by Michelle Nelson
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| The trail used by westerners to hike to Ciudad Perida is also traveled by the local indigenous people |
What could be more interesting than hiking through the jungle for 5 days to visit an abandoned city that was built some 400 years before Machu Pichu and on the way learn about some of the few remaining indigenous cultures who live according to their traditional ways.
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| Starting off on our hike from Machete in the Santa Marta Mountains
The hike description described the trail as very strenuous with steep inclines, muddyslippery trails and very hot and humid weather. Add mule trains bringing supplies to the camps to the mix and it becomes a bit adventourous... but more on the mules later.
 We are all packed and ready to go... and still clean 
We signed up to do the tour with the Expotour company as they reportedly were the organization which respected the privacy of the local populations and hired native guides who were well paid and insured.
 Views
The Sierra Nevada Santa Marta is beautiful, with many rivers to cross and high peaks up to 5000m. Unfortunately, it rains a lot so we did not see the peaks of mountains very often.
  Slip, sliding away
As we were leaving Machete, hikers returning from the jungle warned us that the trail was extremely muddy and we would need to find a large hiking stick to keep from landing in the mud.
Other hikers in our group of 12 had professional hiking poles but it still did not keep them from sliding down the hill. Hiking on this red clay which was wet and mixed with donkey poop requires special skill. Needless to say, after day one we were all covered with mud and everyone had slipped and landed in the mud at least once.
In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle the lion sleeps tonight
Though we did not see any lions, the jungle is home to small monkeys, toucans, load of butterflies and some very big trees. That is my scientific description.... very big trees and pretty flowers.
And beautiful flowers...
 Hikers Paradise
Our trek was 4 days long and we sleep 3 nights in camps which were located on the reservation. The camps were open air with a moscito net over every bed and sheets that are changed once or twice a season... At least that is what I was told. After our very long and exhausting hikes. They looked and felt like a luxury hotel.
  
No electricity at camp so we had dinner by romantic candlelight
Villages
The further we got into the mountains the more indigenous people and villages we saw. One of the tribes that live in these mountains is the Kogi. Amazingly, they have maintained their culture and preserved their traditional way of life. They reminded me of the Amish people in North America. They come into contact with westerners on a regular basis but still choose to live as their forefathers did.
   1400 Steps up
The final challenge to get to the Lost City is to climb 1400 slippery and moss covered steps.
It is worth every step: the ciudad perdida lives up to all expectations.
When we arrived at the top, our guide played the harmonica. The fog and the music made a special atmosphere and you could feel the many people who had lived and died on this mountain top.
  Blessings from the Mama
Our guide knew the Mama(Priest) of the Kogi tribe who was currently living in the Lost city and we were invited to pay him a short visit. We were allowed to ask him 3 questions and he gave us blessed beaded armbands for health and safety.
Here is Uli getting his blessed bracelet.
 
This is the house the Mama lives in
Close Call
I estimated about 100 people in the camp on the last night before we mounted the 1400 steps to the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City). In order to feed all these hikers, mule trains are used to pack in the food and out the trash.
 
Often on the trail, you would have to quickly get out of the way when one mule or even a whole mule train came by. The mules were in a hurry as they knew, the sooner they got to the camp they would be unloaded.
On the last day of our trek, we came around a corner at a part of the trail where there was nowhere to get out of the way. I stood to the right hand side and was knocked right off the trail by a mule who decided to pass another mule. I fell at least 5 or six meters down the mountainside until I knocked into a shrub. This was bad news as I got the wind knocked out of me, was in pain and still had to either walk or ride said mule out of the mountains.
My new favourite food is DONKEY SALAMI.
Adios und Muchas Gracias
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