Lost City Trek and Colombia's Hidden Gems

Day 1:

Arrive to Bogota:

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Arrival from Bogota (ideally around 7.30pm), transfer 20-25 minutes to the scenic and historical zone of Bogota.

We would stay in the ‘La Candelaria’ district of Bogota, close to the centre where there’s plenty of options for walking tours cafes as well as a trendy student feel and lots of street art.

Street scenes and art, La Candelaria, Bogota Downtown. ‍

Overnight 3 star – Regina – Roof-top terrace.

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Day 2:

Morning orientation of historical centre of Bogota. Afternoon flight to Medellin and transfer to Guatape.

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We start on foot covering the main squares (Plaza Bolivar) and parks (Santander & Writers park) then continue uphill to Mount Monserrate - a major landmark on the edge of downtown Bogota. We can take the steep train ascent to the top 3132m for the best panoramic shots of the city as well as view some lovely gardens and the main church on top.

Optional and if time - We then return back down to visit the Gold museum (1 hour: 10-30-11.30) which is renowned to be the best and biggest museum of its kind in Latin America with over 50,000 artefacts.

Around 12.45pm we will head to the airport (20 minutes) and take the short flight (1 hour) to Medellin at around 3pm.

Upon arrival we transfer in around 1.5 hours to our lovely located hotel cabins next to the rock of Guatape and only 5 minutes to the town of Guatape.

One of our vans, typical of what we will use for the transfers throughout the trip.

We should arrive by early evening/sunset and have a chance to enjoy our surroundings and check out this colourful town and a little bit of Colombian paradise!

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Introduction:

Guatape is an amazing set of floodlands shaping many labyrinthic patterned lagoons and peninsulas. The jewel in the crown is its large protruding volcanic plug of granite, a cliff-faced rock known as ‘Piedra de Peñol’ or the ‘rock of Guatape’.

For our evening meal, we should go into the main town just 10 minutes by local tuk-tuk. The town of Guatape itself is one of the most picturesque of any place in Colombia. Cobbled streets and painted facades depicts traditional scenes and associated stories of the area. Equally decorated are the towns local transport known as Taxi Chivas - psychedelic rainbow decorated tuk-tuks and the old-fashioned school buses.

Overnight accommodation: Guatape – 3* Zocalo Campestre cabins. Our villas below the rock, like something out of a fairytale!

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Day 3:

Trek up the rock of Guatape, take boat on the lake.

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In the morning, we can hike up the 650 steps to get on top of the ‘rock of Guatape’ also known as ‘Piedra de Peñol’. Climb starts from right outside our door and normally takes around 1 hour to get to the top. Maybe a little more.

In the afternoon we have to go out onto the lake and explore the area by boat and the chance to view one of the Mansions that was of Pablo Escobar bombed in the early 90’s and now lies in ruins..

Other options include light hiking around a nearby ecological park. ‍

Overnight: Guatape – 3* Zocalo Campestre cabins

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Day 4:

Airport transfer via the replica town of ‘Old Peñol’ Fly to Cartagena.

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Today we head back 2 hours to the airport stopping for lunch at the replica town of the original Guatape. In 1973, the area was flooded to create a reservoir that was built nearby and what we see today as the waterways that surround the area. The entire town is now under water, so basically, they built a replica to keep its memory.

We then transfer on to Medellin airport. The 1 hour flight should get us into Cartagena by sunset and just a 15 minute drive to our hotel in the historical town. Then we can go out to enjoy the night-life on offer and some food and drinks!

Accommodation at Don Heredia 3* in Cartagenas historical centre.

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Day 5:

Sight-seeing around Cartagena.

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After breakfast, there is the option to wander at your own leisure or take the scheduled sight-seeing tour by open-top bus leaving from the Clock-tower every 45 minutes, where you are welcome to hop ‘on’ or ‘off’ along the route at various points of interest such as the San Felipe Castle, as well as the main Pier, the waterfront, the Rafael Nuñez museum, Gold museum and the Street-food market. The scripted guide is in audio on the Open-top tour-bus.

Within the constraints of the walled-city and old town, there is also a walking tour on foot as well starting at 4pm from the clock tower and last about 90 minutes. The tour is led by a local, bilingual guide.

Accommodation – Don Heredia, Cartagena old town.

