Our last stop in Colombia was Santa Marta, a city 4 hours east of Cartagena along the Caribbean coast. Santa Marta itself wasn’t very special, although we did manage to find a restaurant that served probably the cheapest and tastiest juices in all of South America! Every day we would have at least a few of our favourites: mora (blackberry), maracuya (passionfruit), mango, lulo (a local fruit that is unlike anything I have ever tasted before), and pineapple. This is one of the things that I am really going to miss about South America.
From Santa Marta we embarked on a five day journey to the Ciudad Perdida—the lost city of the Tayronan people; indigenous people of the area who have been there since pre-colonial times. The trek was an adventure and an absolute test! To reach the lost city, we spent three days hiking through jungle, wading through rivers, slipping up and down muddy banks, and climbing stairs. After reaching the city, we had to turn around and spent two more days doing it all over again! It was both mentally and physically challenging, but that just added to the experience.
The adventure started within minutes of the trek’s beginning. In the jungle near Santa Marta it rains like clockwork nearly every day at 2pm. For most days of the trek, we started hiking early in the morning so that we could finish before the torrential afternoon rains came. However, on day one we started the hike in the afternoon and got caught in the middle of one of the most intense rain showers of my life. They call it rainforest for a reason. The downpour lasted at least an hour and didn’t let up once during that time. Our bags were inside garbage bags but the rain managed to find a way in and they got completely soaked. Within ten minutes we were all soaked from head to toe. I felt wetter than I do when I take a shower! We came to a river about 20 minutes in and crossed it in our shoes. This was the moment when we abandoned any sort of hope of staying dry and stopped caring about the fact that we were wet. We crossed a few more small rivers and then came to a big river that was flowing fast due to all of the runoff. Part of our group crossed, but the water levels were increasing incredibly fast, making it more dangerous for each successive person. Our excellent guides, Walter and Gabriel, took Minju’s hands and attempted to guide her across the stream. I could see the river take her body almost immediately and it was clear that she had no control. Up to this point I had been calm about the whole situation, but at this point I had the epiphany that what we were doing was potentially life-threatening. The guides decided it was too dangerous to cross and we decided to wait it out. We had to wait for the rain to stop, for the water levels to stop rising and then for it to drop down again. It was amazing how quickly the water level changed. Within about an hour the height of the river fluctuated by about 4 feet. Once the rain stopped and the water dropped we resumed the crossing, this time with the help of a rope. The guys walked across using the rope and the girls went on Gabriel’s back, essentially hanging on for dear life. The current was intense and I was shocked at how tough it was to move in the river. The guides definitely make it look easy. There were some tense moments, but the whole group made it across fine. We spent the rest of the day attempting to stay upright as we slipped our way along the muddy paths. It was a relief to see the camp after that first day.
After the first day, anything seemed easy and the next few days were easier and much drier. Unfortunately, after day one most of our clothes would be permanently wet for the rest of the trek. The trek went through Colombia’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, which made for some beautiful views over lush jungle valleys and the mountains that surrounded them. We started at about 400m elevation and finished at 1300m. Our days would usually finish with a swim in the river (shoes on) which was the perfect finish to a hot, sweaty hike. To add to the trekking difficulties, the mosquitoes were horrible and our group (especially the girls) got eaten alive. We tried three different types of mosquito repellent, but nothing kept them away.
On the morning of day 4 we climbed up 1600 narrow steps to finally reach the Lost City. Little of the former city remains, except for a beautiful series of circular and oval terraces, which used to be the location of the homes in the Lost City. One of the biggest terraces was the site of the chief’s home and another was where they engaged in festivals. From the Lost City there is a nearly panoramic view to the surrounding mountains of the Sierra Nevada. The Lost City was re-discovered in 1973, when a man stumbled across it while he was deep in the jungle. After plundering the city’s gold he let his secret slip to a friend, and ever since people have been making the voyage to the spectacular sight.
On day 4 alone, we had 14 river crossings; however none were as challenging as the crossing on day one. The last two days of hiking were pretty intense, although luckily we were able to avoid the rain. When we came back to river from day one, I was shocked to see that it was little more than a stream that we could wade across easily. It was a great feeling to finish the trek and was fun to reminisce and laugh about the journey afterwards. Unfortunately, we don't have too many photos from the Lost City trek our cameras don't like water!After our trek to the Lost City, we went to Tayrona National Park for some much needed beach time and relaxation. We stayed at aptly named campsite: El Paraiso. This place literally was paradise. We had a tent in a grass field, which looked out over palm trees, beach, and blue ocean. Our mouths were hanging open when we first arrived there. The park is full of white sand beaches which look out over the Atlantic ocean and are backed by green muddy jungle. We were on the beach at sunrise every day and stayed there for almost every waking moment of sunlight.
After Tayrona, we flew back to Bogota and realized that our Colombia adventures were coming to a close. As always it was a bittersweet feeling. Now, I am back in Winnipeg and it is interesting reflecting on what this year of travel has meant to me. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in my year off. Thinking back to how much I have seen and experienced, I feel very lucky. Things weren’t always easy or comfortable, and the trip required stamina, brains, fitness and fortitude. I feel like I have carved out my own backpacker identity and defined the way that I like to travel and experience things. I fell in love with travelling early in my journey and that love has only grown with every positive experience. My experiences have helped me to grow as a human being, and I feel more politically aware, more culturally diverse, and more empathetic. I have found that I am much more likely to share common ground with a random person that I meet now. There are so many more places I want to visit. It is going to take a lifetime to explore them all, but I hope to chip away at the list bit-by-bit.Thanks to everyone who read my blog throughout my travels. Your comments and compliments inspired me to do more than I ever imagined I could. It has been the experience of a lifetime!
The final stats:
Countries visited: 21
Cities, towns, and villages visited: 93
Languages heard: 17
Overnight bus, train, and boat rides: 28
Police fines: 1
New Exotic Animals: 29 (macaque, orang-utan, asian elephant, wild boar, crocodile, yak, mountain goats, sunfish, toucan, macaw, alligator, pink dolphins, tarantula, alligator, black caiman, sloth, jabaroo stork, kingfisher, piranha, llama, alpaca, vicuna, anteater, anaconda, parrot snake, ocelot, coatis, capybara, armadillo)
Biggest loss due to theft: $75
Borders crossed on foot: 5
Legitimate fear experienced: 6 times
Amazon swimming locations: 4
Lost cities found: 2
Mosquito bites: too many to count
Unwanted alligator encounters: 1
Next up: New York City!
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