Ciudad Perdida, Colombia is one of the world's best hikes

Ciudad Perdida in northern Colombia believed to have been founded around 800 AD, hundreds of years before the more well known Macchu Picchu. I first heard of it last year reading this BBC travel article and put it straight on my to do list. Known by local indigenous people as Teyuna it has gone through several name changes during it's history, the commonly used Ciudad Perdida translates literally as Lost City.  It sits atop 1200 stone steps high in the Colombian jungle accessible only by a two day hike with reversing the walk the only way out.

The City was abandoned during the Spanish conquest and remained overgrown and known only to local tribes until tomb raiders discovered the steps in the early 1970's and started selling the gold and pottery they stole on local markets. In 1976 their source was identified and archaeologists moved in followed by intrepid tourists in the early 1980's.  Tourism was stopped for three years by an INCIDENT in 2003 where 8 foreign tourists were kidnapped by ELN a rebel group seeking an inquest into human rights. Since 2006 the trek has been deemed safe.

The Ciudad Perdida track can be done in six, five or an ambitious four day and we chose the five day as it seemed to meet our desired pace. The walk begins by lulling you into a false sense of security, only twenty minutes in, after two river crossings (no need to get wet) and an inviting water hole opens up and it is time to stop for the first of many refreshing swims in the river. Immediately after this the first climb begins, a long steep, winding climb through dry, dusty almost chalk white ground.  You ascend through the low lying jungle into open farm land with view forward to the mountains and back towards the, much more inviting white sand beaches and clear sea.  The views are immediately stunning. I found day one the toughest, stifling heat and high humidity meant we were dripping with sweat from the beginning. One of the party was suffering mild asthma so I even had two day packs to carry.

One of the best things about the hike is the ever changing and incredibly diverse scenery from open grassy farm land to deep jungle and by the end of the first day we had crossed through several changes of scenery.  The camps are all basic, some have hammocks only for sleeping some have beds, all with mosquito nets. On our trip the infamous swarms of mosquitos were distinctly absent, fortunately. Most importantly all are set by the river for the all important cool and clean off at the end of the day. You will be dirty, dusty, sweaty and feel very unattractive but that is all good as you are all in the same boat.

Day one camp, deep in the jungle

On the second day the steep sided valley is filled with banana trees and feels like you are really deep in the jungle.  In the morning you pass through one of the indigenous villages where a small thatched roof school sits alongside a USAid donated medical building which replaced the previous medical centre which is the current school building.

Stopping high in the mountains for one of the scheduled fruit intakes we were all feeling pretty tired having done most of the upward work for the day but one glimpse of a football and a sudden rush of energy came upon at least some of us. A game of five a side was hastily arranged!

Next goal wins!

Arriving at camp two we were tired and the small cramped bunk rooms felt damp and busy, a cool off in the river was most welcome not for the first or last time.  During the briefing for the next day some of our concerns over the pace of the trip were clarified.  We were travelling with people doing the four and five day trip but were following the four day pace to the end of day three, meaning two very short days for four and five.  A great feed of fish and rice with salad and an early night beckoned us all.

The always welcome swimming hole.

Our usual five thirty get up was greeted with anticipation of roughly one hours steep climb to Ciudad Perdida itself.  A good feed and we were on the way. We were travelling with an experienced guide and an interpreter and somehow the mention of an early river crossing hadn't made it through the translation so caught some of us by surprise but the river was barely above our knees so there was no great drama.

Last river crossing before reaching Ciudad Perdida

A long climb up the stone steps first discovered by tomb raiders and we were on the first of the terraces and were greeted by the first real mosquito invasion (though at different times of year you can expect these throughout the hike). Sixto, our guide and Daniel the interpreter gave us a detailed history of the building, abandonment and later rediscovery right through to post 2006 when the trail first became safe for tourists.

Steps leading from the first terrace to the main complex

As we walked through the various terraces I was hugely impressed with the site. Unlike the more visited Macchu Piccu in Peru the stone work was used for terraces and foundations but the houses were built of wood and are long gone. This gives a very different experience which is spectacular. The views over the steep valleys are breathtaking.

The upper terraces are where a lot of the ceremonial and administrative duties would have been carried out. These are the most reconstructed and cleared parts of the city and give the clearest view of how the city may have looked.

Ciudad Perdida main terraces

Moving on we walked through the less cleared parts of the city where terraces are moss covered and overgrown, it felt more adventurous by the minute.

