I have just returned from a 6 day trek through the Colombian jungle to visit La Ciudad Perdida or The Lost City. The scenery was absolutely amazing and it is obvious now why the government has lost control of about 40% of the country and the war on drugs is about useless. Considering that Colombia is roughly the size of France and Spain combined, that´s a lot of territory. Fortunately, this region is somewhat controlled by the government and also para-military fighters whose main concern is drug trafficking and keeping out guerrilla fighters. It is quite a complex and dynamic political situation here to say the least. The terrain here, however, is so vast and rugged, you could hide anything in the dense jungle, especially cocaine labs. The Lost City is proof of that. It wasn´t even discovered until 1975 by grave robbers ... and it´s only about 25 miles from town! The history of it´s people isn´t quite clear but they believe the city was abandoned shortly after the arrival of Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century.

Besides me, our tour group included a German couple, my friend Joel from Holland, and a guy from Switzerland, Israel and England plus our guide Alvero and the porter, Jose. On the first day, we got a late start due to mechanical problems with the Toyota Landcruiser that takes us to the first town. Halfway up the mountain, the rear suspension broke making us hike an extra hour for the day. You should have seen the mud and trenches on the mountain ride climbing to the first town ... it is no wonder the truck broke. Our second day of hiking took us past a small camp with a cocaine lab nearby, however, the word was out that the para-militaries said we were not allowed to see it .. and we didn´t. The trail is in terrible condition and nothing but mud. Each night we arrive at camp soaking wet from rain and sweat but nothing dries overnight in the near 100% humidity of the jungle ... so wet, smelly clothes and boots go back on each morning. Arriving at the Lost City, however, was well worth the effort. Even though the site is fairly small, it is so remote and mystical here that I´m certainly glad I came. I will try to post as many photos with individual stories as I can.