ENTRY 3, Week 2/3 - “La Ciudad Perdida” and Tayrona National Park
From Cartagena a 5 hour bus journey took me East to Santa Marta, another of Colombia’s northern coastal cities. From here another bus took me to the “ecohostel” where I would be staying in the Tayrona region. Following a mid-day nap, I eventually roused myself and spent some time speaking with the owner about what there was to do in the region - Tayrona is a coastal area of exceptional natural beauty, much of it located within the National Park famous for its exceptional biodiversity, and a few miles inland was my main reason for coming to the region, "La Ciudad Perdida" (The Lost City) of the Tayrona people.
The next morning I was collected at 10 am in a rusting 4x4 and bundled into the back benches with the other passengers who I would be spending the next five days with. I was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone spoke English - a welcome relief after a couple of weeks of muddling through in Spanish. Getting to know the others, we discovered that our group was made up of a Briton, an Australian couple and four Canadians, all of us at various stages of travelling through South America. The next hour was spent being thrown around the back of the 4x4 on an uphill dirt track and trying not to inhale too many fumes, which we came to the conclusion were emanating from what must have been a fairly serious fuel leak.
Team Commonwealth
Around midday we were deposited for lunch at a large hut that serves as the start and end for all the groups doing the Ciudad Perdida trek (it can only be reached on foot). We filled ourselves with fresh bread (a luxury in South America) and mystery meat before starting out on the first leg of the trek. The first hour or so was easy going over relatively flat ground, with a couple of river crossings, before an unexpected break at a deep swimming spot in the river whose path we were following.
After that it was a pretty steep and winding climb up a dusty track for about an hour under a baking sun. We arrived at the top soaked in sweat, but pleasantly surprised to be presented with fresh watermelon which made everything fine again! This would be a frequent feature of the trek, upon reaching rest stops (every 1-2 hours) the guides would produce fresh oranges, pineapple or watermelon for us to gorge ourselves on.
The path that had climbed so steeply inevitably plunged down again to another river crossing, before a more gentle climb to the first night's accommodation - a tin roofed, open-sided hut with two lines of hammocks spread between the beams. These proved to be an aquired taste, with few of us sleeping particularly well. The next morning was a 6am start to a nearby swimming spot, under a waterfall! Behind the waterfall was a small cave it was possible to scramble into, but only by fighting through the raging (and freezing!) torrent pouring from above. The closest experience I had to compare it with was being hit in the face by the high pressure water pumped into the Royal Navy's Damage Repair Instructional Unit (DRIU).
Early morning dip at the waterfall. As you do.
We returned to the previous night's accommodation for breakfast before setting out on the second day's trek. Although nowhere near as steep as the previous day, most of the walk was spent ascending and descending, first across open countryside which afforded spectactular views of the Sierra Nevada, then into lush and verdant forest. Having moved at a good pace, just after 2 pm we reached the second night's accommodation, which was located on the bank of a river. We then spent the next few hours lounging on the boulders in the middle of the river, until the heavens opened and we called it a day. It also happened to be the birthday of one the Canadians in the group, as well as the Australians' wedding anniversary. We therefore proceeded to clear out the camp's stock of beer, and a good night was had by all.
The cultural dimension: indigenous children
The next morning we set out at around 8, passing through an indigenous village, our guide showing us coca leaves which the locals chew for an energy boost (they taste revolting!). After half an hour of following the fast-flowing river, we climbed a series of massive boulders to reach a wobbly rope bridge which spanned the 30m gap, above a perilous drop. Our guide also pointed out the small metal cage suspended from a single wire which ran alongside the bridge, explaining that until the bridge was built, everyone had to cross individually by pulling themselves from one side to the other, as was ably demonstrated by Jack, one of the Australians in our group.
They used to have to get mules across in this...
After more ascending and descending through dense forest, we reached a rest stop, replete with fresh oranges to feast on, before carrying on through one of the most picturesque parts of the trail which wound along the base of a hill through dense forest, past several machete-wielding locals, and crossing several small streams, before reaching another river crossing.
A contrast to the previous crossing!
Another half hour or so brought us to that night's campsite, again arriving around 2pm. As this campsite was also located on the banks of a river, we once again spent a relaxing few hours swimming, and watching some of the guides (successfully) fishing with no more than a pair of goggle and a sharpened piece of wire. The next morning (day 4) was our earliest start, with breakfast at 6am, and by 7 we started on the final push to "the Lost City". Again following and crossing the river, we came to the base of the 2000 roughly-cut (and steep) stone steps that lead from the river to the lower terraces of the city. These took about 45 minutes to ascend, and we all arrived at the top quite breathless.
