Colombia's Lost City: Hiking to Ciudad Perdida

Once you've checked off your Ciudad Perdida packing list and packed as light as possible, it's time to start the hike. I ended up hiking to Ciudad Perdida — The Lost City — with Magic Tours Colombia. Our guide only spoke Spanish, but one of the girls in the group translated for us. He was genuinely knowledgeable.

Hiking to Ciudad Perdida

Day 1

We left the Magic Tours office around 9:30am and reached our lunch stop in Machete around 12:30pm — also the starting point of the hike itself. After lunch, we headed up the mountain in the hot sun. It took about 4 hours to reach camp, right on the river. Bathrooms, showers, a line of bunk beds, cooking facilities and tables — and a pool, freezing since the water comes straight down from the mountains, but still a great way to end a hot day.

Day 1 views of the Sierra Nevada mountains

Day 2

We were woken at 5:30am for the hardest day of the trek — long, with a lot of uphill. We reached the next camp in 4 hours for an early lunch and some pool time, not yet realising the hardest part was still ahead.

After lunch we set off again, mostly uphill and genuinely tough. Slow and steady was the key, though we still needed regular breaks — the heat and humidity of the rainforest were draining, even for an island girl who assumed she'd handle it fine. The terrain varied from rocky to muddy to loose dirt, making it tougher still. After a few fruit stops, river crossings and scrambling over rocks, we reached our final campsite before Ciudad Perdida itself around 4pm.

The path less travelled, en route to Ciudad Perdida

Indigenous village on the way to the Lost City

Day 3

The day we'd all been anticipating — finally seeing the Lost City. After climbing over rocks, trees and rivers, we reached the steps. Hundreds of uneven stairs later, we reached the walls of Ciudad Perdida.

The excitement was real, and we realised how big the site actually is. Photos online don't quite do it justice — you only ever see one shot, "the golf course shot." Hundreds of terraces once home to around 2,500 indigenous people. Genuinely impressive to behold. We sat and took in the view from the top, listening to stories of tomb raiders and the indigenous tribes who lived there. Our reward after all those stairs: a proper junk food binge — potato chips, pork rinds, brownies, lollipops and chocolate.

We explored further, finding more terraces still covered in bush, and even a family still living in the area, caring for their land. We walked back down and returned to camp for lunch before heading back to the second camp from the day before.

The Lost City still hidden away in the jungle

The stairs to the ceremonial terraces of the Lost City

Day 4

A 4-hour hike to the end. Up at 5:30am for breakfast before starting, aiming to reach Machete by midday for lunch — the promise of fresh clothes and a shower at the end kept us motivated. The path was the same one we'd walked three days earlier. Around 11:20am we reached Machete for lunch and a well-deserved beer, then boarded the jeep back to town in contented silence.

On top of the world, overlooking Ciudad Perdida

I loved my experience with Magic Tours and would definitely recommend them. The food was excellent and I met some genuinely great people. Together we completed a hike that only around 14,000 tourists do each year — rewarding, and it genuinely felt like a lost city. I didn't know what to expect beyond an epic photo at the end, and I was so glad I braved the Colombian jungle, the bugs and the intense heat to find this place. Ciudad Perdida is now home to a military base, which makes it considerably safer too. Our guide and cook took excellent care of us and everyone made it without injury. If you're up for a challenge, it's genuinely something I'd recommend.

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