A Trek To Colombia's Mountaintop Lost City

It wasn’t hard to convince my brother to visit me in Colombia. He had been hearing rave reviews of the country’s beauty and culture. And while not every square inch of the Colombian jungle is secure, more of the country is accessible than ever before. So, we decided to test what we had been hearing with a multi-day jungle hike to the mountaintop “Lost City.”

The ancient Tayrona civilization once occupied the mountains along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, carving nearly two hundred stone terraces some 3,600 feet above sea level. Reaching the archaeological mountaintop array required two days of hiking through the Sierra Nevada National Forest and a 3,000 foot ascent. We planned to do the round-trip hike in four days. Never mind our near-total lack of preparation.

State-sanctioned tour companies bring in groups daily, providing meals and lodging on the guided hike to Teyuna, as the local indigenous people call the site. The risk of guerrillas kidnapping us also seemed remote, despite the rumors. The Colombian Army cleared them out in 2008, and visits have tripled since then and are expected to top 9,000 this year.

Paramilitaries also once controlled the area. But, Lonely Planet’s Colombia guide boasted sacred mountains and blindingly brilliant jungle. We couldn’t miss it, and I saved the trip for the last few weeks of my time living in the country.

My brother, Nick, 29, had his reservations about the physical demands of the hike. He had been “drinking beer and eating crawfish” in New Orleans for the past year, where he worked as an artist.

About a week before his visit, a Colombian couple passed his art stand in the French Quarter. He excitedly told them about his upcoming hike. The woman’s eyes widened as she said, “You have to be in very good physical condition.” The words rang in his ears as his departure grew closer, and he abruptly started to exercise.

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