Tayrona National Park, Colombia

Tayrona National Park is one of Colombia's most sought after destinations for backpackers and locals alike and with its pristine beaches, beautiful weather and jungle atmosphere its not hard to see why. From the town of Santa Marta, a seaside town only 34km away, you can take a local bus along the highway and get dropped off at the ticket office in El Zaino. Another option is to visit straight after a Lost City trek and just get the driver to drop you off at the booth on the way back to town.

This was the decision myself and a friend made, we were already soaked from rain and sweat and our clothes and general being were pretty horrifying so after four days of trekking we were pretty warmed up and ready for more.

After getting dropped off on the main road in the early afternoon, we had another congratulatory beer for our hiking endeavours before heading to the ticket office. Costs for foreigners are only a little more than locals which is a nice change but just before you get there you get your bags searched by police, not fond of drugs but for some other reason they are keen on taking your spirits off you, feeling bad for the poor buggers who lost out on their Johnny Walker whisky. Sure those guards will take good care of it though.

Once you have your ticket which consists of a wrist band and a receipt the length of your arm including all of your name and passport number, your options are to either walk an hour uphill to Cañaveral or wait for the bus to come and pick you up for 2000 pesos (60p). Think Ill just wait.

Not much to do at Cañaveral other than to get your bearings and start walking to Arrecifes, the first place along the trail worth staying at or at least visiting. The walk takes around an hour or so and is pretty easy, most of it is boardwalk with only elements of bouldering which actually takes you a little higher and gives beautiful views out into the ocean. 

Again, not a whole lot going on at Arrecifes but with the light fading and neither of us having lights we were pretty limited in our options. A couple restaurants aside and a nice long beach with a dangerous riptide, there's not much to do here but considering how knackered we were it was probably for the best. 

Tents are available for rent but hammocks are much cheaper at 12000 pesos. They come with a mozzie net but I cant say mine was quite up to scratch, waking up with 21 bites on just my left knee cap might just confirm this. Oh, and some numpty had my travel towel away, can't seem to hold on to anything here in the jungle as kept losing stuff on the Lost City trek too. Why couldn't they just take my sweaty, stinky Colombia top off my hands instead?

By this stage our body clocks were used to being up by 7am so we were up, breakfasted and ready to leave by 9, no need to be too hasty. We continued along the path but it soon became apparent that the path that lead parallel to the beach was having a massive laugh at our expense so the easiest way to navigate yourself is to just walk along the beach itself.

Within half an hour you'll find yourself at La Piscina, a stretch of beach where it is possible to enter the water as the rocks further out to sea contain the swell and current. Finally able to get in the water, I dived in and savoured the cool water on my body, only when I stood up for air I stamped on something sharp and immediately my foot started cramping and my whole leg experienced horrible pain.

Managed to hobble out of the water and after some quick deliberation we decided it might be best to find a local to have a gander at it so while Tom got help I laid out in the sun trying not to think about what it could be, bloody sea monsters. After a quick assessment some random local had it figured and came back with some soupy green, seedy concoction for me to drink, assuring us it was an antidote for the serpiente, not sure it was a snake though, surely it was much bigger. Quite possibly the most horrendous thing i have ever drunk but after 20 minutes of leg palpitations the pain went and within an hour I could walk again. Success, although we didn't fancy getting back in the water here.

Another 30 minutes down the road is Cabo San Juan, where we actually wanted to get to the night before. There's a little more going on here compared to Arrecifes with more places to stay and a restaurant in the centre with ample room to host plenty of people in the after hours, not only that but right on the door step are two beautiful beaches separated by a rocky outcrop where the sand is perfect, and you can go in the water and swim about a bit. Throwing caution to the wind and feeling a little crazy, I thought I would treat myself to a dip. Did I mention it is blazing hot in the tropics.

After some more average yet extortionately priced food, get used to that in the park, we headed up the trail which would take us to Pueblito, another old city in a similar vain to the Lost City we had just hiked to. Not as grand per see but meant to be worth a look. The walk is pretty tough with the bulk of it traversing boulders and all of it uphill, there are no refreshment stands along the way so bring enough water as it is pretty gruelling in the heat.

Once we gained the city, I can honestly say we were a little disappointed in what we saw. Besdies from a couple of old looking walls there was nothing to suggest that ancient civilisations may have once lived here, it was just a well maintained clearing in the jungle. From here to the main road was another two hours with the first being brutally uphill and just as we were about to lose all hope of some downhill action, the incline subsided and became a manageable descent. At the end of the trail, you come directly out to the main road from where it is possible to then catch a bus heading towards Santa Marta, and most importantly, a shower and a proper bed.  

