Location: Jungles of the Sierra Nevada... Ciudad Perdida
Headed out from humid Cartagena up to Santa Marta with my dad at the end of the school year before flying back to the US. Took off from Santa Marta the following day in a gregariously colored 4x4 chiva which drove us 3 hours into the jungle before dropping us off at the last little village on the jungle road called Mamey.
Hiked for 3 days into the jungle. Local kids played in the rivers... just like the kid in the Jungle Book. What a cool place to grow up in!
We crossed and swam many a rivers ourselves. As we got higher into the Sierra Nevadas the temperature cooled, the rivers became brighter and crystal clear.
The jungle is home to many critters. Our most exotic on the trip was this good looking Toucan, who raised quite a racket with his mate as we were hiking.
The trek is amazing! The terrain changes between dense jungle, savannah, and rocky riverbed. If you like hiking, the hike is superb!
Other local fauna included the Kogi indigenous, whose villages we had the privilege to see from a distance on an occasion. They have such simple lives, and such complex social interaction, it's amazing to think of the similarities and differences of the cultures...
Other local flora and fauna...
Stayed in rustic encampments along the way with interesting trekkers from all parts of the world.
On our last day we did the big push up the long, winding stone staircase built into the mountainside and emerged sweating and breathless at the lost city, Ciudad Perdida.
Safety? Sure! The site is loaded with a platoon of soldiers stationed there to keep the peace in and the FARC out. Amazing to see them after seeing no one on the trail for three days.
For more pictures check out my dad's blog about the trip!
http://bobanddianesadventures.blogspot.com/
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