Day 506 – Lost City Trek

Finding the Lost City

We started the 3rd day of the Lost City Trek nice and early. After a large breakfast at the accommodation, we packed our back packs and left them in storage. We only needed to take water and our camera with us. 

Once everyone was ready, we continued along the trek. It was a beautiful hike that hugged the banks of the river. The river was amazing, with so many scenic swimming spots, which we unfortunately could not swim in.

At 6.30am, we arrived at a river crossing. It was a wet river crossing, which meant we would have to walk in the river between some ropes. The water came up to knee height, depending on the path taken. 

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After the river crossing, there was a whole bunch of stone stairs into the mountains. It was hard work, but nothing compared to all the hiking around Peru.

The Lost City

Everyone was at the top 30 minutes later, where we were given little ‘passports’ that contained information about the site. It was nice, but ultimately useless since you have to visit the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) on a tour with a guide. The local guide started telling us interesting information about the site as we walked through the various levels of the ruins.

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The circular stone bases of the former buildings are the only things remaining, very similar to the ruins in Kuelap, Peru (Day 386). The rest of the buildings were made with mud and wood. There are several levels of these building bases that keep going up into the mountain side.

Once we reached a very nice vantage point, we were provided with a large plate of fruits and snacks. On this hike, we definitely never felt hungry. 

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After we stuffed our faces, our local guide explained about the discovery of the site, and that this is one of several similar sites in the surrounding valley. The rest of the sites are still covered with trees and visitors are not welcomed.

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Since we were in a valley, we didn’t have direct sunlight until after the talk. The ruins looked so much nicer in the morning glow of sunshine. 

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Then we descended off to the side, to visit a recreated indigenous house that is inhabited by locals. The elder wasn’t home, but his son was more than happy to sell traditional bracelets to us. The culture is that, if you receive something, you give something back (in this case money), but there was no price tag and the guides would not even give a benchmark. So we don’t know if what we gave was appropriate or not.

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Our tour guide said that the group was ahead of schedule, so we could take a dip at a swimming spot. Not many people got in, as the water was super fresh and felt like ice. 

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Leaving the ‘found’ city

We started our descent just after 1pm. Many people write off the Lost City and say that the hike is better than the ruins. For us, the ruins were still a solid highlight.

From this point on, the entire hike would be doubling back to the starting point, over several days. We had lunch at last night’s sleeping spot, where we could collect our backpacks. Then we continued along the mainly downhill path to the accommodation, which was the spot where we had lunch on the 2nd day.

Here we received a talk from an indigenous elder about his culture. It was very interesting and the culture appears to be very spiritual and connected to the earth. It was an unique and interesting experience. 

After the talk, we played some more cards into the night before going to sleep. This time, there were enough beds for everyone. As night approached, we could see fireflies and frogs. It was very cool after lights out since the moon was so bright.

Travelled January 2020

Expenses

• Tour – Lost City Trek (5 days) – 1,000,000 COP (~$406 AUD) per person
• Souvenir – Traditional Bracelet – Tip based, we paid 5,000 COP (~$2 AUD)