The Misplaced Metropolis trek is a bucket listing jungle hike in Colombia the place you’ll be able to see the ruins of the Ciudad Perdida, an historical metropolis constructed by the Tairona individuals greater than 1,000 years in the past.
It is a guided trek that usually takes 4 days, and there’s loads of problem. The trekking packages embody lodging, meals, and a few very educated, variety, and useful native guides.
I did the Misplaced Metropolis hike not too long ago and it was a fantastic expertise. We had a enjoyable group and we went far into the Sierra Nevada mountains, visited indigenous villages, crossed rivers, swam each day, and hiked until our legs damage.
On this weblog publish, I’ll clarify every little thing it’s good to know concerning the Misplaced Metropolis trek earlier than you go!
Fast Info*
- Distance: 49 kilometers (30 mi)
- Elevation Achieve: 2,650 meters (8,700 ft)
- Max Altitude: 1,190 meters (3,900 ft)
- Length: 3 – 5 days
- Issue: Onerous
*These stats are for the spherical journey journey
Huts on the indigenous village
How To Get There
The Misplaced Metropolis is positioned within the mountains close to Santa Marta, in northern Colombia.
There are many direct flights each day to Santa Marta from airports like Bogota, Medellin, and Pereira, and the flight time is simply about 1.5 hours. You possibly can shop for flights on Skyscanner.
The trekking excursions embody a switch from Santa Marta to the beginning of the path, after which again to city afterwards, so that you gained’t want to fret about transportation.
When you’re searching for a spot to remain in Santa Marta the night time earlier than your hike, I’d advocate Hotel Boutique Casa Chunuu.
The Misplaced Metropolis
Misplaced Metropolis Trek: What To Count on
The Misplaced Metropolis is an all-inclusive, totally guided trek that features lodging in camps with beds and mosquito nets, plus 3 meals a day.
It’s an out-and-back trek with about 5-7 hours of climbing per day, and it may be achieved in 3, 4, 5, and even 6 days. Most individuals do it in 4 days, and I believe that’s the right size of time for the common individual.
When you’re a really match hiker who’s restricted on time in Colombia, then the three day choice might be just right for you. In any other case, if you wish to decelerate and spend extra time within the mountains, then 5 or 6 days could also be proper.
Nevertheless, for most individuals I’d advocate 4 days. It offers you adequate time to expertise the sights with out feeling too rushed, and it’s not too troublesome for many hikers.
There’s plenty of good surroundings
You’ll be waking up at 5 AM each day of the trek, and winding down exercise at round 3-5 PM.
That seems like an terrible lot, however don’t fear, there can be loads of breaks to eat, swim, and relaxation in between. It’s not all climbing.
There are river crossings on every day of the hike, however all of those have bridges now, which is nice. You gained’t have to fret about wading by the rivers like within the outdated days. Some journey guides on the web have been written earlier than this modified.
Within the subsequent few sections, I’ll share my very own expertise on every day of the Misplaced Metropolis trek and what you’ll be able to count on by way of sights, actions, camps, and challenges.
Mutanyi village
Day 1: Begin Of The Trek
My trek started with a 7 AM pickup from my lodge in Santa Marta. I used to be joined by my cousin and his spouse, and we have been first dropped at the tour firm’s workplace in Santa Marta, the place we had a snack and met the remainder of our group.
There have been precisely a dozen individuals in our group — 10 hikers and a couple of guides. A lot of the hikers have been from the Netherlands, plus a number of People (us) and a German couple.
We have been all herded into the again of a van collectively, after which drove 1 hour on the freeway to the primary entrance, the place we stopped for a 15 minute break to stretch and pee (map here).
Subsequent, we drove 1 hour on a mountain highway to the city of Machete. This a part of the journey was very uncomfortable due to the cramped leg room, facet going through seats, and bumpy highway circumstances.
Entrance to the mountain highway
Group photograph after lunch in Machete
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Machete, which is the primary start line for the trek, and met our Colombian guides, who gave us a briefing on the hike and what to anticipate. Then it was time to start out climbing!
For the primary day, we solely needed to hike about 9 kilometers (~6 miles), which wasn’t too onerous, though we bumped into some heavy rain that turned the trail into pure mud and sludge, inflicting us to slide round for the remainder of the afternoon.
Lastly we reached Camp Alfredo, the place we ate supper and stayed the primary night time.
All muddy
Eating room at Camp Alfredo
Day 2: Villages & Tradition
The second day was one of many longest and hardest elements of the trek, though we had a lot better luck with the climate in comparison with the primary day.
This time, we wakened at 5 AM for breakfast and hiked all the best way from Camp Alfredo to Camp Paraiso, which took us deeper into the jungle one other 14 kilometers (~8 miles).
