-
AbracadabraEngland
Practical advice in this review, others describe the benefits and features.We did five days with Magic Tours. Guide Roderigo had been part of the original archaeological dig, guide Nicholas was equally as enthusiastic, supportive and capable as a leader. Neither speak English, we had three in our group who could translate and made the trip very successful.Bags are tied to the top of the jeep and are covered in dust on arrival in Machete Puerto. Keep your valuables with you. It is a rough ride on reasonable dirt road.Footwear, take hiking boots and a pair of flip flops. Five changes of socks. However it is possible to wash things, there are masses of drying lines at every camp. You will need to change into other tops, trousers and underwear in the evenings. Long trousers and mossie repellent needed, I trekked very comfortably in shorts. You can trek in sandals or trainers if the trail is dry. Any water, rain or cloud precipitation will turn the steep inclines into treacherous heater shelters, the gradients are steep at times. Try to avoid the wet season both to improve underfoot traction and reduce mossie infestation.The camps are spread out evenly over the trail. All are heavily used, work well with the large numbers and offer very basic facilities. To there credit, the toilets appear to be cleaned twice daily, the sheets and blankets not so often. The beds smell of sweat, and try to grab a fresh smelling blanket. Take a sleeping bag liner and pillow case to sleep in and on. The mossie nets are in reasonable condition, but I took a roll of tape to repair holes which I shared round the group. Foo was good, wholesome and basic. Snacks and fruit very good. Plenty of drink offered at the camps, and beer at 5000 per can.We met one group of 70 coming back down the trail, all the camps were full in both directions, and arrangements with hammocks put in place. Yet I seemed to be able to walk either with my group or alone as I chose. However the camps are very busy. We took off for the city at 4.30 am on day four. We were ahead of everyone else, had the site to ourselves for a while and enjoyed a cool approach. Roderigo took us places on our tour that other guides didn't go, he was fascinating to listen to.Returning in just under two days was very straightforward, back in Sante Marta by five pm on day five.Swimming. You can shower at every camp. Apart from the first high 'hammock' camp there is a river to swim in and freshen up. Also 20 mins into the walk is the best swimming hole, you will stop there for a dip if you want. I swam every day and it was just the ticket.We had no rain. I took a collapsible umbrella, but no jacket. It could get cold in the rain, maybe grab a blanket if you need to. Otherwise an extra layer. The hammock on night one was cold, the other nights on beds just right for me with one blanket.Carry your own first aid, blisters, insect bites and stomach problems. Three of our group got sick and diarrhoea problems, paracetamol and I'm modicum did fine. The guides have a good first aid kit, and we're very supportive when one of the group was very sick one night. This is a designated malarial area, the guides say no malaria, probably best not to take the chance. Remember your hand gel. I shaved every day, the girls all washed their hair etc.Compared to the Machu Pichu trail the trek isn't quite as polished and regulated, accommodation and food not quite up to that standard. More like a Nepal tea house trek.Tipping is always a nightmare, in Nepal it is war! My wife and I gave Roderigo 50,000 cop, our two friends the same. Others didn't, but then we are flash packers. I have no idea if this was a sensible amount or not, however, Roderigo seem very pleased and thanked us.A rainy, wet trek would be less attractive. A through route would help YH logistics but make the trek longer. English speaking guides would be nice, but at no point were we excluded. One of the highlights, but, have you been to Nabusimake yet?
-
116jensr
... for a well motivated but insufficiently trained couple in their forties. I had heard about Ciudad Perdida during a stay in Colombia about 20 years ago and got excited about seeing this magical site for myself. Due to internal hostilities (aka Civil War) it was not really possible at that time, but I kept it in mind and returned 20 years later with my wife.I do not want to repeat descriptions about the natural beauty of the scenery as there are so many good descriptions and photos in the net. Instead I would just like to point out that this trip is indeed physically challenging especially for those that have left the age of youth. The path through the jungle is not a paved way to make it easy for lazy western tourists. Expect uneven terrain with segments where you have to climb uphill for at least an hour or so, muddy conditions due to frequent rain showers and, of course, the unavoidable army of mosquito's. Why to go through all this? Because of the unparalleled beauty of the nature, the desire of proofing to yourself that you can still do it, the delight of being part of a wonderful group of people ...I would like to thank the team from Expotur. Camacho who led the trip, his wife Adriana, our translator Javier and the cook (shame on me that I forget his name, but not the food which was beyond expectations). You guys really made a difference. Especially in the first two days I thought several times about giving up. I owe it to you that I didn't.Thank you! Great job!Jens and Nelly
-
maticb
We took this trip with Expotur and really enjoyed it. We asked for an english speaking guide and they were the only one who could get one. The guide Miguel was awesome, his english was ok, especially considering our fears after reading other reviews. I recommend you ask for him. He was very knowledgable, funny and always in a good mood. The tour was amezing, just like other reviews say. The size of the Lost city surprised us. I dislike mosquitos very much so I was very happy to have a good repellent with me. Still, couldn't avoid a few bites but you have to know you were in a jungle right? :-)
-
C2319FH_
It all started on my first night in Colombia, when one of the agency's marketing men came to our hostel to present the trek. The guy's name was Miller and he really made us passionate about signing up for the trek and promised us (among other things) an English translator. The next morning the jeep came to pick us up, we met our guide, Nelson (terrific!) but to my great disappointment, there was no translator. We were lucky to have on the group two people that understood both languages, but if they were not there, the trek would have been significantly taking a turn for the worst. In any case Nelson spoke slow and clear so that even I understood most of what he explained, and he was very knowledgable and friendly and gave us great service.Anyway, about the trek itself I do not have a lot to add other than other reviewers, I am really glad that even though I had only 16 days in Colombia I spent 5 of them trekking to the lost city, at first I was going for the four days but on the third day I decided to extend to five because I wanted to have more fun and walk in a more relaxed manner. Note that the first three days are the same and the difference is the 4th day which is (if you go for the five) divided into two. Food & accommodation were well beyond my expectations, paid 700000 cop (payable also by credit card if you go to their office in SM, and got a free night at their (pretty lousy) "hostel miramar". Overall, highly recc.Tip: if you like a little booze, bring a small bottle of rum/ aquardiente.
