How to visit Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City), Colombia

Have you heard of Ciudad Perdida?

Better known as the Lost City in English, or Teyuna by local indigenous tribes, Cuidad Perdida is a set of ruins, which is all that remains of an ancient city.

Established in the 7th or 8th centuries by the Tayrona people, the green circular terraces of the Lost City are instantly recognisable. Set in the jungle with low clingy clouds and the tweet of birds all around, it’s truly a place of mysticism, where it’s easy to feel a sense of well-being and connection.

Ciudad Perdida has become an international tourist destination in recent years, with people all over choosing to visit. But unlike many of the world’s cultural and archaeological destinations, visiting is no walk in the park – literally! There are no roads or rivers to this ancient city and no routes for cars or boats, so there’s no easy way to get to the city itself.

Instead, tourists must walk. It’s around 24 km (or 1.5 days of walking) trekking each way to get there from the nearest accessible road, with the hiking typically split over four days. Hikers travel through sparse farmland, indigenous territory and sweeping jungle, across rivers and along cliffs with clay tracks.

Let me tell you – this hike is not easy! But it is achievable, and in my opinion it’s well worth it to visit this former settlement. I visited in April 2023 and really enjoyed the entire experience.

Within this post, I’ll take you through the many aspects of the city itself, the hike and its associated challenges. That way, you can make up your own mind as to whether you’d like to do it and get all the information you need.

Where is Teyuna?

The Lost City is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range – the highest coastal mountain range in the world!

The nearest main city is Santa Marta, 2 hours’ drive away, which is where most tours to the Lost City begin. It’s also accessible from other highlights on the Caribbean coast, like Minca, Tayrona National Park and Palomino.

A history of the Lost City

In the 1970s, farmers from the area around Santa Marta, a nearby colonial city, made the startling ‘discovery’ of archaeological ruins in the Sierra Nevada. According to our guide, they found the ruins and cleared the jungle around them, uncovering the terraces which are known so well today. They had found the Lost City – or “Green Hell”, as it was supposedly nicknamed at the time, on behalf of the dangerous wildlife in the surrounding jungle.

Beneath some of the terraces, they found gold, sparking a digging frenzy within the community.

In 1976, the Colombian government took control, placing it under the state’s protection. We can be glad of this, as if the city had become so destroyed after less than a decade of being discovered, who knows what it would be now without intervention?

Subsequently there have been archeological studies which have shed light on the settlement. These now suggest it was built by at least the 8th century and expanded several times in its long history. This makes it older than Macchu Picchu, although still younger than Stonehenge!

At its peak, the city held around 3000 inhabitants, forming a society including rule makers, farmers and nobility over dozens of districts. However, sadly it’s thought that the city came to an end in the 16th century due to the diseases brought by Spanish colonialists, which resulted in the city being abandoned.

Of course, the local indigenous community had not entirely forgotten about the city – so its name as the “Lost City” isn’t exactly true!

The city was named Teyuna by the Tayrona society. I feel like it should be called its original name as opposed to its Lost City nickname to show respect to the descendants of its original inhabitants, so I will mainly call it this for the rest of the article.

Interestingly, archaeologists have discovered a number of other settlements in the surrounding hills. These haven’t been fully explored and aren’t open to the public, but were supposedly an important part of the community!

How to visit Teyuna

If you want to visit Teyuna, you have one option: to take the trek. Whilst initially seeming daunting, I personally think this is a good thing, as, once you’re standing in the city, looking at the terraces below and jungle beyond, the pride and accomplishment you’ll feel from reaching this point is almost as strong as the awe you’ll feel for the city itself.

As the area is protected, visitors can only do the trek with a guide. However, there’s no shortage of visiting groups or available spaces, with a number of local tour agencies offering tours to visit Teyuna.

To highlight – you cannot do this without a guide! It just isn’t possible. Not only is it prohibited, but it would be disrespectful to the Tayrona people to enter their land unofficially, wouldn’t give you the full spiritual experience, and is bad for the economy of the local community. Also, you won’t be able to get any accommodation. Please just don’t attempt this!

How long is the trek?

As part of your visit, you’ll need to decide how long you’d like the trek to take. By far the most common option offered at all tour agencies, which I and most other visitors took, is a three day, four night trek, where you visit Teyuna on the third day. This offers a balance of walking at a manageable pace, whilst also being able to relax at the campsite each night.

However, less commonly, faster or more experienced hikers might want to consider the two night, three day option which some tour companies offer. In this case, you stay at a hostel at the starting point of the hike the night before the trek and then venture out early in the morning on the first day.

Those looking for an extended option may also want to consider the four night, five day trek. Traditionally this meant more time to do the hiking associated with the trek (with the 48 km split over four, not three, days). However, now this option normally includes an alternative route back to the start route so you don’t have to double back on yourself, with a trip to a waterfall; this means that there’s a similar amount of walking every day compared to the three night, four day option. It should be said that we met someone who had signed up for this trek, but decided not to when they discovered it meant leaving their group and not finishing with the same people who they started with – a dealbreaker for some!