There have been plenty of steep hills and it was a killer exercise. Alongside the best way, we obtained to see the standard thatch hut village of Mutanyi, belonging to the Kogi indigenous individuals.
Mutanyi village
We additionally stopped for lunch at Camp Mumake and swam within the river, which was a really stress-free break from climbing. The water was surprisingly chilly and that’s simply what we would have liked.
A lot of the day was spent climbing close to the river, and this time, the rain held off till we reached Camp Paraiso.
The rain didn’t begin up till after we went to mattress, after which it was only a good background noise as we fell asleep.
The rivers are very nice for swimming
Day 3: Exploring The Misplaced Metropolis
On the third day, it was time to go see the Misplaced Metropolis!
To succeed in it, it’s a must to climb roughly 1,200 stone steps. They’re steep, oddly-shaped, wobbly, and slippery, particularly within the early morning dew, so be very cautious.
This is able to be a simple place to harm your self.
Climbing up the steep stone steps
The Misplaced Metropolis is attention-grabbing, and it’s so much larger than I anticipated. It was constructed by the Tairona individuals in 800 AD, so it’s older than Machu Picchu in Peru.
It takes hours to discover the primary ruins and terraces, so we have been stunned when our information informed us that there are much more ruins that aren’t open to the general public!
What we see as vacationers is simply a fraction of the Misplaced Metropolis, but it surely’s nonetheless spectacular.
The most effective view might be discovered on the prime of the town, trying down on the terraces and the mountains in all instructions.
The Misplaced Metropolis!
After an intensive tour with plenty of explanations from our information and loads of time to take pictures, it was time to start out climbing again.
We went all the way down to Camp Paraiso and grabbed lunch, swam within the river slightly extra, after which hiked all the best way again to Camp Mumake, the place we stayed the final night time of the trek.
Day 4: The Return Journey
The final day of the trek was one other whopper. We wakened at 5 AM once more, and hiked about 16 kilometers (~10 miles) again to the beginning.
On the best way again, the sky was clear and we obtained some fantastic views of the Sierra Nevada mountains, which we had missed on the primary day due to the rain. Vibrant inexperienced mountains!
We had our final lunch collectively in Machete city, after which headed again to Santa Marta to get cleaned up.
All in all, the Misplaced Metropolis was a fantastic hike and everybody in our group loved it immensely.
Vibrant inexperienced mountains
Map Of The Path
Right here’s a map from AllTrails that exhibits the climbing route and elevation profile.
The camps are additionally marked, though not in the identical order we used. Alfredo is marked right here as camp 1, Mumake is camp 2, and Paraiso is camp 3.
How Onerous Is It?
The Misplaced Metropolis is a tough hike. It’s undoubtedly harder than I anticipated.
You’ll be strolling up and down steep hills each day with rocky and muddy terrain, plus the loopy humidity. Your sleep high quality gained’t be the best both, due to the early wakeup instances each morning.
All of that is compounded by the 4-day size of the hike. We have been recent on the primary day or two of the hike, however by the tip we have been exhausted and fairly beat up.
That doesn’t imply the trek is unmanageable, or that it’s good to be tremendous match to do it. The guides are very affected person ready for stragglers, and so they give loads of snack breaks and relaxation stops alongside the best way.
So sure, you are able to do the trek. Don’t fear. Simply count on loads of problem!
The entire river crossings have bridges now
What Are The Camps Like?
I’m joyful to say the camps on this trek are pretty snug, though you’ll be able to’t count on luxurious.
There are showers, flush bathrooms, and clotheslines, and the bunk beds have nets to maintain you secure from mosquitoes at night time.
The entire camps have charging stations and WiFi, though you might have to pay a small money payment to make use of it. Apart from that, you gained’t have mobile phone service anyplace on the path, together with the camps.
Electrical energy is turned off at round 9 PM each night time, so care for your charging and requirements earlier than then.
Every camp additionally has slightly store the place you should purchase snacks, drinks, and toiletries. They’d a shocking assortment of goodies on the market: shampoo, tooth paste, bathroom paper, tampons, cigarettes, beer, Gatorade, batteries, and extra.
It truly had me wishing I’d packed much less stuff!
Beds within the camp
Drying our garments
Is It Secure?
Whereas some locations in Colombia are undoubtedly sketchy by way of crime, the Misplaced Metropolis has had a superb security report for a few years now.
Lengthy story brief, it’s typically a secure hike and the primary threat is twisting an ankle or one thing of that kind.
Nevertheless, when you’re concerned about figuring out extra, I wrote an in depth article on this topic, which you’ll learn within the hyperlink under.
Learn Extra: Security On The Misplaced Metropolis Trek
Welcome to the jungle
Meals Security
The scenario with meals and water security has improved so much, however sadly some individuals nonetheless report getting sick on the Misplaced Metropolis trek.
