All About The Lost City Trek In Colombia

The Lost City trek is a bucket list hike in Colombia where you can see the ruins of the Ciudad Perdida, an ancient city built by the Tairona people more than 1,000 years ago.

It’s a guided jungle trek that normally takes 4 days, and includes food and lodging in camps along the route. There’s plenty of challenge, but the local guides are very kind, helpful, and knowledgeable.

I did the Lost City hike recently and it was a great experience. We had a fun group and we went far into the Sierra Nevada mountains, visited indigenous villages, crossed rivers, swam every day, and hiked till our legs hurt.

In this blog post, I’ll explain everything you need to know about the Lost City trek and how to do it!

Quick Facts*

• Distance: 49 kilometers (30 mi)
• Elevation Gain: 2,650 meters (8,700 ft)
• Max Altitude: 1,190 meters (3,900 ft)
• Duration: 3 – 5 days
• Difficulty: Hard

*These stats are for the roundtrip trek

How To Get There

The Lost City is located in the mountains near Santa Marta, in northern Colombia.

There are lots of direct flights every day to Santa Marta from airports like Bogota, Medellin, and Pereira, and the flight time is only about 1.5 hours. You can shop for flights on Skyscanner.

The trekking tours include a van transfer from Santa Marta to the start of the trail, and then back to town afterwards, so you won’t need to worry about transportation.

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Santa Marta the night before or after your hike, I’d recommend Hotel Boutique Casa Chunuu.

The Lost City

Lost City Trek: What To Expect

The Lost City is an all-inclusive, fully guided trek that includes lodging in camps with beds and mosquito nets, plus 3 meals a day and more.

It’s an out-and-back trek with about 4-7 hours of hiking per day, and it can be done in 3, 4, 5, or even 6 days. Most people do it in 4 days, and I think that’s the perfect length of time for the average person.

If you’re a very fit hiker who’s limited on time in Colombia, then the 3 day option may work for you. Otherwise, if you want to slow down and spend more time in the mountains, then 5 or 6 days may be right.

However, for most people I’d recommend 4 days. It gives you enough time to experience the main sights without feeling too rushed, and it’s not too difficult for most hikers.

There’s lots of nice scenery

In general, you’ll be waking up at 5 AM every day of the trek, and winding down activity at around 3-5 PM when you reach the camps.

That sounds like an awful lot, but don’t worry; there will be plenty of breaks mixed in so you can eat, swim, and rest. It’s not all hiking.

There are river crossings on each day of the hike, but these all have bridges now, which is great. You won’t have to worry about wading through the rivers like in the old days. Some travel guides on the internet were written before this changed.

In the next few sections, I’ll share my own experience on each day of the Lost City trek and what you can expect in terms of sights, activities, camps, and challenges.

Mutanyi village

Day 1: Start Of The Trek

My trek began with a 7 AM pickup from my hotel in Santa Marta. I was joined by my cousin and his wife, and we were first brought to the tour company’s office in Santa Marta, where we had a snack and met the rest of our group.

There were exactly a dozen people in our group — 10 hikers and 2 guides. Most of the hikers were from the Netherlands, plus a German couple and a few Americans (us).

We were all herded into the back of a van together, and then drove 1 hour on the highway until we got to the main entrance, where we stopped for a 15 minute break to stretch and pee (map here).

Next, we drove 1 hour on a mountain road to the town of Machete. This part of the journey was super uncomfortable because of the cramped leg room, side facing seats, and bumpy road conditions.

Entrance to the mountain road

Group photo after lunch in Machete

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Machete, which is the main starting point for the trek, and met our Colombian guides, who gave us a briefing on the hike and what to expect.

Then it was time to start hiking! For the first day, a good chunk of it was uphill, although it was partly paved and we only had to hike about 9 kilometers (~6 miles) in total.

It wouldn’t have been too hard, except we ran into some heavy rain that turned the path into pure mud and sludge, causing us to slip around for the rest of the afternoon as we descended the other side of the hill.

Finally we reached Camp Alfredo, where we ate supper and stayed the first night.

All muddy

Dining room at Camp Alfredo

Day 2: Villages & Culture

The second day was one of the longest and hardest parts of the trek, but we had much better luck with the weather compared to the first day.

This time, we woke up at 5 AM for breakfast and hiked all the way from Camp Alfredo to Camp Paraiso, which took us deeper into the jungle by another 14 kilometers (~8 miles).

There were lots of steep hills and it was a killer workout. Along the way, we got to see the traditional thatch hut village of Mutanyi, belonging to the Kogi indigenous people.

Mutanyi village

We also stopped for lunch at Camp Mumake and swam in the river, which was a very relaxing break from hiking. The water was surprisingly cold and that’s just what we needed.

The rest of the day was mostly spent hiking near the river, and this time, the rain held off until we reached Camp Paraiso.

The rain didn’t start up again until after we went to bed, and then it was just a nice background noise as we fell asleep. Perfect!