Which one is best? Personally, as a not-crazy hiker, four days were long enough for me. But if you really love your hiking and want to dig deeper into this area of the Sierra Nevada, the five day option is definitely a shout!

Just to note, other blogs online give different itineraries for the Lost City trek, so make sure to check the specific details of your trek with your tour operator before you sign up.

How the trek to the Lost City works

Regardless of the agency, the logistics of the hike remain the same. There’s actually very little difference between groups, with the same campsites, similar food, and the same route and stops.

You should expect the following:

• Guides: normally you’ll have a guide and support guide for a group of up to 15. If your guide does not speak English (as is common), there will also be a translator on the team. You’ll also have a cook on the team who doesn’t walk with you, but will be present at each meal; it’s normal for guides to work as a support guide and then a chef as part of their training! There was a lot of tension between our guide and translator which made for a few interesting days…
• Accommodation: each night, you’ll stay at a campsite consisting of a communal dining area, sleeping space and a shower and toilet block. There will be bunk beds with mosquito nets under covers, which will be all lined up. Note that there is a risk of being put in a hammock, particularly on the second night. The camps are very basic but I found them comfortable, particularly after a day’s walking!
• Food: expect simple Colombian food – meat (or veggie equivalent) with rice, salad and another side, like plantain or beans. Juice was given at dinner. We also got snacks – mainly watermelon or pineapple – at several of the rest points along the route, plus hot chocolate and popcorn at night. It felt very hygienic and was tasty, and portion sizes were good!

If you’re interested in hearing about the breakdown of each day, I’ve written another article detailing my personal experiences of the Lost City trek – please do take a look!

How to book

So, if you’re still wanting to do the trek, how do you sign up?

Booking the Lost City Trek is super easy. Once you’ve decided on a tour company and trek length, you can book online or by visiting their office in Santa Marta. You’ll likely pay upfront if you book in person or pay a 10% deposit online.

Don’t worry about booking the trek last minute – there are plenty of spaces. We booked it three days in advance without any problems, and we’ve heard accounts of backpackers signing up an hour before the tour leaves!

The tours are a set price – 1,750,000 COP (equivalent to $420 / £320) for four days or 2,050,000 COP ($490 / £380) for five – so there’s no need to haggle. However, if you get a lower price, please let me know how you got it!

FAQs

How hard is the trek to Teyuna?

I’m not going to lie; this isn’t an easy trek. There are a lot of uphill sections and windy tracks, which are made much harder by the hot and humid jungle conditions.

Plus, if you attempt the trek in the rainy season (or just generally after rainfall), you’ll also be contending with slippery steps and rocks, deeper rivers, muddy paths and slidy red clay sections.

Therefore, if you don’t enjoy hiking or challenging yourself, perhaps this isn’t the trek for you.

However, I’m not the fittest person in the world and still did it. You just need a bit of resilience and motivation to get you up those hills and along those valleys. Fortunately, when your reward is to visit the lost city, there’s a lot of that in abundance! To me it felt like more of a mental challenge than it did a physical one.

In short, if you’re prepared for a challenge and don’t mind hiking whilst very sweaty and sometimes tired, then this hike would be do-able for you.

It’s also worth mentioning that you’re in a group. Our group was so encouraging and everyone really motivated one another to keep going, which made it feel easier! Everyone in each group has different abilities so don’t worry about being particularly slow or unfit, as chances are there will be others like you also doing the trek.

Is it really hot and sweaty?

Before doing this, I was told I’d be sweatier than I’d ever been before in my life. Safe to say, I had very high expectations.

Yes, it’s hot and humid. Yes, you will sweat a lot – maybe more than you ever have, if you’ve until now lived an unsweaty life. Yes, you’ll smell.

But these things really weren’t as bad as I was expecting. Everyone’s in the exact same boat, so there is no shame in dripping with sweat or smelling a bit.

It did make the trek harder, but not unbearably so – and plus, you have the option to dip in the river every day after the hik if you need to cool off! There’s also showers at every campsites which makes it easy to clean up afterwards.

Is it worth the money?

At 1,750,000 COP ($420 / £320) for four days, this is quite a pricey hike. I’d be lying if I said that the guides, accommodation and food add up to this price – they don’t. There does seem to have been significant price inflation over the past couple of years as well.

However, as this is the same price across all agencies, finding lower could be a headache. Plus you’re paying for the experience – with no other way to visit Teyuna, other options are lacking, and it’d be hard to form such a tight-knit hiking group whilst solo hiking.

In short, if you’re into ancient ruins and interesting hikes, I’d say it’s worth it. Not a big hiker or history fan? Then there are plenty of cheaper, exciting destinations on Colombia’s Caribbean coast to keep you busy.

Is it safe?

The trek has previously had kidnapping incidents on it in the early 2000s, so it’s understandable to have concerns about this. I know – I did too!

