
We stayed at Casa Isabelle, and I highly recommend it if you’re going on this hike. The Expotur office is within walking distance.
Casa Isabelle was absolutely stunning and is in a great spot to start the trek.
After reaching the office, we were greeted with coffee and checked in by sharing our passports and signing some waivers.
Note: the bathroom in the Expotur office is the last “real” bathroom you’ll see for 4 days - use it! And also, everyone else is also going to be using it. So plan accordingly.
After checking in and storing our luggage we waited for almost an hour. We picked up extra water at the Penn Station cafe next to the office while we waited and chatted with some people. There were around 50 people starting the trek the same day as us, and we were all broken up into groups of 12-15 with our own main guide, second guide, and translator. These people will truly become your family by the end of the week - make sure to catch everyone’s names!
The hour wait before we left was so nerve-wracking, but getting to meet our fellow hikers was a great way to pass the time.
After meeting your group you’ll get into a van or 4x4 to begin the journey to the starting point of the trek. The drivers will ask if you want to put your bags on the top of the car to save space. As long as you don’t have anything valuable that could fall out this is safe to do.
You’ll then drive 1 hour to a mid-way point with bathrooms and you’ll receive a wristband that you’ll need to enter the park. Don’t take it off.
After that stop, you’ll drive another hour into the park. This ride is bumpy, so if you suffer from motion sickness I would take some medicine to prepare for it.
Once at the entrance to the trek, you’ll arrive upon a small town with a restaurant where you will have lunch before setting off. There are also bathrooms you can use here, and they will be your first taste of the rustic plumbing you’ll get used to on the trek. It’s here you will likely be offered a walking stick. If you haven’t brought hiking poles, take the hiking stick! I don’t know what I would have done without mine.
After lunch you get started right away! Your guides will explain a high-level itinerary of the next few days, and then you will start hiking. The first day’s hike is about 4 hours. The first 45 min is straight uphill, not covered, and on bright white concrete. It’s absolutely brutal and I was rethinking if I would be able to make it through the whole four days after the first uphill. Thankfully, you get more shade as you continue throughout the hike. The second half of the day is a pretty big downhill section, so just be sure to use your walking stick and protect your knees.
This is what Charlie looked like after only 45 minutes of hiking.
After each big uphill portion there will be a small tienda, or store, to purchase a beer, water, or even souvenirs. Your guides will also often have fresh fruit or juice for you to eat/drink at these stops, which you’ll need after sweating your body weight out in the heat.
Charlie got to try watermelon with honey and cacao on top!
After the four hours of hiking, you’ll reach your camp for the night. These camps aren’t exactly glamping, but also aren’t tent-camping either. There will always be a larger area with tables to eat at, a small tienda with beverages, bathrooms with showers, and bunk beds with mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows, and bug nets. If you’re someone who may be uncomfortable in this environment, I would recommend a sleeping bag liner like this one. I felt wrapped in a little cocoon and safe from any critters that might sneak through the bug netting.
The bathrooms are basic but do provide flushing. Bring your own toilet paper because if there is any at the camps it will go FAST. I also recommend bringing a soap bar or camp suds to wash your hands – most camps didn’t have soap available.
You’ll want to shower as soon as you get there because you will be absolutely drenched in sweat. I’m talking the “it won’t even dry overnight” type of sweat.
Pro tip: try not to drink any of the water while you’re showering. It’s not purified and may upset your stomach, which is definitely not something you want to happen at the beginning of the trek.
After showering and changing into your camp clothes (more on that in the What to Pack section), you will have downtime to hang out with your fellow trekkers, rest, and get ready for dinner.
Dinner will be the same for everyone. On night one, we had fried fish, rice, veggies, and a fried plantain. You’ll also get some fruit juice and a dessert of some sort – oftentimes a chocolate candy bar. After months of searching I finally found Gol bars in the US – they were my kryptonite on the hike.
After dinner you’ll be offered coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, and your guides will gather you to talk about the history of the landscape you just hiked through. I personally found this part of the trip to be my favorite as my knowledge of Colombia was admittedly limited before the trek.
After that, you’ll get ready for bed! Lights usually went out at 8:30pm, which sounds early but trust me… it wasn’t early enough. You’ll want to pack your bag the night before because it can get quite hectic in the morning.
