I've been hiking through tropical rainforest to reach Ciudad Perdida - The Lost City of the Tyrona people. Just how lost it was depends on your definition of the word. The city was build around 800AD and is believed to be the heart of a network of villages inhabited by the Tyronians. It was abandoned when the Spaniards arrived in South America and started killing everyone for their gold. The Tyronians fled and when the city was never found by the Spanish it was gradually reclaimed by the jungle. The city remained unknown to the outside world until grave robbers discovered it in 1972. After they looted a lot of the gold and started selling it on the black market, the authorities protected the site and opened it up to archeologists in 1975. However, the local tribes of the Arhuaco and the Kogui claimed that they had known about the city for many years, but had kept it a secret to protect it from the world.
From the mid-nineties to around 2005 it was difficult to visit the city as the ELN, FARC and AUC paramilitary groups occupied the region and kidnapped the odd tourist. The army now patrols the area and it is safe (ish) to make the 5-day trek. Our group of nine consisted of two American girls, an Aussie girl, a Dutch girl, a French couple and two Colombians.
We piled into the back of a truck from Santa Marta to the Sierra Nevada and started hiking at midday. The hike would have been easy, had it not been 40 degrees Celsius. The heat was so draining and we all found ourselves dripping with sweat after 30 minutes. Luckily, the hike follows a beautiful river, so each stop involved a dip in the sparkling, fast-flowing water to cool off.
Half the fun is getting there! The scenery is magical, and more diverse than I would of expected. On the first day the trail wormed its way through farmland and forest. There were mango trees with huge ripe fruits that you could pick right from the tree, lovely views across lush green grasslands and huge blue butterflies as big as a human head!
We spent the night in a hammock hut. This was not conducive to a good nights sleep. Apart from hearing every noise that everyone made (snoring, sleep talking, farting), I was so close to the people next to me that they would occasionally rock into me while moving around in their sleep. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were beautiful Colombian women but I was in between a fat 50 year-old German guy and a Frenchman.
The next day the scenery got really rainforesty. Mango trees were replaced with banana palms and the trees that shaded the swimming holes were covered in huge hanging vines, straight out of a Tarzan movie.
This was the day I saw my first snake - and wished I didn't. Out guide was pointing to something as I came down the hill behind him, what is it?, I asked. A snake, its under that rock, he replied. I stared for ages but I couldn't see it for the life of me. I asked him again where exactly it was sitting and he told me to wait one second while he went to get something. He returned with a big stick and before I knew what was going on he started battering something under the rock. He triumphantly presented the snake, with its head caved in, for the group to see. We were horrified - not exactly eco-tourism. I pretended to see everything else he pointed out to me from that point on.
I also saw one of the surprising sights I've ever seen - a butterfly with the number 89 on its wings! This is just a natural marking and I couldn't believe something would evolve like that. This butterfly has gone straight in at #1 in my list of top ten butterflies of all time.
The next day was Ciudad Perdida day! We first had to wade across the river, waist deep, to arrive at the bottom of the 1,200 stone steps leading to the city walls.
The forest was really thick here, blocking out most the light, and I felt like Indiana Jones on a quest for some lost treasure!
The city is covered in deep green moss, vine-covered trees, and large tree roots cover the forest floor. There are many circular terraces on which houses used to stand. The terraces are connected by a maze of stone steps and get larger and grander as you work your way up the mountainside.
We had a break in the army camp and chatted to the troops. They all looked a bit bored to me - nothing much goes on these days - and seemed to be glad to chat to people who came to see the city. The final stop was a dip in the fountain of youth, another part of the river that flows through the city. It was so cold that I thought I was going to die instead. But, since I lived, I once again have the youthfulness of an 18-year-old. Fact.
On the way out we saw a huge stone with carvings on it. It is thought that this is a map of the entire region, with mountains, trails and rivers clearly marked. Not bad work without Google Earth.
On the way back we visited a village of the Kogui people. Interesting facts:
- they still live in the traditional Tyronian circular houses
- women live in different huts to the men
- they only have sex to have children (its not supposed to be fun)
- the women do all the work while the men get high, eat fruits and contemplate the problems of life
I guess it has its plusses and minuses...
I now have about 6,000 mosquito bites but what a great trip! Next up is some diving, then I'm going in search of some deserted beaches. Here are some more pics from the trip.
A huge old tree gives way to a large tropical storm.
Vines over a swimming hole. I tried swinging on them, Tarzan style. They all broke and I fell in the river, much to everyone's amusement. Tarzan must have weighed about 25kg.
The Sierra Nevada as the sun goes down.
The last steps up to the grand temple in the Lost City.
Looking up to the top of the Lost City - with a bonus waterfall thrown in!
A huge hairy caterpillar - even this was poisonous!
The kings chair!
Ants working together to carry dinner home.
Huge green rocks that would have become part of the city.
Another great view on the way home...
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