Lost City Trek: 4-Day Hiking Tour in Santa Marta Guided by Local Experts

Embark on a thrilling 4-day hiking tour in Santa Marta, guided by local experts. Explore the lost city and learn about indigenous communities in the region.

Duration: 4 days
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

SANTA MARTA - EL MAMEY - CAMP 1

Centro Historico de Santa Marta - Everything begins around 9:30 am at the Expotur office where in a 4 × 4 truck we take a 2 ½ hour course to the Mamey region, where we have lunch and then begin the search for the sacred place of the Tayronas (ancient inhabitants of The lost City). At the end of the afternoon we arrive at Camp 1, in its surroundings we will find rivers, natural pools, waterfalls for moments of relaxation, then we will have dinner and there will be accommodations prepared in hammocks to rest and spend the night.

CAMP 1 - CAMP 3

Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - The day begins and we have breakfast early, to then start walking through the Buritaca river valley, there we will find numerous houses that make up a village of indigenous Kogui called Mutanshi. Our tour of the day is approximately 7 hours, passing through the jungle of the Sierra Nevada and meeting face to face with the natural diversity, until finally arriving directly at Camp 3 where we eat, rest and spend the night.

CAMP 3 - LOST CITY - CAMP 2

Ciudad Perdida - Very early we have breakfast, to begin the ascent to our destination, we begin by climbing 1,200 steps, a path built by the Tayronas themselves, at the end we will find the long-awaited Lost City, once there the guide will show us and give us information about the magical full place of relics and ancestral stories, we will spend the morning enjoying the landscapes of the destination, having enough time to rest and take pictures, finally we will have lunch and continue the same way back to reach Camp 2 where we have dinner and spend the night.

CAMP 2 - EL MAMEY

Parque Nacional Natural Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - The last day of the adventure begins with breakfast to continue the way back to the point where it all began, the way we will find rivers and waterfalls to refresh ourselves, until finally reaching the Mamey where we will have lunch and the truck will wait for us to return to the city of Santa Marta where we will arrive around 5:00 pm having fully enjoyed an enriching new experience in the magical Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

What's Included
  • Snacks provided
  • Complimentary pick-up service
  • Lunch included
  • Dinner provided
  • Breakfast included
What's Not Included
  • Drinks
  • Help to carry luggage
Additional Information

We have guides from the region instructed by SENA, with years of experience. Trained to provide cultural, historical and anthropological information on indigenous communities and the area.

We work hand in hand with indigenous and peasant communities. We are committed to supporting the development of the region through contributions that contribute to a better quality of life for the locals.