Pro tip (which we will cover more in the Tips and Tricks section): Do NOT brush your teeth with the water from the sinks! This water is not safe for drinking and is the easiest way to get stomach issues. Use a water bottle and you’ll be fine.
Get some sleep, because Day 2 is the longest day of the trek.
Day 2
To start Day 2, you’ll wake up around 4:30am because you will likely start hiking before the sun rises or just after.
For breakfast (almost every day), we had scrambled eggs, an arepa, some rice, and fruit juice of some sort. This breakfast is absolutely necessary to fuel your hiking, but wow did it get difficult to eat by Day 4.
You’ll start hiking with the sun rising, and trek for about 3 hours until you get to a camp for lunch. At this camp we were able to swim in the river to cool off after an intense morning of hiking. We ate lunch here and then started hiking for another 4ish hours, one of which was fully uphill (which our translator lovingly referred to as the Happy Hour).
Starting the hike at sunrise meant you got views like this.
Our next camp for the night had recently been hit by a landslide, so it was a bit smaller than the last one. They were actively rebuilding the camp, which was amazing to see. At this camp, Charlie and I doubled up in bed to save space for some of the single hikers since they didn’t have enough beds for every solo traveler in the group.
Dinner tonight was another carb-loaded meal to get us ready for the next day – the day we finally reach La Ciudad Pérdida.
The bunks at the second camp were a little newer.
Day 3
Day 3 starts again with that 4:30am wake up call, but this is the most exciting day of the whole trek. This morning you finally reach The Lost City, La Ciudad Perdida. Our camp happened to be a little closer to the entrance to the Lost City than others, so we were the first to reach the beginning of the steps.
Note: we were able to leave our packs at the camp since we would be returning to it. All we brought with us were water bottles, our walking sticks, our phones, some cash, and sunscreen. This is where bringing a smaller fanny or sling pack with you will come in handy!
Upon reaching the entrance to La Ciudad Perdida, you’ll need to tackle the 1,200 rugged steps straight up. In ancient times, this was a way to fend off attackers, but nowadays it’s just a very, very, hard 45 minutes. Make sure you bring your walking stick for this part. You will return back down the same way you came up, and I found the steps to be slippery.
Once you reach the top, you’ll land on one of the first platforms that will show you a beautiful expansive view of the mountains around you. When I tell you the view is worth it, I really mean it. It’s incredibly calm, quiet, and I truthfully got emotional thinking about the long trek it took to get there.
We reached the top of the steps! But not the top of La Ciudad Perdida.
You may think you’ve made it! This is the top! But I assure you, it is not. There are many, many, platforms that stack upon each other and you can explore. While there are more stairs to tackle, you won’t even be thinking about it as you climb further and further up the ancient city.
Once at the top, you’ll spend some time with your guides as they speak to you about the history of the land, including how it was discovered and why it was considered “lost.”
After spending a few hours at La Ciudad Perdida, it’s eventually time to head back down the same stairs you walked up to reach it.
Pro tip: walk down sideways – the steps are slippery and not large enough for even my (Madison’s) small feet.
After you return back to camp, you’ll each a very early lunch (and your body will start to get used to 10am lunches), grab your packs, and continue the journey.
The rest of the day is very similar to previous days – strenuous hiking for around 4 hours, with you arriving to camp around 2-3pm to freshen up, swim in the river, and eat dinner.
This night was bittersweet because while we felt accomplished and tired, we knew that tomorrow we would be bidding farewell to our new friends and guides. We met some of the indigenous women and learned of their traditions before heading to sleep. By the third day, many campers had fallen ill from drinking the water or exhaustion, so if you can help it… don’t sleep near the bathroom.
Additionally, that night we were given three options for the next (last) day. Charlie and I ended up not taking any of the options, but we knew many other hikers who did. They included:
Sending your packs or other bags back with the mules, where they would meet you back at the restaurant where we started the journey
Riding the mules back (mostly for those that were feeling too tired or had gotten sick along the way)
Riding the motorbike down the last two-hour downhill portion of the trek
These were the options offered by our tour operator, Expotur. Other groups may not have the same options.
Day 4 (the final day 😞)
Day four begins with the typical 4:30am wake up call and a final breakfast at the camps. Today’s distance you’re hiking is FAR – essentially walking the complete distance from days one and two combined. The math really isn’t mathing here, but trust me, the guides are always right.
The first half of the day you will spend hiking mostly uphill. It’s a very long stretch and feels endless, but as with each of the other days, you will always have a break at the top with water, fresh juice, and most importantly – flat land.
