Day 1: Santa Marta to El Mamey to Adán Camp
- Start Point: Santa Marta, 9:00 a.m.
- Drive Time: 2.5 hours (4×4 ride to El Mamey)
- Hiking Distance: 10 km / 4 hours
- Overnight: Adán Camp
On the first morning of your Lost City Trekking Colombia adventure, a van will arrive at your Santa Marta hotel at 6:30 AM to carry you and any excess luggage to the Expotur office in town. After settling in and stowing what you won’t need, you’ll set off in a rugged 4×4 at 9:00 AM for the 2½-hour drive to El Mamey, the gateway to the trek.
By late morning you’ll enjoy a warm, traditional Colombian lunch before tightening your packs and beginning the roughly 10 km hike through sun-dappled forest and open terrain. As the afternoon stretches on, you’ll arrive at Adán Camp around 4:30 PM, where a cool dip in a natural pool and a hearty dinner await beneath the jungle canopy.
Day 2: Adán Camp to Mutanzhi to Mumake Camp
- Wake-up Time: 5:00 a.m.
- Hiking Distance: 18 km total
- Highlights: Indigenous village of Mutanzhi
- Overnight: Mumake Camp
Day two greets you at 5:00 AM with the gentle call of the rainforest. After breakfast you’ll plunge deeper into the Buritaca River valley, trekking for about four hours until you reach the indigenous Kogui village of Mutanzhi. Here, your local guide will introduce you to centuries-old customs, traditional dress, and the ancestral wisdom of Tayrona descendants.
A midday break restores your energy before you press on through lush jungle trails, covering about 18 km in total, until you emerge at Mumake Camp by late afternoon. As night falls, swap stories with fellow trekkers over dinner and fall asleep to the chorus of nocturnal creatures.
Day 3: Ascent to Ciudad Perdida (Lost City Colombia)
- Distance: 4 km to Lost City Tayrona + return trek
- Steps: 1.200 stone steps built by the Tayronas
- Visit Duration: 3 hours exploring the site
- Overnight: Return to Mumake Camp
Your third day begins at dawn with a quick breakfast, after which you’ll leave your main pack behind and carry only essentials on the 4 km journey to the Lost City’s entrance. The real challenge lies in the ascent of 1,200 moss-covered stone steps carved by the Tayrona people centuries ago.
Emerging onto the terraces and plazas of Ciudad Perdida just as the morning light filters through the mist, you’ll spend around three hours exploring its circular stone structures and learning about its spiritual significance. After descending to Paso Lorenzo for a well-earned lunch, you’ll retrace ten kilometers of jungle path back to Mumake Camp, arriving in the late afternoon for a final evening under the stars.
Day 4: Return Trek to El Mamey and Santa Marta
- Total Distance: 18 km
- Terrain: Jungle and open trail
- Return Time: Between 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. in Santa Marta
- End Point: Santa Marta (main office or hotel drop-off)
On the fourth and final day, a 6:30 AM breakfast readies you for the approximately 18 km return trek toward El Mamey, a journey of roughly six and a half hours through shifting terrain of dense forest and open trail. By around 2:00 PM you’ll arrive back at El Mamey for a celebratory lunch, recounting highlights of the journey with your guides and new friends.