We all loved swimming in the rivers

Day 3: Exploring The Lost City

On the third day, it was time to go see the Lost City!

To reach it, you have to climb approximately 1,200 stone steps. They’re steep, oddly-shaped, wobbly, and slippery, especially when they’re wet from the early morning dew, so be very careful.

This would be an easy place to hurt yourself.

Hiking up the steep stone steps

The Lost City is interesting, and it’s a lot bigger than I expected. At one time, it was home to thousands of people!

It was built by the Tairona people in 800 AD, so it’s even older than Machu Picchu in Peru.

The city was abandoned in the 16th century and then rediscovered by local treasure looters in 1972, hence the name ‘Ciudad Perdida,’ which means the Lost City.

We spent hours exploring the main ruins and terraces, so we were surprised when our guide told us that there are even more ruins that aren’t open to the public!

What we see as tourists is only a fraction of the Lost City, but it’s still impressive.

The best view can be found at the top of the city, looking down on the terraces and the mountains in all directions.

The Lost City!

After a thorough tour with lots of explanations from our guide and plenty of time to take photos, it was time to start hiking back.

We went down to Camp Paraiso and grabbed lunch, swam in the river a little more, and then hiked all the way back to Camp Mumake, where we stayed the last night of the trek.

Day 4: The Return Journey

The last day of the trek was another whopper. We woke up at 5 AM again, and hiked about 16 kilometers (~10 miles) back to the start.

On the way back, the sky was clear and we got some wonderful views of the Sierra Nevada mountains, which we had missed on the first day because of the rain. Bright green mountains!

We had our last lunch as a group together in Machete town, and then headed back to Santa Marta to get cleaned up and go our separate ways.

All in all, the Lost City was a great hike and everyone in our group enjoyed it immensely.

Bright green mountains

Map Of The Trail

Here’s a map from AllTrails that shows the hiking route and elevation profile.

The camps are marked here in the order you pass them, not the order you stay. Your final itinerary will also depend on your trekking company, of course.

If you sign up for AllTrails Plus, you can download the map and use it offline while hiking. It’s very handy!

How Hard Is It?

The Lost City is a hard hike. It’s definitely harder than I expected.

You’ll be walking up and down steep hills every day with rocky and muddy terrain, plus the crazy humidity. Your sleep quality won’t be the greatest either, thanks to the early wakeup times every morning.

All of this is compounded by the 4-day length of the hike. We were fresh on the first day or two of the hike, but by the end we were exhausted and beat up.

That doesn’t mean the trek is unmanageable, or that you need to be super fit to do it. The guides are very patient waiting for stragglers, and there are plenty of rest stops and snack breaks along the way.

So yes, you can do the trek. Don’t worry. Just expect plenty of challenge!

All the river crossings have bridges now

What Are The Camps Like?

I’m happy to say the camps on this trek are fairly comfortable, although you can’t expect luxury.

There are showers and flush toilets, and the bunk beds have nets to keep you safe from mosquitoes at night.

All of the camps have charging stations and WiFi, although you may need to pay a small cash fee to use them.

Electricity is turned off at around 9 PM every night, so take care of your charging and necessities before then.

Each camp also has a little shop where you can buy snacks, drinks, and toiletries. They had a surprising assortment of goodies for sale: shampoo, tooth paste, toilet paper, tampons, cigarettes, beer, Gatorade, batteries, and more.

It actually had me wishing I’d packed less stuff!

Beds in the camp

Drying our clothes

Is It Safe?

While some places in Colombia are definitely sketchy in terms of crime, the Lost City has had a good safety record for many years now.

Long story short, it’s generally a safe hike and the main risk is twisting an ankle or something of that sort.

However, if you’re interested in knowing more, I wrote a detailed article on this subject, which you can read in the link below.

Read More: Safety On The Lost City Trek

Welcome to the jungle

Food Safety

The situation with food and water safety has improved a lot, but unfortunately some people still report getting sick on the Lost City trek.

Even though the camp workers do a pretty good job with hygiene and meal preparation, it’s hard to keep things perfectly clean and safe when you’re cooking in a remote jungle camp.

We talked to another hiker on the trail and they said three members of their group got very sick (with diarrhea and throwing up), and had to be carried out on mules.

Thankfully that didn’t happen to anyone in our group, but if you want to be extra safe, there are lots of places to buy bottled drinking water along the trail, or you can bring your own water purification tablets (here’s the kind I used).

To be fair, all the food we ate was great, and there was filtered drinking water available at every camp where we stayed.

The meals included rice, veggies, eggs, pasta, fruit, and all kinds of meat. Everything we ate was fresh and good. There was even coffee and hot chocolate in the mornings.

We had no issues with sickness on our trek, but the possibility remains.

Best Trekking Company

Only a handful of companies are allowed to sell treks to the Lost City, so your options are pretty limited.

There’s not a whole lot of difference between them. They’re all high rated, and they’re all priced about the same as each other.