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Day 6:

Transfer by bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta.

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We take the 4-5 hour bus ride along the Caribbean coast to the city of Santa Marta, in our private bus.

Although Santa Marta is a good base for exploring Tayrona National Park & Beaches + the village trek, we stay here just one night as really we want to continue on to the places of interest directly.

We can spend the afternoon exploring the beach front before our trek briefing at around 5-6pm

Notes: it is recommended to stay within a certain area due to petty crime. Therefore Carrera 3 and 4 are the places to go out eat, drink and dance. Basically, the section between Parks Santander and Simon Bolivar. We also suggest to not go north of Park Simon Bolivar or East of Carrera 5/inland from the coast, at night.

Accommodation: Marbore Boutique 4* Santa Marta

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Day 7:

Day 1 of two day visit to Wiwa tribe community.

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We leave at approximately 8:00 a.m. from the main office in Santa Marta, in a 4 × 4 vehicle, bound for the Gotsezhy Indigenous Community. We will be arriving at about 9:30 am at the village of Guachaca, where we will begin the trekking of approximately two hours to Gotsezchy Refuge. We arrive to the Indigenous Community of Gotsezhy, where we will take a break and settle, and then interact with the Wiwa community that inhabits this region. After that it is time to take a traditional lunch with the Indigenous Community, rest and then visit the surroundings of Gotsezhy, interacting with the culture and traditions of the indigenous Wiwa, natives of the region, we will also enjoy a refreshing bath at Guachaca River and in the enchanted waterfall Matuna. At approximately 17:00 p.m. we meet and chat with the village chief about the customs and cultural traditions, then dinner and resting until the next day.

Overnight: Indigenous village comfortable bunk-beds or hammocks with mosquito nets provided.

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Day 8:

Day 2 of two day trip to Wiwa tribes, transfer to Palomino beach.

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The day starts getting up early to have breakfast, and immediately we will visit ancestral and cultural places, with talks and exhibition of handicrafts typical of the Wiwa.

Around noon we will have lunch, we rest and then get ready and start the trek down to Guachaca, where the 4 × 4 vehicle will be waiting for taking us back this time to our accommodation on the Caribbean beaches of Palomino and where we spend the next 2 days and nights.

Overnight: La Sirena 3* Eco-hotel and retreat

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Day 9:

Free day to spend at Palomino – option for Yoga or Surf classes.

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Accommodation – La Sirena Eco-hotel and retreat

NO TREK OPTION (Days 10-13): 3 night visit to Taganga beach or Minca cloud forest.

For those not opting to do the trek we can offer 3 nights at a different location such as Taganga or Minca

(No extra cost for the 3 nights at nice lodgings with breakfast and transportion to from the area).

We suggest the Minca cloud forest where there are options to swim at waterfalls, hike, horse-ride and relax in the worlds biggest hammock with fantastic views.

OR to the small fishing village of Taganga where you can scuba dive or eat Ceviche.

Overnight: Depending on option.

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Day 10:

Start of the 4 day lost city trek.

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Lost city colombia safety :

The Lost City trek, also known as the Ciudad Perdida trek, is considered safe for travelers when proper safety precautions and guidelines are followed. The trek is a challenging multi-day hike through the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Colombia and takes place along well-defined paths with experienced guides. The safety measures that are put in place include proper equipment, such as sturdy hiking boots and a first aid kit, and guides who are trained in emergency procedures and familiar with the terrain. Additionally, the trek is limited to a certain number of people per group, which allows for a more personalized experience and ensures that the guides can keep a close eye on everyone's safety. It is also recommended to always check on weather conditions before the trek, hydrate and come physically prepared.

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TREK DAY 1

Some time after breakfast in the morning we shall head to 1 hour by road (half good half bad) to our starting point for the trek. We start with our lunch. Then we hike for 4 hours with stops along an undulating trail to our first night camp. The trail for most part of the day is on mud/gravel path and is exposed to the sun with some trees along the way to shelter below.

NOTE: this is Iderle who is one of the only female guides doing the trek. Her information was invaluable and she is very professional (there are a lot of guides who are not very good), I would recommend us to be using her again. She does not speak any English (like a lot of Colombia it isn’t as easy to find specialist guides that speaking other languages, therefore we will use a translator – me!

