We started off at the offices of Expotur in Santa Marta before heading off in 4×4 vehicles to El Mamey also known as Machete (apparently for the fights that occasionally happen there – I still wish I had bought one of the beautifully beaded sheaths that the men housed their machetes in! Note the decorations made out of pop bottles.

After a short walk  we arrived at the entrance to the park. The map shows the distances between the various camps (somewhat disappointing on the return because believe me it felt like the walk was a LOT longer than it was!!!!)

The first part of the walk was “tame” – gentle and along a road – lots of small (and noisy) motorcycles

BUT – the heat and humidity more than made up for it – Note the purple face and the Coca Cola bottle – I don’t think I’ve drank a soft drink for years and not only did this one save my life but I actually enjoyed it!  😦

The scenery along the way was beautiful – a lot of this area was clear cut presumably from the days of the cocaine trade in this area. Now despite the loss of jungle it is still beautiful, rich in foliage and flowers.

Despite a relatively short day we were ready for the first camp – a bit rough and ready but surrounded by amazing plants in a unique setting and cold beer!

As well – a wonderful swimming hole – easier to jump in than take the ladder.

My eyes are wide because I couldn’t believe Janyce was going to jump in!

We stayed the night surrounded by the sounds of the jungle

Day 2 stated early and was uphill. Again the scenery was beautiful – gradually converted from motorcycle access to mules

We also started passing through Kogi villages. The Kogi are one of the four tribes that are felt to be descended from the ancient Tairona. Fascinating to see a tribe that seemed to be so entrenched in its traditions and somewhat immune to the contamination of the modern world despite a lot of contact. They have a lot of control over the park and are very involved in the decisions to admit tourists. Loved watching them pass us single file along the trail followed usually by a smiling dog.

We had a lovely and refreshing swim at our lunch stop (the water gets colder as we go up stream along the Rio Buritaca)

After lunch however the real work started – if my face was purple the first day I’m not sure what colour would have described it today. I found it brutal – Janyce of course sailed along ahead of me. Fortunately after what seemed to be hours and hours of uphill we arrived at a stop for refreshments (fresh watermelon, fresh squeezed orange juice) and could enjoy the rest of the days’ relative downhill.

Day three! This is the day we had waited for and La Ciudad Perdida did not fail to deliver. After a relatively short (compared to the day before) hike we arrived at the stairs. So amazing going up these stone stairs constructed centuries earlier.

The city itself was  was in an unbelievable setting – surrounded by jungle but at elevation overlooking the river vallys below shrouded by the vegetation.

The central staircase was impressive

The upper part of the city was very dramatic against the surrounding scenery – as one can see we had spectacular blue skies.

At the height of the city there is a Colombian army outpost which was very lucky for one of the girls in our group who had remarkably lucky timing of fainting right outside their camp. She was pretty shocky and fortunately the medic arrived with intravenous supplies. Janyce and  I managed to start an intravenous and get some fluids into her. After she was stabilized we continued on.

The Kogi still have responsibility for the site and we were able to speak to the elder who lives there and ask him about their lifestyle before heading down the stairs again

Back to camp and an enjoyable walk out the next day – a lot better going downhill! What a fabulous experience and one that we would highly recommend. In addition to amazing scenery and a window into a distant people’s past and their current descendants we met some wonderful people along the way – we would be playing cards with a few of them at midnight two days later in Cartagena!