Explore Colombia’s Lost City

Take a tour of Ciudad Perdida

Tour Operator: Day Tours 4 U
Prices From: US $394 pp

This one day tour in Santa Marta allows you to play Indiana Jones for a day, as well as taking in some beach time to unwind.

Your trip begins early, you’re picked up first thing in the morning by an air conditioned taxi which takes you to the Calabazo sector where you stop for breakfast before embarking on the three hour walk to the archaeological site of Ciudad Perdida. Spanish for Lost City, Ciudad Perdida is located in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada and said to be 650 years older than Macchu Pichu – the grandaddy of all Latin American ruins.

Embark on a three hour jungle hike to the lost city

Whilst not as breath-taking, the lost city takes a lot of effort to get to. There’s no shuttle bus or short flights to hop on. It’s an ancient lost city of mazes, cobbled streets, aqueducts and terraces deep in the jungle; built by the Tayrona Pueblo people, a pre-Colombian civilisation, inhabitants of the land millennia before the Spanish discovered South America.

It consists of 169 terraces built into the mountain and to reach the entrance you face a gruelling 1,200 steps through dense jungle, so make sure you’re at an adequate level of fitness for the tour. It’s a good idea to wear some durable hiking boots or comfortable trainers with good grip as you’ll be walking for over seven hours throughout the day, possibly through wet jungle environment. Lightweight, rainproof clothing is mandatory if trekking in the rainy season.

Chill on two of Colombia’s best beaches

Once you’ve had your fill of photo opportunities it’s now time for a well earned beach break – not before more walking though! Follow your guide down an old stone path, and after two hours of trekking you arrive at Cabo San Juan, said to be one of the top 10 beaches on the planet. Famous for its boulder strewn beach, it’s here that you’ve probably seen in countless Colombian beach photos, as it’s one of the most picturesque settings in the country.

Once you’re done frolicking in the sea it’s off to another beach! Put your hiking boots back on because it’s another two hour walk to the beaches of Tayrona Park. Another stunning beach on Colombia’s Caribbean coastline where you can rent hammocks, chill out on the sand, snorkel or even go surfing.

Once you can’t take anymore sun head to the Canaveral sector where your vehicle is waiting to return you to Santa Marta where your tour concludes.

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By James Barclay