-
presh2015
Amazing ! Best adventure I have ever done with my Partner, although this is a very very hard Trek the reward is outstanding ! We chose WIWA tours and we had an outstanding tour guide "Lorenzo". Make sure to bring enough socks and change of clothing as you will DEFINATELY need ! The meals are authentic and tasty always a great water supply. WIWA did a great job of having only 10 people in our group which is much better for a good experience, other tour companies had almost 15-20 people in one group. The lost city is mysterious and amazing at the same time, quiet a trek to get there but always worth the view, all I can say is enjoy !
-
steali2014
The trek itself was fantastic. The Lost City is itself worth it, but the scenery along the way and all the swimming holes were just as rewarding. Yes, it is very challenging. Even though we were both fit and seasoned hikers, our feet and knees were quite sore by the end. As others have said, the accommodation is basic, but it was still better than what I expected. Toilets, showers, and beds in the middle of a jungle are definitely a luxury. Not to mention hot cooked meals and fresh juice.We traveled in a group of twelve with Expotur. Wilson was our English-speaking guide. There were about five other tour groups with other companies traveling alongside us and staying in the same camps. It seemed that all companies offer more or less the same experience, but we did notice that other groups tended to have better meals and they were served more promptly. It was never clear at the camps which group slept where, so that led to unnecessary chaos every evening. Our guide was knowledgeable about the Lost City itself and gave us some information about the indigenous groups along the way, but it would have been even better if Expotur made this a true 'eco-tour' with information about the natural landscape as well.
-
528dylanb
I hiked the 5 day tour via Expotur, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I was lucky to be in a group with people who were friendly, everyone seemed to get along well in the group (upon hearing we would have 15 in our group I was a little worried it would be too big, but it was great). Our group was guided by Sixto and I thought he was fabulous, especially after hearing about other people talking about their guides. Every night before the group went to bed, Sixto would get us together and give us a quick walkthrough on what the next day would look like (trail difficulty, break and food times, about how long it should take). Some other people on the trip (with a different tour group), told us that they had no clue what they were doing each day and that it was like pulling teeth to get answers from their guide. When we got to the Lost City, Sixto was knowledgable about the original history of the place and of the modern history of the area. I was very happy with my experience at the Lost City and with Sixto and Expotur. My one word of caution to people who might be interested - this was not an easy trail. Much of the hiking is pretty steep incline or decline. Expotur doesn't have gear you can rent, but I would have rented trekking poles (or brought my own) if I could have. Really consider your level of physical fitness before committing to this trek, there were several people - some in our group and some in others - who really struggled to complete the hike. And when you are exhausted on trail, the risk of injury goes up and you might end up hiring a donkey to carry you out (this happened to a person while I was hiking). Lastly, 5 days is easier than 4 days. It's the same distance but with an extra stop, so if you've got the time to do 5 I would reccomend that.
-
59mariao
In january 2015, I went to the Lost city with my friends. We did the tour with Expotur and the guide SIXTO, who was an excellent guide, knows a lot from the region, the Lost city, the Indians, the birds, etc.It was an amazing experience for four days full of nature.
-
Kmarieroberts
I just completed the Lost City treck and had an amazing experience! While the treck wad definitely more of a challenge than I had anticipated, I still felt that I was able to relax and take in the incredible journey. Much of this is thanks to our incredible guide, Sixto. He made sure we were always prepared for what was to come and was very accommodating. He is amiable and always in high spirits. Expotur in general was wonderful. We always went to bed very full and had delicious fruit to snack on while hiking. Definitely bring swimwear and extra cash. There is no better feeling than swimming in the river and enjoying a beer after a long day of hiking! I also recommend taking 5 days to complete the treck. This gives you more time to enjoy the beautiful scenery since you split the return trip into 2 days.Happy trails!
-
zeljkab2014
Amazing experience. We went for a 5 day tour hike to visit Lost city and spend our New Year's eve there. I choose Turcol Tour and I liked it since we were quite a small group in comparison to other tours. We had 2 guides, both Spanish speaking. Trek is a bit hard and be prepared to get dirty, wet and smelly. End of December is a dry season so even the river crossings were not so high which was good. It was great experience to have a spiritual reflection with Shaman on the New Year's eve in the secret place The lost city.
