Sarita on a Shoestring: Vamos Por La Ciudad Perdida

Day 1, ready to roll

3 February 2014 – Sweat dripping down my face and a soaking wet t-shirt is quickly becoming the norm for me here in Colombia. That and hiking.

On Monday, we three amigos departed on a five day trek to the Ciudad Pirdida, or the Lost City. This is an ancient city that was founded in 800 AD, roughly 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu. Deep in the jungle of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the indigenous Tayhrona people lived in a bustling metropolis with a population of over 2,000. Stories are conflicting, but many say the Tayhrona people retreated even higher into the mountains when the Spanish began encroaching on their way of life. The mixture of disease and not knowing how to grow and hunt at higher altitudes is said to have killed them off.

Only just rediscovered in 1972 by local treasure hunters, (who also proceeded to ransack the site of its gold, precious stones, and ceramic pieces), this city is marvelously removed from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Quick dip in the river

What is incredible about these ruins is that the only way to reach the lost city is by foot – and after 44 km (27.3 miles), boy did we earn it. We began day one with a deceptively leisure 30 minute walk to a watering hole. After enjoying a quick dip, it was directly followed by a hellish hour and a half hike straight up a steep mountain and another solid two hours of walking. Lance and Jared decided to share a pack and I think Lance instantly began regretting it when he was stuck lugging the heavy thing up the mountain for nearly an hour.

We made it to camp for night one, munched on fried chicken and rice, enjoyed a watery beer and quickly retired to our hammocks for the night.

Day 2 began all too soon. Fellow hikers began stirring at an outrageous 4 in the morning and we were on the trail by 6am. Hooray for early starts. Day two consisted of hiking even deeper into the jungle, frequent dips in the river, sunbathing like lizards on river rocks and enjoying a few hard earned rum and juice cocktails that we lugged with us for the trek.

Day 3 consisted of surprise, surprise….more hiking. Luckily, the stunning views of the jungle mountainside made up for the solid uphill hiking that left your legs feeling like jello. That and my beating everyone up a mountain, including a seasoned French mountaineer. Not that I’m competitive, but the guides called me Rambo – just saying.

These steps don't look like much, but they're
small and steep

Day 4 was the day! We awoke at 530 am, enjoyed a breakfast of arepas and cheese, fruit and hot chocolate and departed for Ciudad Perdida. We were just 1km away from the lost city, but entering the ruins required a fierce climb up 1,200 stone steps that were built by the Tayhrona people. These are tiny steps, most not more than 10 inches wide and incredibly steep. It made teetering up and down the steps quite a challenge. After climbing the steps, I decided to change their name to the Stairmaster People.

We entered the city through the marketplace and to be honest, it was a bit underwhelming. There were raised cirucular platforms that were clearly old pueblos and stone paths…but after a 3 day hike, I was hoping for a bit more.

In the Lost City finally!

Luckily, we were in luck. There are stone stairways all over the city that just keep climbing up and up and each level gets better than the last. After climbing several staircases, you finally approach a clearing in the jungle perched high upon a mountaintop. The magnitude of it all is awe-inspiring. To your right, you can see for miles upon miles vibrant green mountains full of trees so dense that it looks like a living tapestry. To the left, the city is nestled by two towering mountain peaks, one of which features an astounding 100 foot waterfall (by my estimation). All I can say, is the native populations of Latin America sure as hell knew how to pick their real estate.

Looking out at the Sierra Nevadas

Whenever I visit ruins, I am instantly transported to another era. My brain runs wild imagining life in another time. I can picture the now empty city bustling with life – mothers cooking in their pueblos, children running and playing on the stone pathways, village chiefs perched atop the city, women panning for gold, mighty hunters stalking their prey in the jungle…one day I’ll be able to time travel (without them killing me the second I arrive), but until then these rendezvous to cities of the past will suffice.

I could go on and on about the Tayhrona peoples’ way of life and the city, but I’ll stop with this. If you feel like reading more, the Wikipedia page gives a decent overview.

Housing for the top dogs

After visiting the city, we had a long day of hiking back to our camp for night four. We celebrated our hard work by indulging in dulce de leche and crackers, fresh pineapple, dangerously sweet watermelon, freshly popped popcorn and kettle corn and chocolate wafer candy bars – and that was just a snack! We had a feast of carne asada, potatoes, fried plantains and lentils for dinner.

Local children like to hang around the camps and eat the tourists’ leftovers and boy did the kids make out that night. They were snatching pieces of meat and patacones like no tomorrow. One little boy, after getting Lance’s approval, quickly palmed a pile of mashed potatoes and began shoving it in his face. It was hilarious. Each and every one of them had to have wandered home up the hill with a stomachache and for that I’m sure their mothers were none too happy.

Day 5 – homeward bound! I was writing in my journal the night before, turned off my headlamp and in the pitch black dark of the night I realized at 8:34pm, I was the very last person in camp awake. What a bunch of party animals. The early night was much needed though, because we had a long day of hiking ahead of us and we left camp by 6am.

The Ciudad Pierdida trek follows a there and back route and normally I prefer taking loops, but in this case it was nice coming back the same way. The mist of the jungle in the morning and the sweeping views of the mountainside was a positively pleasant way to end the trek (as long as you ignored the aching legs as they screamed at you as you climbed up and down the ascent and descents).