The Lost City trek had been high on my list of must dos in Colombia ever since I heard about it a few months before. A four day trek in the Sierra Nevada mountains to discover an ancient abandoned city that disappeared into the jungle around the time of the Spanish conquest sounded a bit of me. The Lost City was rediscovered in 1972 and is so deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains it can only be reached by foot, or by helicopter we found out on day 3. The ironic thing is the indigenous people knew it was there all along. The city was built by the Tayronas back in 800 AD and its thought between 4000 and 12,000 people in La Ciudad Perdida. Only some of the city has been excavated as the indigenous people do not want anymore deforestation that would be required to expose more of the city. The hike: The hike is a total of 70 km over 4 days. They say its a total distance of 48 km but that has been measured as the crow fly’s so we measured it and it is just over 70 km of hiking. It…
The Quilotoa Loop is a self guided hike (you can get a guide but really no need) through the Andean Mountains taking anywhere between 2-4 days but most people do it in 3 days. It’s an undulated ring path that travels between the little Andean towns of Sigchos, Isinlivi, Chugchilan and Quilotoa. You can either start at the crater lake or finish there. The whole loop is roughly 36 km in total. Make sure to bring enough cash with you as there are no ATMs along the way and most places will only take cash. Although the trail will be easier starting at the lake as it will be mostly don hill from here, we preferred finishing at the lake as you have something to look forward to for the three days leading up to it. We stayed in Latacunga the night before starting the hike and left our big rucksacks in the hostel and just took day bags with us. From Secret Gardens in Cotopaxi we got dropped to the bus terminal in Latacunga and checked the times of the buses heading to Sigchos the next day. We stayed in a lovely hostel in Latacunga called…
I had about two weeks left in Colombia when I landed in Bogota so after some deliberation and lots of changing of plans we decided we would skip San Augustin and The Tatacoa Desert due to buses, time spend traveling and the fact we needed to be in Ecuador soon. If you have time though from what I’ve heard and seen both Tatacoa Desert are well worth budgeting time for and are slightly off the beaten track so it will be slightly cheaper and you will get away from hoards of gringos. Bogota We flew into Bogota from Medellin for less than $45 but you can also get night buses here from Medellin. If you’re arriving in to Colombia from an international flight it will probably land here. Bogota is a HUGE city home to more than 8 million people. It is the world’s highest capital and sits at 2640 m so the elevation can be a bit of a shock. I felt floored for the first two days here like I had no energy and as if I had smoked 50 a day for the last 10 years. It was all fun and…
Medellín is the second largest city in Colombia with a population of about 4 million people. It’s located in a deep valley with tall skyward buildings in the centre and tightly packed houses sprawling outwards from the center up the sides of the valley. The city sits at an elevation of 1500m. The city has undergone a massive transformation in recent years and it’s clear why it is such an attractive city for travelers to visit with it’s pleasant temperate climate (although it rained A LOT when we were there), great restaurants and lively bar scene, museums, walking tours and public artwork. Medellín is my favourite city in Colombia by a mile and there is just so much to do here. Getting there and away Medellín is located in the basin of a valley surrounded by mountains and difficult to get to over land, long bumping buses so I suggest flying into it if you’re coming up further north or south. From the Zona Cafetera or Bogota you can easily take a bus. It’s a 10 hour bus from Bogota and a 6 hour bus from he…
Colombia’s northern Caribbean coast is one of the most popular areas for travelers and is dominated by backpackers enjoying all this area has to offer. It’s easy to see why this region is so popular with beautiful beaches, cultural experiences, diverse cities, unique landscapes and great hiking. Three weeks is ample time and will allow you take your time and make more stops along the coast line but I spent two weeks in Northern Colombia and I managed to see the highlights and not feel too rushed. I started my Colombian journey in Sapzurro, a small tranquil coastal town on the Panamanian border. I arrived to Colombia via the San Blas Islands (see my post about the San Blas Islands), so we stopped for lunch on the beach in Sapzurro before heading on to Capurgana for the night. Capurgana is a short 15 minute boat ride from Sapzurro and very similar. These towns have a relaxed Caribbean vibe and jungle backed beaches. They are off the beaten track and there isn’t too much to do there so I wouldn’t recommend visiting them unless you are arriving from the San Blas Islands or…
The San Blas islands are a group of about 365 islands off the Carribean coast of Panama. There are lots of tours doing day trips to the San Blas islands and two main tours organising cruises around the San Blas islands as a method to travel between Colombia and Panama. I chose to go with San Blas Adventures as they transport the guests via a speed boat which means you sleep on the islands and minimise your time on the water and get more island time. I didn’t fancy sleeping on a boat either with people possibly being sea sick beside me. Couldn’t hack the idea of smelling other people’s vomit. No gracias. All you need to know about San Blas Adventures: It’s a 3 night, 4 day trip. It costs $399 (or $379 if you use this discount code: TWOWANDERINGSOLES) You sleep in hammocks for night 1 and 2 and have a bed on night 3. You spend day and night 1 and 2 and day 3 on the islands. Night 3 is spent in a traditional Kuna village. The tour includes all food and accommodation from day 1 to lunch…