Instead of a break for lunch on the last day (because you will have lunch at the starting point of the trek), once finished with the main uphill you will stop for a ~20 min break at one of the camps. We were given a snack that was essentially a piece of vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, and it helped power us through what was, in my opinion, one of the hardest parts of the trek: the downhill.
What was a pretty strenuous hike straight upward on the first day turned into – you guessed it – a pretty strenuous downhill. Most of the trek I was very thankful for downhills as they were a reprieve from the heart-pounding hiking that was the uphills. This last downhill, though, was about two hours long and my feet were DONE. Every step hurt, and each time we took a break I questioned if I’d be able to get back up to finish.
But while the hike itself was incredibly challenging, the group of people we were with (shoutout to the back of the pack) supported us through it all. Near the end, I wouldn’t have been able to get through that last two-hour downhill without the friends we made (and the guides and translator) cheering us on as we went.
Finally (finally!), you will reach the starting point of the trek. Just like the first day, you’ll eat lunch at the same restaurant, but this time you’ll be eating with 14 of your new closest friends.
At the end of the trek I was in tears holding my walking stick, so proud and so tired.
After resting for a bit (they even have showers you can pay a few thousand pesos to use if you’d like) at the restaurant, you’ll head back into the van and take the two-hour trip back to Santa Marta. If you choose to get dropped off at a different location, you can do this as well. However, remember to arrange your luggage to be dropped off where you are (if you stored it with the tour company).
The car ride back is very bittersweet and sleepy – this will also be the first time you’ll have service again. I’d recommend waiting as long as possible before diving back into the real world – soak up as much peace as you can.
Once you get back to the tour office, you’ll grab a souvenir T-shirt, pick up your luggage, and be on your way! Our group ended up getting drinks together that night after we all settled in and showered. I wish I could say we partied all night, but we were all truthfully so tired we got one drink and went back to our hotels to sleep.
Wearing our matching shirts attempting to go out the night we got back (we made it an hour).
What to pack
We felt like we actually packed quite well for the Lost City Trek, but every person in our group packed slightly differently. Some people packed way more than us, and some people packed way less than us (which I still don’t know how that was possible).
Here’s exactly what we packed (for one person):
24-26L backpacking pack
This was one of the more difficult things to find for the trip. Charlie is a pretty average size person, so his was easy to buy. I, however, am VERY small (4’11”) and have the torso size of a small child. I ended up getting sized at an REI, bought three different packs, and tried them out before making my final choice.
Madison’s pack: Osprey Tempest 24, Womens XS/S
Charlie’s pack: Deuter Speed Lite 25
Our backpacks were packed to the brim! Other hikers packed less and more than we did.
Rain cover for backpack
Hydration pack
3 moisture-wicking T-shirts (I mean, like, the lightest shirts you can buy)
It’s tempting to wear tank tops, but don’t do that as it will create rashes on your shoulders from your backpack straps. I also wore one of my drifit shirts twice after letting it dry overnight.
5 pairs of underwear
3 for each night, and I brought 2 extra just in case
4 pairs of hiking/athletic shorts (you’ll wear one of them on your first day, so really 3)
1 pair of leggings to sleep in
1 thin long-sleeve to sleep in
4 sports bras (you’ll wear one of them on your first day, so really 3) + 1 thinner sports bra to sleep in
4 pairs of lightweight wool socks (you’ll wear one of them on your first day, so really 3)
1 swimsuit
You’ll never need to hike in your swimsuit – there will always be a place to change at camps before you swim.
This is exactly why you should bring your own portable chargers. There is power (and even wifi) at some of the camps, but this is what it looks like!
Sleeping bag liner
Pillowcase (we didn’t bring these and wish we did) – possibly one that drys quickly
5 Gallon-sized plastic bags to keep your dirty clothes and clean clothes in
Sunglasses
A sun hat like this one.
Sunscreen – the spray-on kind is probably less effective but stayed on better because of the sweat.
1 pair of hiking boots
1 pair of sandals for river/shower/camp
Your hiking boots will be your best (and worst) friend. Make sure you pick the right ones and break them in before the trek.
2 pairs of non-wool socks that cover your ankles to sleep in
Bug spray, the good kind like Nopikex (which you can get in Colombian pharmacies)
Ear plugs (we didn’t pack these and wish we did) for sleeping in the bunks. Some people were snoring, and falling asleep at 8pm is sometimes hard for anyone, even if you hiked all day.
