Lost City Trek

Teyuna, better known as Ciudad Perdida, was built by the Tayrona people around the eighth century, centuries before Machu Picchu. Abandoned after the Spanish conquest and swallowed by forest, it was uncovered in 1975 and confirmed as a Tayrona site by Colombian archaeologists; it remains sacred to the Indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

The walk starts at El Mamey and follows the Buritaca river valley into the mountains, through tropical forest, farm clearings and Indigenous villages, with river crossings and steep, muddy climbs between camps. The final approach is a flight of about 1,200 stone steps leading up to the terraces and circular platforms of the city.

Colombia's national parks service describes 23.3 km of long, steep walking and a trek of about five days, three going up and two coming down, or up to six days in total. Visits are organised through tour companies that provide guides, food and sleeping places at the camps.