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Day 11:

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TREK DAY 2

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On day 2 we head off again early after breakfast this time to hike 8 hours to our camp spot close by to the lost city ruins (about 1-2km’s from the ruins). We have plenty of stops on the route and we pass by lush scenery, rivers, farms and local villages.

Apart from flora and fauna along the way we have lots of swim spots and also indigenous villages and we will learn about the local tribes living there.

NOTE– a very cool factor in the trek, we get lots of chances to swim and cool down at almost every camp or lunch stop.

Second thing- we get lots of local fresh fruit all throughout the trail. Which really helps us accomplish the trek.

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Day 12:

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TREK DAY 3

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On day 3, we hike just 1 hour to the lost city ruins then spend most of the morning there with the guide, before trekking back 7-8 hours to our camp spot, same as night 1. The trail becomes stone steps as we arrive to the main archaeological site.

We have to make some river crossings at places along the way – my ‘crocs’ definitely came in handy!

Typical accommodation will either be in hammocks or bunks along the way.

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Day 13:

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TREK DAY 4

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On our final trail day we trek back 4 hours for lunch again at the same starting point and have lunch before driving back to Tayrona park and our accommodation just outside the entrances to the reserve.

Trek stats.

• Total day 1: 7,6 kilometres (El Mamey-Machete /Adan camp 1) 3.5-4 hours.
• Total day 2: 14,7kilometres (Adan camp / Paradise camp 3) 8 hours.
• Total day 3: 15,5 kilometeres (Paradise-Lost City-Adan Camp) 8 hours.
• Total day 4: 7,6 Km’s Adan-Mamey 4 hours.

Overall total 46.6 Kilometres

Elevation gain/drop 500m -1200m -500m over 4 days. Easy on paper, but with the heat & humidity it makes things more difficult than they appear!

Accommodation: Villa Cata Eco-lodge 3*

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Day 14:

Transfer and visit to Tayrona nature reserve

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Today, we leave early while still cool, and drive 5 minutes to Tayrona national reserve park entrance. We have a 1.5 hour walk to get to some of the nicest of the beaches located at Cabo San Juan and Canaveral.

TAYRONA NATIONAL RESERVE

The park has an area of 150 square kilometers and is UNESCO heritage accredited. It is located in the jurisdiction of the Santa Marta municipality, in the Department of Magdalena, and spread over the north coast of Colombia which borders on the Caribbean Sea.

Scholars have done an extensive classification of animal species living in the park, which include about 108 species of mammals and 300 species of birds. Monkeys such as The Mantled howler, the Oncilla, native deer and more than 70 species of bats are among the park's typical residents.

The park's 300 species of birds include the montane solitary eagle, the military macaw, black-backed antshrike, white-bellied ant-bird and the lance-tailed manakin. There are also approximately 31 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians, 202 species of sponges, 471 species of crustaceans, 96 species of annelids, 700 species of molluscs, 110 species of corals and 401 species of sea and river fish.

Several trails inside the park can be done to get to the interconnecting the beaches and the entry/exit points.

Our journey back is best done by taking horses - Horses shall await us at the beach and take us back near to the entrances where buses wait. We have just a 5-10 minute transfer to our accommodation where our next 2 nights are spent near the park entrance.

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Day 15:

Transfer to airport and fly Santa Marta – Pereira - Salento

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We take a morning flight from Santa Marta to Pereira lasting around 1 hour. Then, after a 1 hour transfer we arrive into the heart of the Coffee region (la zona cafetera) to stay there for 3 nights. During the evening, we can try some delicious local dishes. The pretty town of Salento is great place to relax and you can enjoy our wonderful surroundings and plan for the next day what we will do.

Overnight hotel El Rancho de Salento 3* (a local Ranch with a wonderful rural backdrop and they rent horses)

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Day 16:

Full day in Salento. Visit to Cocora Valley and coffee tour.

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We visit the Cocora valley, world's tallest Palm trees and do a coffee farm tour with local Jeep transport

Overnight hotel El Rancho de Salento 3*

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Day 17:

Fly Periera-Bogota-home

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Transfer 1 hour to the airport. Fly 50 minutes to Bogota (12-1250) Fly home.

If needing an extra night an airport hotel we can arrange this for an extra fee

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