Ciudad Perdida
40 miles, 3 doctors, 1 big happy crew
Our trek started in a Jurassic Park-esque all-wheel drive, 8 strangers sitting shoulder to shoulder. The Spanish speakers in the group were chit-chatting, me feeling like Steve Carrell in Anchorman with my occasional interjections. Amongst us were two Cali boys who had known each other for over 50 years, two doctors from Peru, a couple from Amsterdam, and a Spaniard traveling solo.
There's a rhythm you fall into when you're on the road. Wake up at 5am, hike by 6am, dinner at 6pm, asleep by 8pm. Rinse and repeat for 4 days. Our group was kind and drama-free; no stragglers, everyone keeping good pace. I guess there's a certain type of person that voluntarily signs up to do a nearly 40-mile trek with 9000 feet of total elevation gain and very sparse amenities (showers were a surprise).
I loved our shared dinners. Dinner felt especially fulfilling, with the hard work of hiking past us and a restful sleep ahead. In the stillness of rest, we savored each other’s presence a bit more. We were more at ease, more willing to share our stories and selves.
On our third day we reached the Ciudad Perdida entrance. Our guide Brajilio brought us together in a circle, calling us to take responsibility for our energy and leave behind anything that didn't serve us. We walked along the path until we reached the mammo’s hut and received bracelets with the spirits of the natural elements weaved into them.
Upon receiving this gentle spiritual guidance, I immediately had to take a huge shit. Having been constipated for 3 days, I was relieved but also in a mild state of emergency. As my comrades took pictures, I hastily found a bathroom. The clouds cleared and under blue skies, I did indeed feel lighter and spiritually renewed, grinning ear to ear in our group picture.
On our descent, I got into a deep conversation about how relationships are fragile. It revealed my own subconscious narrative that relationships need to be strong and resilient, with fragility seen as weakness. It also revealed that I had done enough inner work to receive this idea with curiosity rather than judgment. Since returning home, I’ve continued to ponder how embracing the fragility of relationships invites a tender gentleness – one I've been learning to cultivate with myself and extend to those I cherish. I hope to continue breathing this softness into myself and my community.
After we finished our victory lunch, we drove back to town shoulder to shoulder again. This time, the energy had totally shifted. Instead of shy strangers, we were a crew 8 strong, sharing inside jokes and contact information. As our van wound down the mountain roads, I thought about how the trail had a way of stripping away our practiced personas - leaving us sweaty, smelly, and somehow more ourselves.
Ciudad Perdida Tips and Gear List
I cannot recommend Wiwa Tours enough. Our guide Brajilio’s storytelling and willingness to share his Wiwa lived experience was engaging and incredibly informative. The packing list they gave me was pretty solid, here are some additional tips:
🎒 Go light on the backpack. I loved my Osprey Daylite Plus, paired with a 2L reservoir.
🥾 You absolutely want waterproof boots. I googled "not ugly hiking boots” and did my entire two weeks in Colombia with these Timberlands.
👚 Clean change of long sleeve clothes exclusively dedicated to sleeping
💧 It will definitely rain. Store your camera and sleep clothes in dry bags.
🧼 I didn’t expect to have showers! A bar of soap would have been nice, also helpful for washing your clothes in the river. I would have brought a little less clothes if I had known this.
🦟 Ben’s 100 DEET bug spray was great. I got more bites in my Tayrona hotel than I did on this hike.
📕 Kindle/journal. I didn’t think there’d be downtime so left them behind and wish I hadn’t.
That’s it for this edition. Have a wonderful new year!
XOXO JZ