However, whilst on the trek I felt completely safe throughout. There are no signs of any previous dangerous activity and, whilst on the path, I didn’t feel concerned at all. So don’t let that put you off the trek.

Just to note, I’ve seen previous blogs which mention the presence of armed guards. I did not see any guards whilst hiking.

There is a flip side to safety which I do need to discuss. The trek to Teyuna is remote, and given the uneven topography and dense jungle it’s not possible to bring in vehicles or helicopters over much of the route. Therefore, if you get injured or have a medical emergency, rescues are not easy.

Whilst hiking we saw a girl being taken down the trek on a mule in absolute agony. I can imagine it would be super easy to twist your ankle and have similar problems on the trek. Unfortunately, there’s no other option – just make sure you are super careful when going up- and downhill and have travel insurance to cover you in case the worst happens!

Also, this is the jungle. There are plenty of mosquitos, and it’s possible to see more dangerous wildlife (although, that being said, I didn’t see anything). That’s one of the many things your guides are there for!

Which tour operator should I book with?

We visited with Magic Tours, which we liked. They’re well-organised and our guides were super nice. The only thing that ruined it was the conflict between our translator and guide, which makes me somewhat hesitant to wholeheartedly recommend them.

Expotur has really good reviews and was our second choice for the trek, but we don’t have any personal experience with them.

However, if I were to do the Lost City trek a second time, I would go with Wiwa Tours, who use local indigenous guides. I imagine you’d then get more insight into the communities who live along the trek and you would have a deeper connection to the area and Teyuna itself!

What to pack for the Lost City trek

I’ve listed my suggestions for the essential pack below. The quantities are designed for the four day hike, so just increase the quantities as necessary if you hike for five days.

• 1-2 short sleeve tops. I alternated between a top I brought and my Day 1 top, which worked well, whilst my sister, Lou, also brought a vest for additional changes. You’ll be sweating as soon as you start the hike each morning, so there’s no point in carrying more than this.
• Underwear for three days.
• Socks for three days. With how sweaty your feet will get, there’s something joyful about clean socks, particularly when you get to put them on in the evenings!
• One long sleeve top and long trousers. There are a lot of mosquitos, particularly in the evenings, plus I got a bit chilly at night. Once you’ve showered you’ll want to be comfortable in clean clothes!
• Suncream and insect repellent. The mosquitos in the Sierra Nevada mountain range are relentless, so make sure to research which repellents work best before you buy as ours was absolutely useless.
• Head torch. The lights across each campsite are switched out at 8:30-9 pm every night so you’ll need your own torch if you move around after this time.
• Portable charger. There were limited electricity ports and none by the beds, so a portable charger would come in handy if you have one. You’ll be wanting to take lots of photos, so having a charger is essential!
• Sweater (optional). I got a bit chilly in the evenings so this would be useful if you’re also a cold person. I didn’t bring it, deeming it too much weight, and was fine (albeit a bit regretful). Lou, who isn’t a cold person, never got hot and was completely satisfied with just a long sleeve sports top.
• Pack of cards (optional). So useful in the evenings! Uno was also a group favourite.
• Towel. Ideally your towel will be small, light-weight and quick-drying, as things struggled to dry in the humidity. We used Dock and Bay’s quick-dry towel, which worked well.
• Flip flops.
• Swimming gear – essential for those river dips! (Note: all showers are cubicles.)
• 1 litre of water. You’ll be able to refill your bottle at any camp, so it’s only necessary to carry half a day’s water at any one time.
• Cash – in case you want to buy any beers or souvenirs, or leave any tips. To give you an idea on pricing, a beer was 8,000-10,000 COP ($2 – $2.50 / £1.50 – £2). Several people in our group also bought extras like cacao nibs, bracelets and juice. 
• Personal toiletries.

We never had to show our passports, so these could be left behind; the tour agency, however, recommended to bring a photo of the passports just in case.

Be careful of your belongings – it’s cramped accommodation, so it’s easy to lose items. We lost our adaptor, charging cables and head torch. It’s worth leaving your valuables in a safe place (if you have the option) to prevent them from getting lost or stolen.

Make sure not to pack too much. We had the smallest bags by far in our group and were so grateful for it!

Conclusion

I loved taking part in the Lost City trek. It’s a challenge for sure – but once you’re stood on the top terrace at Teyuna, with jungle around you and the city beneath, it’ll all seem worth it!

Are you thinking of visiting Ciudad Perdida? Let me know what your plans are in the comments!

Where to go after Teyuna: Palomino, Minca and Santa Marta are all good options!

Other useful sources of information

• Check out my articles on the day-to-day breakdown of the trek and tips for your own trek.
• The Indie Traveller blog summarises some of the aspects of the trek really nicely. Note that some specific information about the tour pricing and itinerary is slightly outdated!
• I love Along Dusty Road’s list of things to know before undertaking the trek. I used it my own planning for the trek and it paints a good picture of what you’re letting yourself into.