We then commenced the walk down to camp three, again via river crossings and the view back over where we had come from.  At camp three we all decided that rather than have a very short day four we would push on and all do the four day pace. Although the first part of the trip had pushed the pace a bit we were under no pressure to push on, Sixto was clear we could do either, we now felt ready to push on.

The last camp, La Cabana Tezhumake was my favourite, comfortable and much drier than the humidity of camp two. It was also beside my favourite swimming hole of the trip.

Cabana Tezhumake, the last camp

A good nights sleep and we pushed on for a big final day. Back through the steep jungle valleys, the dusty chalk paths, the open farmland, with of course fruit stops and the five a side second leg!

Ciudad Perdida is one of the highlights of our South America trip so far and I would recommend Expotours as a great company to do it with.  If you are an avid hiker this should be on your bucket list and if you are relatively fit and going to Colombia you won't find a better use of a few days. It is one of the great hikes and I will be persuading people to go for years to come.

Tour of Lencois and Parque National da Chapada Diamantina

A seven hour bus journey inland from Salvador brings you to Lencois a historic diamond mining town which is the gateway to Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina. This enormous park is popular for hiking with many single or multi day options available.  Arriving in Lencois a stream runs along the road which crosses an arched stone bridge into one of the towns plazzas which houses a beautiful old covered market.

It is somewhat typical that having encountered unseasonably wet weather through most of our time in Brazil we arrived in a town known for streams, waterfalls and deep swimming holes at a time when the dry interior lived up to its name.  There are several walks to swimming holes which are easily accessible within an hours walk from the town.  The Serrano swimming holes are an easy walk, popular with locals and are literally deep holes in the rock river bed. Overlooking the town and surrounding woodland they are a beautiful spot to stop for a picnic and to relax. Most of the pools were dry and those that were full were crowded so we carried on up the path to a small waterfalls and stunning views just above it.

The second day the trip we'd booked to Cachoeira da Fumaca, Brazil's highest waterfall was cancelled so we headed out on a trip taking in caves, swimming holes (notice a theme developing?) and finishing at Morro do Pai Inacio, a peak affording incredible views over rocky plateaus stretching across the valley.

The first stop was the waterfall Poco do Diablo and for us the first realisation how touristy the area is, it was clear we were going to share the day with a crowd. Having said that, a pleasant walk from the car park along the stream, past interesting rock formations, it certainly felt relaxing after Salvador.  At the bottom of the fall a large deep pool formed which was perfect for a swim and a cool down.

The next spot was Lapa Doce, the sweet cave, one of many limestone caves which extend up to 29 kilometres below the park. Decending down from the dry plateau to the cool sinkhole which forms the cave's, er, cavernous 72 feet high entra.

Entrance to Gruta Lapa Doce, and below from inside

Visitors are able to walk approximately a killometre through the cave which is 60 metres wide in its central hallway and with good torch light it is an easy walk and shouldn't feel claustrophobic for most people.

Lapa Doce is stunning and our guide was entertaining and informative.  The different stalagtite and stalagmite formations are fascinating and varying greatly in size.

Imagining a great underground river flowing through and creating the formations you can see today is fascinating. A really great experience.

The next part of the day was an hour long stop for lunch, when we had been advised to bring lunch to eat on the go, and a long stop at a cave with luminescent clear water and a shallow watering hole which at 20 reais didn't represent good value.  Getting your feet cleaned by the small fish nipping away was entertaining though.

It would have been better to cut this part of the trip short as by the time we reached Pai Inacio the star attraction in the park, dusk was already falling and a lot of the best light had gone.

Sunset view from Pai Inacio

Having said that the climb up to the plateau isn't too strenuous but wear good walking shoes and it is awesome. The amazing views across the plateaus extending down the valley are amazing.  Seeing the colours change as the sun set was superb, before a mad rush to beat the rapidly closing darkness.

From the plateau of Pai Inacio

We'd met a few good people at the Chapada Hostel we were staying at and had a great night out which I will write about separately, Flynn and Rachael from Sydney and Melbourne respectively were particularly full of good advice. Flynn "If you are in Colombia and don't go to the lost city, you are an idiot" I love Aussie straight talking.

Our last morning Rachael joined us for a hike out of the town to Ribeiro do Meio, a natural smooth rock slide and deep swimming hole below. It is only an hour so out of town and another great spot to relax in, I liked it a lot more than the Serrano swimming holes.

Ribeiro do Mei, natural rockslide

I minor warning I would give is to check whether there are any extra costs on top of the tour price, ours unexpectedly went from 110 reais to 155. I think this was a genuine communication breakdown but it pays to check. There are also multilingual guides available but you won't get one automatically.