I did my trek with Magic Tour and had a great experience. The guides were bilingual, friendly, and extremely helpful with every aspect of the trip.

I highly recommend using them for your own trek! You can also book through GetYourGuide if Magic Tour doesn’t have availability.
 

Is It Worth It?

As of 2025, the cost per person for the Lost City trek is normally 2,150,000 Colombian pesos, which is around $520 US dollars.

For a 4 day trek, that’s an average of $130 USD per day. In 2014, it was only $140 USD for the entire trek. That means the price has more than tripled in the last decade!

It’s not a cheap hike anymore, but I still think it’s worth what you pay. Keep in mind the treks are all-inclusive, so you’re also getting transport, lodging, guiding, and three meals a day.

I do expect the prices to keep going up in the future since only a limited number of people are allowed on the trail every day.

In other words, it’s not going to get any cheaper. Do it while you can!

Thick jungle

Can You Hike Independently?

No, you can’t do the Lost City trek on your own. A guide is strictly required for anyone who wants to do the hike.

Yes, it’s expensive, but the tours bring money into the local community and keep everything sustainable. Money keeps the trails open, the camps comfortable, and many other things.

It also helps the hard working Colombian trekking guides, who do a lot to make this hike safe and enjoyable for everyone.

The Lost City

What To Bring

• Backpack. My bag was approximately 30 liters and that was enough.
• Spare Clothes. It’s hard to know how many spare changes to bring, because your bag is very limited on space, but you also don’t want to stink too much.
• Outerwear. Personally, I don’t think there’s any need to bring a jacket or hoodie for this hike because it’s always warm, but if you do, bring something very light. I regret bringing my hoodie and pants. They took up weight and space, and I never used them on the whole hike, even at night.
• Swimsuit. You’ll want this for swimming in the rivers along the trail. It’s a great way to relax and cool down.
• Plastic Bags. These are essential for keeping wet clothes separate from dry clothes, and dirty separate from clean. I brought 5 plastic bags, and it would’ve been nice to have even more.
• Toiletries. Things like soap, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
• Sun Protection. You’ll want a hat and sunscreen, especially for the first day of the hike. There’s no shade at all and you’ll get roasted. After the first day, you’ll spend more time hiking under jungle cover but there are still some spots where you’ll want sun protection.
• Bug Spray. Keeps you safe from mosquitoes in the jungle and at the camps. There is some risk of mosquito-borne diseases in this area, but cases are rare. You can read more about that in my safety guide here.
• Ear Plugs. If you’re sensitive to other campers snoring, these could be handy.
• Waterproof Cover. I don’t think a fully waterproof bag is needed for this hike because you won’t be wading through rapids or anything, but you should at least have a waterproof cover like this one to protect your bag from the rain.
• Toilet Paper. This can be helpful but it’s not necessary. Most of the bathrooms in the camps have toilet paper, and if it runs out, you can easily buy more at the little supply shop in the camp.
• Light. Even though you won’t be hiking in the dark, a small light is handy in case you need to do anything in the camp after dark.
• Water Tablets. All of the camps have a filter for their water, but I didn’t completely trust it. If you want to be extra safe, you can bring water purification tablets. That’s what I did. They’re very small and easy to carry.
• Cash. It’s good to have a little bit of cash in case you want to buy WiFi, supplies, or anything else at the camps.
• Footwear. You’ll want good hiking boots for the trail, but a pair of sandals is also important for the camps and going swimming.

Old stairs made by the Tairona

Best Time To Go

The best time to do the Lost City trek is during the dry season, from December to April. You can see a graph of Santa Marta’s weather pattern here.

It’s still possible to do the hike during the wetter months from May to August, or October to November, but you have a higher chance of running into rain. The trail is completely closed for the month of September every year.

I went in mid-December and the weather was decent. There was heavy rain every night, and one big downpour on the first day that lasted quite awhile, soaking our gear and causing us to slip around in the mud for hours, so that wasn’t ideal.

The humidity on this hike is crazy, so if any of your clothes get wet, they are never going to dry again unless they sit in direct sun for awhile. Seriously!

Hiking while soggy wet is no fun at all, so if I went to the Lost City again, I think I’d do it sometime between January and March. That’s your safest bet for dry weather.

The rivers were really nice for swimming

Other Tips For The Trek

• Cell Service. You won’t have cell phone service anywhere on the trail, but you can use the WiFi in the camps instead. I lost data shortly after we started driving into the mountains at the start of the trail.
• Porters. The trekking companies have mules that can be used to carry extra bags to the next camp for you. Check with them for the latest pricing. The quotes I got were too high for me, so I carried everything myself.
• Luggage Storage. If you have more bags, you can also ask about storing them at your trekking company’s office in Santa Marta. That’s what some people in our group did.

Another unusual plant we saw on the hike

More Travel Guides

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this blog about how to do the Lost City trek in Colombia.

Don’t forget to check out my other travel guides for South America before you go!