Nick Curry

Next was one of the trip highlights, a trip to Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City). This is a recently discovered (1974) set of ruins inherited from the Tayrona indians, eradicated by the Spanish and about whom little is known, although it is though that they may have been on a similar level of sophistication as the Incas or the Aztecs. The city can only be reached through a 3 day hike through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (2 days back, one nite on site). The particularity of the Sierra Nevada is that it starts on the Carribean sea, and ends at over 4000m altitude – and therefor has climate and vegetation spanning tropical jungle to snow-capped mountains. The way there was on average 4 hours a day mostly uphill, which didn’t sound like much until I started doing it. Our guides were great though, and the ascent up the hidden staircase leading to the city was almost a mystical experience – the city is just above the lowest clouds, and the sensation of arriving to the plateau the city is built on through the clouds after the arduous walk, combined with the abandonned and isolated feel of the city, was exhilarating.