This adventure is all about discovery - discovering the Lost City and Colombia’s unparalleled biodiversity. It goes from Colombia’s colorful city of Cartagena, to the lush, green jungles and sacred lands of the Sierra Nevada, to the sandy beaches of the crystal clear Caribbean Sea! Each day we’ll uncover a new and exciting side of Colombia. Please thoroughly read the Daily Breakdown to get the full scoop on all you can expect on this adventure of a lifetime!

We rated our Colombia Lost City trip a 4 out of 5 on the WHOA Adventure difficulty scale because you’re hiking through the jungle where it is hot, and trail conditions can be muddy and unpredictable. Along the hike you will also be sleeping in open air encampamentos in hammocks.

The most demanding part of this adventure takes you deep into a lush tropical jungle, where you'll experience intense heat, high humidity and Mother Nature at her wildest and awesomest. (Luckily, there will be waterfalls to cool off under!) Prepare for challenging terrain, including steep stairways (there are plenty!), muddy and slippery surfaces, and narrow jungle paths littered with roots and rocks.

While we'll be visiting during the dry season, occasional rain showers are still a given—so pack a good rain layer and embrace the adventure when the skies open up. With the combination of rain and humidity, expect to be wet often, and note that your clothes likely won’t dry overnight. Check out our Ultimate Colombia Packing List to make sure you’re ready for it all, from bugs to beaches. And remember, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong gear!

This adventure is packed full of hiking and exploring, so plan on being on your feet and in the elements a lot more than you normally are. As with all WHOA Adventures, the better trained you are, the more enjoyable your experience will be! Stay active, train on hiking trails as often as you can (remember to train for the uphill AND downhill), and start breaking in your hiking shoes ASAP.

We plan our adventures with most of the logistics taken care of, so you can focus on lacing up your hiking shoes and being your best adventure self! Here’s a complete list of everything that’s included, and what’s not.

INCLUDED:

• Airport Transfers to/from Cartagena Airpot (CTG)

• All local transportation to/from all activities mentioned in the Daily Breakdown

• 5 nights in hotels + 3 nights in campamentos (double occupancy in hotels/shared in campsites)

• All meals listed as included in the Daily Breakdown

• Passionate WHOA GAL (Group Adventure Leader) to make sure you feel mentally and physically prepared leading up to and during your adventure

• Experienced and passionate bilingual guides for Lost City Trek and all activities as outlined in Daily Breakdown

• All activities and entrance fees mentioned in Daily Breakdown (unless otherwise noted)

• Tips for your incredible guides and crew

• Support from the WHOA team to make sure you feel mentally and physically prepared leading up to and during your adventure!

• 1% for the planet, as in 1% of what you pay goes towards grassroots environmental groups making a difference in their local communities

• Offsetting of this trip’s negative impact on the environment and carbon footprint, from the transportation to lodging to meals*

NOT INCLUDED:

• Flights

• Personal Gear

• Travel Insurance (mandatory)

• Pick-up at airport if outside of designated time

• Additional food and drinks not mentioned as included

• Additional Tips
  

*For our carbon offsetting, we do our best to crunch the numbers and accurately calculate the carbon footprint the best we can with the information that we have. It’s not a perfect system and carbon offsetting isn’t an exact science, but we believe it’s more important to take action now, in every way that we can. All our offsetting programs are certified by our partners at Sustainable Travel International. At the moment, our traveler’s international airfare to the destination is beyond our scope, and not included. Flights are the largest carbon emitter on most of our adventures, so we encourage all our travelers to consider doing it independently through the airline or with our partners at STI.

Welcome to Cartagena! The WHOA team will greet you at the Cartagena airport, and in the evening we’ll enjoy one of our special WHOA Welcome Dinners together and get briefed on the amazing adventure ahead!

Included Meals: Welcome Dinner
Stay: Nacar Hotel or similar
Arrival Logistics: Arrive Cartagena International Airport (CTG) by 3PM

Mid-morning we'll hop in our ride and start our road trip to the port city of Santa Marta. After settling into the hotel, we'll have some free time to stroll around the historic center of the city and prepare for the trek. In the evening, we'll meet our hiking guides for dinner and have our briefing for the Lost City Trek!

Driving Time: 5+ hours
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina or similar

We’ll leave our hotel bright and early in order to reach Machete Pelao, the trailhead for our out and back hike. Today’s hike takes us into the jungle of the Sierra Nevada mountains to our first Campamento of the trek where we’ll spend the night.

Hiking Distance: ~ 5 mi / 8 km
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: Camp 1

On day 2 of our trek, we’ll continue into the jungle along the Buritaca River, pass by a traditional Kogui village and learn about the indigenous culture. In the evening we’ll rock ourselves to sleep in hammocks at Camp Paraiso.

Hiking Distance: ~ 9.5 mi / 15 km
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: Camp Paraiso

Today we’ll rise bright and early to climb the 1200 stone steps up to La Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City! Once at the Lost City we’ll have a couple of hours to explore, learn and imagine how this site was used over 1000 years ago and is believed to be only 10% uncovered. Afterwards, we’ll retrace our steps to Camp Paraiso for lunch and then will make our way to Camp Mumake for the night and we’ll spend our last night on the trail together!

Hiking Distance: ~ 7.5 mi / 12 km
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Stay: Camp Mumake

Today we’ll continue our way back to Camp 1, and onward to Machete Palao—our original starting point. From here we will be transferred to beautiful Palomino, where we’ll rest in an eco lodge next to the beach, enjoy some tasty and much deserved cocktails!

Hiking Distance: ~ 10 mi / 16 km
Driving Time: 1+ hours
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Stay: Aite Eco Hotel or similar

Around 8 AM we’ll head back to Cartagena to say our “see you laters.” You can book your flights home or on to your next stop after 8 PM.

Driving Time: 5+ hours
Included Meals: Breakfast

Itinerary subject to change based on availability and unforeseen conditions, but that's part of the adventure! Even when things change, trust you'll be well taken care of with WHOA quality, professionalism, and TLC!

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Here at WHOA, we strive to make everything we do sustainable and of true value to our partners. For that reason, our itineraries and partnerships can vary depending on the season, organization's needs, and the abilities and desires of our group. We do our best to seek out local partners that are thoughtful and sustainable, and we work closely with them to understand their needs to create an experience that will truly be of value to everyone involved.