Ciudad Perdida: The Lost City in Colombia

Deep in the jungle just off the northern Caribbean coastline of Colombia lies one of it's once hidden treasures, Ciudad Perdida, or in English, The Lost City. It was found in 1972 by grave robbers, but interest in it from archaeologists didn't peak until 1976 when the city's gold relics started to hit the black market. To  get to this Lost City you have to go on a four to six day trek, with the four day one being far more rigorous as each day constitutes at least six hours walking constantly up and downhill.

There are plenty of tour operators around offering the same deal and all at the same price which has pretty much been set now. You can't do this trek on your own steam though, you need to do it through an agency. If you just turned up, the first army check point you come to will just deny you entry so you'll have made your way to the entrance for nothing.

Tours include food, water and a guide who is unlikely to speak any English whatsoever, if you were to get an English speaking guide I would consider that a massive bonus. Four, five and six day treks all cost the same, so depending on your time constraints or whether you want to challenge yourself or not, you can take the full on four day walk or the more relaxing six day walk. The result is the same, you still walk the same 44km return trek and make it to the Lost City early in the morning.

The six day trek is essentially three days up and three days down at a steady pace, if you have the time it is almost worth doing as it isn't half as difficult and you pay the same as you would for four days anyway, so you can look at it as an efficient way of spending money on accommodation for example. The four day trek is much more hands on and you need to put your head down and get your sweat on.

It's the usual drill to start things off, pick up at the hostel and waste a couple of hours getting people together and a general sense of what is happening. Once the jeeps are loaded, it's a two to three hour drive to the park entrance, half on tarmac and half on a bumpy road winding through the jungle at the slowest pace possible. Lunch is served and as is always the way with these tours, introductions are made and people start to the get to know each other.

The first day is about six hours long and sets the tone for the following three days. This isn't one of those treks where you go steadily up, reach a target and then come back down. The way undulates constantly and not much elevation is ever really gained, it's not until we got there that I found out the Lost City is only at 1200m.

There are small rivers to cross by stepping across the stones, open fields where you are exposed to the elements and close heat and humidity when you  walk along the jungle paths, at which stage you will be dripping wet regardless of the weather.One thing you need on this trek is water, and lots of it, because you will sweat an inordinate amount. Now is probably also a good time to mention that you should have one set of clean and dry clothes for the evenings to change into, keeping these dry and staving off mozzies should be your main goal at night, besides finding rum in the jungle. It's always available though.

On the second day you'll be tempted to put on fresh clothes as your clothing from the previous day will remarkably be wetter than what it was when you took it off, this is a mistake however. I always over pack anyway, so I happily had two sets of dry clothes at this stage so I decided to put one of those on in the hope my wet clothes from the first day would dry, futile to say the least. Within an hour these once dry and clean clothes were a mess and sadly never to recover.

Progress is similar to the first day, hot and sweaty work with more rivers to fjord and steeper steps as you slowly make your way further into the jungle and away from the coast. On a five or six day hike you would only walk three hours but that's just pointless so it's another six hour day to the next campsite, the only difference here is the river is close enough for you to hop into and relax in at the end, provided you can handle the cold. However, after a day of sweating and walking through this humidity, the cold flowing water is nothing but bliss.

By this stage you are getting used to the early morning wake up calls which is just as well as it's another one on the third day, only this time you get to leave your bags behind as it's pretty much a straight shot to the Lost City from here, just water and a camera needed.

The walk isn't too long, with only one river to cross where the water comes up to waist height so once again, keep your wets on. From there after you follow the bank for a short while until you come to the staircase that leads all the way up to the city. There are some 1200 steps to navigate here so it's pretty much head down and grit your teeth as your body slowly wakes up as you traverse this steep and winding stairwell. It's usually pretty wet here so be careful and watch your step.

At the top, the city itself isn't all that impressive, there are 169 terraces in total but only the stone foundations remain, at most, on any of them. The jungle surrounds the city entirely until you walk up over a rise and the city opens up around you and you can see nothing but the sky and terraces ahead of you. Locals of the Kogui tribe still live in huts around the city, so don't be surprised if you see some indigenous folk up here as you meander around the grounds.

This trek is pretty much a cul-de-sac so once you have finished looking around the city, it is back the way you came, the whole way. Coming down isn't as easy as you wish, as the trail bobs up and down the whole way, some of the stretches on the way back are pretty steep and you wonder how you don't remember them on the way through the jungle. For the remainder of the third and the morning of the fourth day, it is pretty much a straight shot back to the start.

Even though this is a tough and sweaty slog, it is definitely worth the effort. The actual city at the top won't blow you away but the walk through the jungle itself is different to any other I have done and comes with its own rewards. A tad pricy for what it is and not enough food for me, but other than that well worth it if you have the time whilst visiting the Caribbean coast of Colombia.