Lost City Trek hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Lost City Trek is a guided jungle walk in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, to Ciudad Perdida, the ruined city that the Kogi people call Teyuna. The Tairona built it around 800 AD on a ridge above the Buritaca river: about 170 stone terraces, plazas and stairways linked by stone paths. The trek starts at El Mamey (also called Machete Pelao), a village at the end of a dirt road about 2 to 3 hours by 4x4 from Santa Marta. It follows the Buritaca valley up to the city and returns the same way. The return walk is about 47 km and most people take 4 or 5 days. You can only go with a licensed operator and its guide. You sleep in simple camps with bunks or hammocks, and the operator provides all meals.

The route

From El Mamey (about 150 m) the trail climbs steeply on red clay through farmland and secondary forest to a viewpoint over the Caribbean coast, then drops to the first camps at Adán and Alfredo, beside a river pool. The second day follows the Buritaca valley into the indigenous reserve. You pass the Wiwa camp and the Kogi village of Mutanyi, with round thatched houses, cross a suspension bridge and reach Mumake camp on the river. From there the path climbs to a ridge at about 850 m and runs on to Paso de Lorenzo and Paraíso, the last camps, about 860 m up. On the visit day you wade across the Buritaca and climb about 1,200 mossy stone steps to the first terraces. A guided visit leads up to the main ceremonial terraces at about 1,200 m.

This guide follows the trail mapped on OpenStreetMap from El Mamey to the terraces, 23.5 km one way. It splits the walk up into 4 stages of about 5.9 km each, from camp to camp: El Mamey to Adán, Adán to Mumake, Mumake to Paraíso, and the short climb from Paraíso to Ciudad Perdida. The way back follows the same trail. Most groups walk down to Mumake or the Wiwa camp after the visit, and then out to El Mamey the next day. Some 5-day trips take a waterfall detour on the last day and sleep at a camp near the Buritaca falls.

Highlights

• Ciudad Perdida (Teyuna): the terraces rising out of the cloud forest, the main ceremonial terraces and the view down the valley
• The 1,200 steps: the original Tairona stairway from the river to the city
• Mutanyi: a Kogi village on the trail; ask your guide before you take photos
• The Buritaca river: swimming pools near the camps, river crossings and the suspension bridge

When to go

The Sierra Nevada is hot and humid all year, often above 30 °C in the valley. The driest months are December to March, when the paths are dusty and the rivers are low. A shorter, drier spell often comes from June to August. April and May, and above all September to November, bring heavy afternoon rain, deep mud and high rivers. Guides sometimes hold groups at a crossing until the water drops. The park closes once a year so the indigenous authorities can rest the land. The closure was 15 to 30 September in 2024, all of October in 2025, and 1 to 15 October in 2026. Check the dates for the coming year with ICANH or your operator before you book.

How many days do you need?

The distance is the same on every itinerary; only the pace changes.

• 4 days: day 1 El Mamey to Adán (about 4 hours); day 2 Adán to Paraíso (about 15 km, 7 to 8 hours); day 3 the city, then back to Mumake or Wiwa; day 4 back to El Mamey.
• 5 days: adds a night at Mumake or Wiwa on the way up, so the days are shorter. Some 5-day trips add the waterfall camp on the way down.

A 3-day express trip exists, but it is only for fit walkers. Plan a night in Santa Marta before and after.

Permits, operators and prices

Ciudad Perdida is a national archaeological park run by ICANH, the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History. The trail crosses the Kogi-Malayo-Arhuaco indigenous reserve. ICANH sells park tickets only to tour operators with a valid National Tourism Registry (RNT) and its own authorisation, so independent trekking is not possible. Book with an operator in Santa Marta or online, for example Magic Tour, Expotur or Wiwa Tour, and check that it shows an RNT number. Every group has a Spanish-speaking guide, often with an indigenous guide and an English interpreter. Operator prices for 2026 are about COP 1.86 million for 4 days and COP 2.15 million for 5 days (roughly USD 590–700). They include the 4x4 transfer, guide, camps, all meals, drinking water and the park ticket, which costs COP 75,000 from 2026. The site is open 7 am to 3 pm. Many operators also ask for travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation.

Getting there

Fly to Santa Marta (Simón Bolívar airport) or take a bus from Cartagena or Barranquilla. The operator collects you in the morning in Santa Marta and drives east on the Troncal del Caribe highway, then up a rough dirt road to El Mamey. After lunch you start walking. On the last day the 4x4 brings you back in the late afternoon. Leave spare luggage at your hotel or with the operator.

Money and phone signal

Bring enough Colombian pesos in cash for the whole trek. Camps sell drinks, snacks and sometimes slow wifi, mules cost extra, and guides and cooks expect tips. There are no ATMs after Santa Marta. There is no mobile signal after the first part of the trail. Camps have electricity only in the evening, from a generator or solar panels, so bring a power bank.

What to pack

You carry only a day pack, about 6 to 8 kg, unless you hire a mule. Bring quick-dry clothes, a long-sleeved top for the evenings, a rain jacket and dry bags. Add trail shoes with good grip, sandals for the river crossings, a headlamp, strong insect repellent, sun cream, a 1–2 litre bottle, swimwear, your passport and your yellow fever certificate. Mules can carry your pack on some sections for about COP 40,000–50,000; ask your guide on the trail.

Difficulty and safety

The trek is moderate to hard. The days are not long, but the heat and humidity, steep clay slopes, mud, roots and river crossings make them tiring. The profile here gives about 2,900 m of ascent for the return trip. Walk at your own pace, drink a lot, and stay with the guide. Get the yellow fever vaccine at least 10 days before you go, protect yourself against mosquitoes (dengue is common on the coast), and treat blisters early. In an emergency your guide contacts the operator; serious cases are carried out by mule or stretcher or evacuated by helicopter. Colombia's emergency number is 123. In 2003 the ELN guerrilla kidnapped eight tourists here. The trek has run safely for many years since, but ICANH asks visitors to check local security alerts before travel; follow your operator's advice.