Travel Guide Ciudad Perdida

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. This massif, which does not belong to the Andes, is the highest mountainous region in Colombia and the highest coastal mountain in the world. The Bolívar and Colón peaks culminate at 5,775 meters above sea level, only 42 km from the Caribbean Sea! From the beach, at sunrise, you can see the eternal snows emerging from the rainforest before the mists take over the mountains. An unforgettable sight! These mountains are the ancestral territory of the Kogi, Wiwas, Arhuacos and Kankuamos Indians, descendants of the Tayrona civilization, which disappeared with the arrival of the conquistadors in the 16th century. It is in this mountainous massif preserved and protected by the natives that Teyuna (or Teizhuna), the famous Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) is located, a sacred site situated between 900 and 1200 meters of altitude on the foothills of Cerro Correa and on the right bank of the Buritaca River. The Lost City is located in the middle of a generous tropical forest. Giant trees overtake the dense mass of lianas, trunks blooming with bunches of orchids and shrubs gnawed by lichens and fungi. Ceibos, zambos cedars, rubber trees rise up to 40 meters from the ground. Hummingbirds live side by side with parrots, macaws with their dazzling plumage with yellow-billed toucans. Caimans, iguanas, jumping crabs, snakes and deadly tarantulas haunt the jungle...