The employees do a fairly good job with hygiene and meal preparation, but it surely’s onerous to maintain issues completely clear and secure once you’re working in a distant jungle camp.
We talked to a different hiker on the path and so they mentioned three members of their group obtained very sick (with diarrhea and throwing up), and needed to be carried out on mules.
Fortunately that didn’t occur to anybody in our group, however if you wish to be further secure, there are many locations to purchase bottled consuming water alongside the path, or you’ll be able to convey your personal water purification tablets.
To be honest, all of the meals we ate was nice, and there was filtered consuming water accessible at each camp the place we stayed.
We had no points with illness on our trek, however the chance stays.
Can You Hike Independently?
No, you’ll be able to’t do the Misplaced Metropolis trek by yourself. A information is strictly required for anybody who desires to do the hike.
Sure, it’s costly, however the excursions convey cash into the local people and maintain it sustainable. Cash retains the paths open, the camps snug, and lots of different issues.
It additionally helps the onerous working Colombian trekking guides, who do so much to make this hike secure and satisfying for everybody.
Thick jungle
What To Carry
- Backpack. My bag had roughly 30 liters of house and that was sufficient.
- Spare Garments. I struggled with what number of spare modifications to convey, as a result of my bag was very restricted on house however I additionally didn’t need to stink an excessive amount of. Based mostly on my expertise, I believe I’d advocate bringing no less than 4 shirts, 2 socks, 4 pairs of underwear, and a couple of pairs of shorts. You’ll need to maintain one change of garments clear and separate from the others for sleeping in.
- Outerwear. Personally, I don’t assume there’s any have to convey a jacket or hoodie for this hike, however when you do, convey one thing very mild. I remorse bringing my hoodie and pants. They took up weight and house, and I by no means used them on the entire hike, even at night time.
- Swimsuit. You’ll need this for swimming within the rivers alongside the path. It’s an effective way to chill out and funky down.
- Plastic Baggage. These are important for maintaining moist garments separate from dry garments, and soiled separate from clear. I introduced 5 plastic baggage, and it might’ve been good to have much more.
- Toiletries. Issues like cleaning soap, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Solar Safety. You’ll desire a hat and sunscreen, particularly for the primary day of the hike. There’s no shade in any respect and also you’ll get roasted. After the primary day, you’ll spend extra time climbing underneath jungle cowl however there are nonetheless some spots the place you’ll need solar safety.
- Bug Spray. Retains you secure from mosquitoes within the jungle and on the camps.
- Ear Plugs. These could possibly be useful when you’re delicate to different campers loud night breathing.
- Waterproof Cowl. I don’t assume a completely waterproof bag is required for this hike since you gained’t be wading by rapids or something, however you must no less than have a water-proof cowl like this one to guard your bag from the rain.
- Tissues. These might be useful however they aren’t utterly essential. A lot of the bogs within the camps have bathroom paper, and if it runs out, you’ll be able to simply purchase extra on the little provide store within the camp.
- Mild. Although you gained’t be climbing at the hours of darkness, a small mild is useful in case it’s good to do something within the camp after darkish.
- Water Tablets. The entire camps have a filter for his or her water, however I didn’t utterly belief it. If you wish to be further secure, you’ll be able to convey water purification tablets. That’s what I did. They’re very small and simple to hold.
- Money. It’s good to have slightly bit of money when you plan to purchase snacks, drinks, WiFi, or the rest on the camps.
- Footwear. You’ll need good climbing boots for the path, however having a pair of sandals can also be very useful for strolling round on the camps each day and going to the river to swim.
The Misplaced Metropolis
Finest Time To Go
The most effective time to do the Misplaced Metropolis trek is throughout the dry season, from December to April. You possibly can see a graph of Santa Marta’s climate sample here.
It’s nonetheless potential to do the hike throughout the wetter months from Might to August, or October to November, however you’ve gotten the next probability of operating into rain. The path is totally closed yearly for the month of September.
I went in mid-December and the climate was respectable. There was heavy rain each night time, and one large downpour on the primary day that lasted fairly awhile, soaking our gear and inflicting us to slide round within the mud for hours, in order that wasn’t ideally suited.
The humidity on this hike is loopy, so if any of your garments get moist, they’re by no means going to dry once more until they sit in direct solar for awhile. Significantly!
Climbing whereas soggy moist isn’t any enjoyable in any respect, so if I went to the Misplaced Metropolis once more, I believe I’d do it someday between January and March. That’s your most secure wager.
One other uncommon flower we noticed on the hike
Extra Journey Guides
Thanks for trying! I hope you loved this weblog about do the Misplaced Metropolis trek in Colombia.
Don’t overlook to take a look at my different journey guides for South America earlier than you go!
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