We had been looking forward to this for months. An arduous 5 day, 40 mile trek taking us high into lush tropical jungle, stunning swimming and diving spots and passing through several indigenous villages to finally arrive at Colombia´s equivalent to Macchu Pichu. Although it is nowhere near as spectacular this is defenitely a case of the journey not the destination.

We had a great group with us, 2 Danes, a Scot, a French Canadian and 4 Colombians from Bogota. Each day´s walking was different from the previous and some much more arduous , but they were worth every sweaty minute. We showered under waterfalls, jumped off 12m high boulders and rock faces into pools and swam in crystal clear rivers surrounded by lush jungle, it was paradise. The indigenous villages consisted of several circular mud and thatched huts with 30 or so families living in them. The "Cogi" tribe wore only white tunics and wellington boots. The women spend their days gathering fruits from the jungle, mostly Bananas, whilst the men help fixing the trails and overseeing the camps. They own the land here so have an avid interest in the increasing development of the area, ensuring nature is not jeopardised at the expense of the lost city treks. I was told they think of us as their stupid jungle brothers, to ready to destroy the environment they live in with little respect for mother nature to whom they greatly respect and live in harmony with.

The camps were basic open structures with hammocks to sleep in with showers and a kitchen. The food the chef produced daily was surprisingly good, even the veggie options. At the end of each day the group would chat and laugh around the dinner table, usually with a few warm beers before retiring to our hammocks. I have to say I never want to sleep in a hammock ever again, as romantic as it sounds, sleeping to the nocturnal noise of the jungle with a breeze running through the camp slightly swaying your bed, the reality is they are uncomfortable, restrictive and terrible for the back! not what you want after a hard day trekking. Although this is my opinion, Caroline loved them and slept well everynight.

The 3rd day was the most difficult. We climbed and descended for most part of the day as well as clambering over rocks and boulders along side the river. We both fell a few times and have the cuts and scars to prove it. To finish us off we had to climb 1200 almost vertical steps into the lost city, it was in the top 3 most physically hardest things we have ever done. Visibility was pretty bad at this point with mist and a little drizzle, however this gave the ruins a mystical and magical feel about it to the point where we could imagine the tribal people still living there some hundred years earlier.

As wonderful as the lost city is, probably the highlight for me was plummeting 12 meters from a giant boulder into the rock pool below. It took me some 20 to 30 minutes to overcome my fear of heights almost to the point of abandonning the jump, but when Caroline got tired of my hesitation, took off her shoes and jumped I knew then I HAD to go or never live it down back home with friends in the pub.

We will never forget this wonderful trip and have to say it is the highlight of Colombia for us and probably in the top 3 of South America.