La Ciudad Perdida - view from the highest terrace
Typical terraces - reclaimed by the jungle
The city itself is lush and beautiful, and rather mysterious, composed of around 17- terraces, which served as the circular foundation for round houses similar to those used by their modern-day descendents. Some 4000 people are thought to have lived there, but are thought to have disappeared some time following the Spanish conquest of the Americas (although they never reached the city). The city was “rediscovered” in the 1970 by a group of treasure-hunters. Originally the surrounding hillsides were cleared of jungle and cultivated as farmland, but after centuries of neglect the environment has reclaimed much of the city, hiding all but the highest terraces from view. Here, where the trees have been cut back, visitors are afforded spectacular views over the dramatic scenery that surrounds the city. On one side a valley of impenetrable jungle, on the other, a waterfall cascades down the side of a looming mountain.
Havin spent around 2 hours at the city, we began to make our way back. On the way, we encountered a group of soldiers from the Colombian army - until 3 years ago, the area was rife with guerilla activity, and it was not unknown for tourists on the trail to be abducted for ransom. Thankfully, things have improved significantly! By lunchtime we were back at the previous night's camp. We then spent the afternoon retracing our steps to the second night's camp.
The next morning we had to cover all the ground from the first two days if we wanted to make it in time for lunch at the shack the 4x4 had dropped us. Thanks to a ferocious pace set by the Canadians, we made it with enough time to spare for another trip to the swimming spot from the first day.
As a whole, the trek was an absolutely fantastic experience. Every aspect was well-organised, from the pick-up to the food and accommodation. There are several companies in Santa Marta that organise the trek, but they all offer the same service and charge the same amount (around $300). In my opinion this is well worth the price. We all agreed that it is currently a fantastic time to do this trek, as due to previous issues of safety and security, the number of people on the trail each day is still low - the guide told us about 70-80 during the peak periods, and it was far less when we did it. This means that the route itself is still remarkably unspoiled compared to many other toruist destinations of equal quality - in places the route is far from obvious, necesitating scrambling up rocks and across streams on a single log (one of the reasons tour operators recommend a good level of fitness for those doing the trek). As Colombia's tourism industry in rapidly growing, it is unlikely to remain so untrampelled for long without the same sort of controls present on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which strictly limits the number of daily visitors.
Typical "path" on the trail
The evening we got back from the trek, I decided to go to Taganga, the town where everyone else from my group was staying, as we would all be heading our separate ways the next day. My hostel, although well situated for excursions to the national park, was an hour's bus-ride from Santa Marta, from which it was then necessary to find a taxi for the 15 minute journey to Taganga, which is located in a small bay to the Northeast of Santa Marta. This was an experience itself, as it was 8 pm and night by the time I got off the bus in Santa Marta, without much of a clue as to where I was, and the only tourist to be seen (parts of Santa Marta are pretty bad for violent crime), and waiting for a specific taxi I had booked earlier. Thankfully, I made it to Taganga, and was able to spend an extremely enjoyable evening there. Taganga is definitely a tourist spot, as it seems like every second building is a hostel, but the "town" itself is tiny, with only one main street along the waterfront. It is known as a party town due to the large number of tourists passing through (most of whom are there to visit Tayrona) - the beer is cheap and the atmosphere lively. Best of all, the price of accommodation is half what I was paying in my hostel in the middle of nowhere, and a meal was a third the price.
After a night spent on a floor in a borrowed sleeping bag (courtesy of the Canadians who spared me the hour and a half journey back to my hostel in the early hours of the morning) the morning was spent having a lazy breakfast followed by a walk to the nearby Playa Grande ("Big Beach"). Bidding goodbye to my fellow trekkers, I then headed back to my hostel. The next morning, the owner of my hostel drove me the 5km to the entrance of the Tayrona National Park, where I would be spending the day.
One of several pristine beaches in Tayrona
Local wildlife, that I nearly trod on.
The National Park covers a huge area, and is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. As well as hikes through forests and over hills, it also offers arguably the best beaches in mainland Colombia. The park's $15 entrance charge, and its relatively remote location means it is not overun with visitors, it being possible to find whole beaches utterly deserted. Many visitors choose to camp several nights within the National Park, but I found a day pretty much sufficient to do the coastal walk. The inland trails take visitors to the remains of a town of the Tayrona people, but having just come from the "Lost City" I was told this was by no means as spectacular. Still, I passed an extremely pleasant day lounging on the beaches even though I'd have plenty more of that in the Caribbean!
Next time: San Andres and Providencia