  • Travelers can leave the suitcase they do not wish to take on the tour at the Expotur main office at no additional cost. If you do not plan to return to Santa Marta on the last day of the tour, we can send your suitcases to the final point of the route in EL MAMEY where you can pick them up and then be taken to your destination.
  • It is recommended to have the yellow fever vaccine as a preventive measure for the tour
Location
Edificio Rex
Calle 17
Travelers can be found at the Expotur facilities.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(2399 Ratings)
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Abigail
Sep 21, 2024
Wonderful trip - We did the 5D4N expedition with Expoturs and couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Our guide Ida was amazing - when we hike we prefer to walk slow and steady and enjoy our time in the jungle looking for birds and insects and she never made us feel pressured to speed up at all as well as being very knowledgeable about both the history and environment of the local environment. Going with expoturs meant we were the first group at el Ciudad Perdida as they’re the only company which stays at the camp closest. We would also recommend the 5 day version - you do the same trek for the first 3 days but the second 2 days you go back via a different route past waterfalls and along the river and it was really nice not to just retrace steps as well as going along a trail that not many people travel along.
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Guillems954
Sep 16, 2024
Worth it - Beautiful mountains, rivers and waterfalls. If was fantstic to learn about the indigenous living there too. The guides provide great help and information
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809montserratr
Sep 8, 2024
An unforgettable experience THANK YOU - Thank you to Team Sara, Maria and Angel for these fantastic and unforgettable days. The Sara Guide was super friendly and attentive to everyone’s well-being; Sara, the translator, was also very close and motivated my son Alex, at 17 years old to be the “head” of the group... she made him participate in the challenge and encouraged him a lot. Angel, more discreet but good people, as soon as I could get out of the back of the stove... it was the premiers trip I made alone with my son and it was great! The super friendly group, Thanks for everything ❤️
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Seaside20471345394
Sep 7, 2024
Great trek with the Cabras - super trek!! Beautiful views and a great group with the Cabras!! César Beginner, our Guide, Pilar, our great translator, and Samir our cook were a great team to accompany us in the sun and rain!! Brief super experience in the middle of the rainforest to discover the impressive ciudad perduida!! Thanks again to them!!
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654satora
Sep 6, 2024
Amazing - It was 4 really special days. The landscapes are amazing, as the rain 😂 Shout out to the Expotour team ! To César Jr, our guide, always supportive, patient and with all the answers to any of our weird questions ! To Samir, our cook, who twisted a bit his delightfull recipes to help our poor stomachs ! And finally to Pilar, our translator (and little sunshine) who did way more than her job during this adventure. Shout out also to the Cabras, our team of trekking newbies, always late but always smiling ❤️ If you want to do this trek, you should chose Expotour for many reasons but i'll give you one that should convince you easely : it's the only agency providing toilet paper ! 😂 More seriously, this was an incredible experience, they provided an excellent accompagnement. The trek can be exhausting because of the weather, if you do it during the rainy season be ready to be wet for 4 days. If you miss the sun too much, in the morning it's hitting hard 🙃 I recommand going in with at least 100 000 pesos in cash if you have a weak stomach, the filtered water of the camps is not that digest. A bottle of 1L costs 10 000 pesos. There is a lot of shops on the trek, at least 1 every hour. Bathrooms are free sometimes, but mostly it costs 1000 or 2000 pesos. I STRONGLY recommand to go with mosquitos repellent, for body and clothes. Some plastic bags also, but Expotour will give you a complete list of things to bring anyway. Thanks again to the team ❤️ If you are in Colombia and you have an opportunity to do this trek, you really should ! This was breathtaking.
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66gildam
Sep 6, 2024
The ciudad parted with expotur - Great experience with the Expo team especially thanks to our Guide Cesar Beginner, our translator Pilar and Samir our cook. They do not lack humor to motivate us!! It was a real pleasure to have Cesar as Guide: clear information, emotional support, physical support. Cesar is really careful that everyone is comfortable, feels expected, does not get hurt, I recommend ++++ Thanks again to Pilar for his energy and perfect English which makes the trek accessible to the non-Spanish speaker in a very clear way. For a duo Guide + translator we could not dream better!! We must ask to go with them!! Thanks to Samir for his performance: always leave after us and always arrive before us at each camp to serve us lunch. Regarding the trek itself, it is accessible to everyone, as long as the joints work! It can be a little more complicated in the rainy season because automatic rain for all the afternoon walks, if you do not like it prefer March May June😊 I personally preferred it to rain because it refreshes for the climbs but you have to accept to spend 4 days soaked! You have to leave with toiletries, a roll of toilet paper, and 1.5L of water per person. Meals are consistent and quality and there are many breaks (especially on the first day which is for me the hardest because ride under the sun) with fruits or juices available. Sleeping camps are pretty good with mosquito nets. One downside, during heavy rains the filtered water of the camps can be more or less well digested so don’t forget to bring cash with you both for that or for a few extras (take enough because the Awards are high considering the difficulty of access for example the water costs up to 12,000 Colombian pesos (usually max 4500 pesos in town)). Note that we were able to do the 4-day trek in September because it was exceptionally open at the beginning of the month this year! Regarding the ultimate goal of the trek: the ciudad perdida is a beautiful place and well worth a visit. If you hesitate between agencies, do not hesitate. Take expotur is 5/5. For the record we were the only ones to have toilet paper provided to each camp and just that, it changes the game 🤪 Awards are anyway set by the government, but not the quality of the agency. Expotur is a real agency specialized in ciudad perdida, Cesar was born nearby and his grandfather even runs a trekking tienda, there is no more local! Thank you again for this rewarding experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meander20788355059
Sep 6, 2024
Fall in love with Colombia: 4 Days to the Lost City - The experience was amazing! The 4-day hike to the Lost City in Santa Marta is challenging, but every effort is worth it. The landscapes are breathtaking: from lush rainforests to crystal clear rivers. The local guides were very friendly and knowledgeable, sharing fascinating stories about the history of the Lost City and the indigenous culture surrounding it. The tour is physically demanding, with constant rises and falls, but the reward of reaching the Lost City and contemplating those ancient ruins in the middle of nature is indescribable. My experience was even more special as I did the hike with my sister and two Italians, which made the trip more memorable. I recommend wearing a good pair of shoes, repellent, blocker, and be prepared for moisture, but above all, enjoy this adventure to the fullest. A unique and unforgettable experience! Every day more in love with Colombia...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rufuso722
Sep 6, 2024
Fantastic 4 days! - I had a great time on the Expotur 4 day hike. It was really well organised and Cesar, Pilar and Samir were fantastic! I thoroughly recommend the tour and Expotur know what they are doing.
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Robertodk1686oc
Sep 5, 2024
Skip the Snowy Sierra - It's been an amazing experience. I was able to experience the jungle authentically. Our Guide, Jhoan, was a fantastic, helpful and friendly person. It allowed us to live this experience beautifully. Thanks for everything.
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967juliettez
Sep 12, 2024
Nice experience (despite the effort)! Discovering new landscapes and a culture that was unknown to me - I really enjoyed this first trekking experience, with our great group "Las Cabras" 🐐! The scenery was beautiful! Our Guide César Beginner was very interesting and we were accompanied by Pilar, our super interpreter in English 💪🏻. Food level we missed nothing, thanks to Samir who took care of our meals morning, lunch and evening. The archaeological site is really impressive and deserves the effort!
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