A headlamp – preferably one with a red light option – for the camps. I cannot tell you how many people shined light directly into our bunks while getting up to go to the bathroom, and we were eternally grateful for those that had the red-light feature on their head lamps.
A shower roll like this one, including:
Small shampoo and conditioner bottles OR shampoo/conditioner bar (we heard these were a hit and wish we used bars instead of liquid)
A bar of soap in a soap bag like this one.
Contacts (if you wear them) + contact solution
Glasses (if you wear them)
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Hair brush
Hair ties
Hand sanitizer
What not to pack
If you’re not hiking in the rainy season, I don’t think you necessarily need a raincoat. If it rains, it probably would feel good on you because of how sweaty you are.
We didn’t end up eating any extra snacks, so I wouldn’t feel like you need to pack those unless you are a picky eater and may not like what they serve you.
A bunch of extra amenities. You really won’t use them – soap, shampoo, and conditioner is really all you need. Don’t waste precious space in your pack with unnecessary amenities.
How we packed our bags
Where I thought we were clever in packing was our strategy behind the four days. We packed everything we would need for each day into its own ziploc bag, as well as one bag that held the clothes we changed into at camp, and another for our wet swimsuits. We then packed each of our individual baggies into our larger dry bags, squeezed the air out, put any items we would need while hiking on top of the dry bag (like sunglasses or cash), and zipped our bags up.
Packing each day’s worth of clothes in a plastic bag was the best packing method for us.
This way, whenever we were done with our dirty clothes, they would go right back into a ziploc bag and never see the light of day again. It would keep everything neat, tidy, and not as smelly as it could have been.
In the outside pockets of the backpack, we kept an extra water bottle, our sunscreen, the rain cover for the backpack, and we hung our sandals.
We probably weren’t perfect in our packing strategy, but felt like we did pretty well for never having done the trek before.
Tips & Tricks
The guides have done this trek hundreds of times and can time how long each stretch will take down to the minute. Listen to them!
It was always went and humid for us, but since we were traveling in the dry season it never really rained on us. Consider this when packing your bags – Charlie brought a rain jacket he never ended up using that took up space in his bag.
Pack a hip pack or small backpack to use when going up La Ciudad Perdida on the third day!
Pack purification tablets! The water at the camps, while filtered, has not been purified to the level that American stomachs are used to. We believe that our purification tablets were the main thing that saved us from getting sick during the hike, and I am VERY thankful for them.
The camps have electricity, but it’s not like a typical hotel room. There are essentially a few power strips that everyone attaches their power cords on to (it’s truly a funny sight). One of the camps also had wifi for a small fee. We wouldn’t recommend getting the wifi unless you ABSOLUTELY need it – the whole point of the trek is to be disconnected. Keep it that way if you can!
Pack a few small power banks if you have them – we ended up not using our power cords at all and just used our power banks for a quick charge each night.
Keep your phone on airplane mode! You’ll want that battery to last as long as possible.
If you have a Duolingo streak, make sure you have two streak freezes loaded up! This was hilariously the thing each person in our group was the most nervous about when we lost service. You’ll be fine as long as you have two full streak freezes prepared to be used.
Make sure your group creates a Whatsapp group! You’ll definitely want to stay in touch with everyone and most people won’t have the same country code.
If you’re someone who uses trekking poles when you hike, I would recommend bringing your own. The tour company doesn’t offer rentals, but someone in our group did rent them from a trekking store in Santa Marta so if you can’t fit them in your bag you can rent them! We ended up using the walking stick that was offered to us at the beginning of the trek, and I don’t know what I would have done without it. I got so emotionally attached to the walking stick I literally cried when I returned it at the end. Don’t sleep on the importance of the walking stick!
I’d recommend practicing packing and unpacking your backpacks a few times before you start the trek. Each morning, Charlie and I were so stressed frantically packing our bags and I think if we would have practiced more it may have been it a little less stressful.
This was how we packed our bags the night before. You won’t have much time in the morning to prepare!
Photo Gallery
At the end of the trek, while it was the most difficult thing I ever did, I’ll never forget how I felt finishing the 1,200 steps and reaching the top of La Ciudad Perdida. I hope this post helps you prepare for the trek (or maybe convinces you to do it!).
