After days of deliberating and changing our minds we finally decide that rather than spending the final two weeks of our Colombian trip on its little known Caribbean coast lounging on its sublimely chilled out beaches, we will invoke the adventurous wanderers within us. Why when I could spend the next two weeks topping up my tan and indulging in the many offerings of the delightful book swap in town would this be the final choice? I ask myself the same question. But the efforts of my ever adventurous boyfriend (the type you love to hate) are successful through a carefully executed spiel that covers being in a foreign country, never being there again, once in a lifetime opportunity… blah, blah, blah… and it is decided; we will trek to La Ciudad Perdida- The Lost City.

Once one arrives at the coastal town of Santa Marta, a 2 hour flight from Bogotá or a bumpy and riotous but wonderfully colourful 20 hour bus journey it is instantly clear that this small part of the Caribbean is unlike many of its touristy counterparts. It is a beautifully simple South American port town that provides access to a plethora of untouched beaches, national parks, diving spots and of course La Ciudad Perdida, the latter being only accessible through the guided tours offered by a small number of its local’s. The tour consists of five or six days trekking depending on the group, sleeping in hammocks, eating locally prepared food and a guide- as it is deep in the Colombian jungle and cannot be done without one.

La Ciudad Perdida, founded circa 800AD, is immersed deep in the Colombian jungle and is believed to have been the home of to up to 8000 people. During the Spanish conquest in the 16th century the Tayrona people were wiped out and their thriving city became lost under ever-growing tropical vegetation for four centuries until 1972 when a group of quaqueros (robbers of pre-Colombian tombs) discovered it, the authorities then revealed it in 1975. Due to the likelihood of the remains being home to countless forgotten jewels it has since been heavily guarded by the Colombian military and their presence is seen and certainly felt throughout the trek, there is even a base hidden away at the city itself. Even more of an issue than treasure looters is the fact that as the remains sit amid dense jungle, it has played host to past warfare between the Colombian National Army a right-wing paramilitary group and left-wing guerrilla groups like Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and can still be dangerous. So tourists are advised to embark on this journey with caution, though there have not been problems there for tourists since 2003 and now the constant presence of the Colombian Army almost negates the risk.