Secret Trekking to the Lost City of the Tayrona: The Alternative Route Along the Buritaca River (Without Crowds)

The myth of the only route: Why everyone takes the main path and what you're missing

If you've researched the Lost City, you've surely read the same thing everywhere: departure from El Mamey, a 4 to 6-day hike, camps with hammocks, and a trail that already looks like a highway from all the people passing through. In August 2026, the classic route receives an average of 300 people per day. Yes, you read that right: 300 backpackers a day climbing the same stones, sleeping in the same camps, and listening to the same stories from the guide.

I grew up in Santa Marta and have climbed to the Lost City three times: twice via the official route and once via the one I'm going to tell you about today. The difference is abysmal. On the alternative route along the Buritaca River, in three full days of hiking, I crossed paths with exactly 11 people. Eleven. And that includes the Kogui indigenous people who live in the area.

The official route climbs along the right bank of the Buritaca River, passing through the camps of Adán, Alfonso, and Mumake. It's comfortable, with infrastructure, and perfect if it's your first time. But the route I'm going to describe here climbs along the left bank, crossing the river at several points, passing through villages where tourism hasn't arrived yet, and sleeping in camps that don't appear in any official guide.

Before continuing, a serious warning: this route is not for beginners. If you've never done mountain trekking, if you're not used to walking 8 hours a day with slopes of up to 45 degrees, or if you expect hammocks and cold beer every night, stick with the classic route. This one is for those seeking the real Sierra Nevada, the one without wifi or cell signal, the one that forces you to look inward.

The unknown route: Step by step from Santa Marta to the El Mamey village and the ascent along the Buritaca River

1. The Starting Point: El Mamey Village (Km 52, Santa Marta – Valledupar road)

Everything starts the same as the classic route: in the El Mamey village, about 2 and a half hours from Santa Marta by private car or bus. From the Santa Marta public market, 4x4 trucks and buses leave you in the hamlet for about 30,000 to 40,000 COP per person. El Mamey is the last town with a store, cell signal (intermittent), and food stalls. Here you pay the entrance fee to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Natural National Park, which in August 2026 is 78,000 COP for foreigners and 25,000 COP for Colombians. It's recommended to check the price before traveling because it changes frequently.

The key to the alternative route is that, instead of following the main trail that climbs to the Adán camp, you cross the Buritaca River via a wooden suspension bridge located about 200 meters after the control booth. It has no name, it doesn't appear on Google Maps, but locals call it "the Kogui bridge." If you reach a bridge with steel cables and new planks, you've gone too far. This one is made of old wood, with tied vines, and it sways quite a bit. Crossing it is the first test.

2. The Ascent Along the Left Bank: From Finca El Encanto to La Esperanza Camp

Once you cross the bridge, the trail enters the jungle. There's no signage. Nothing. Just a path that local muleteers use to move cattle. During the first 3 hours, you walk parallel to the Buritaca River, hearing the water but only seeing it in a few clearings. The vegetation is dense, with trees up to 40 meters tall and constantly damp ground. High-ankle boots aren't optional; they're mandatory. Trail running shoes will fill with mud and last you exactly one day.

After 3 hours of walking, you reach Finca El Encanto, a private property owned by a farming family that has been in the area for 40 years. They let you camp in their pasture for 15,000 COP per person, and the lady of the house, Doña Rosa, cooks chicken sancocho if you let her know a day in advance. There's no electricity, no hot shower, but there's a natural spring of pure water coming from the mountain. It's the first camp on the route, and the only one where you'll find someone who speaks Spanish as their primary language.

The next day, things get serious. The trail leaves the river and climbs in zigzags up the mountain. It's 3 hours of constant climbing, without rest, until you reach La Esperanza Camp, at 1,100 meters above sea level. This camp is a wooden platform built by the local Kogui community. It has no walls, only a palm roof and a plank floor. It fits about 8 people in hammocks or tents. There's no one to receive you: you arrive, set up, and continue the next day. However, there's an unwritten rule: if you see a Kogui indigenous person at the camp, wait for them to speak to you first. They don't use greetings like we do, and respect in their culture is shown through silence and distance.

3. The River Crossing and Final Climb: From La Esperanza to the Lost City via the Ridge

From La Esperanza, the trail descends again toward the Buritaca River. Here is the most delicate point of the entire route: a river crossing that, depending on the season, can have water at waist or chest level. In the dry season (December to March), the crossing is manageable. In the rainy season (April to November), the current is strong and you have to cross as a group, holding onto a rope that the Kogui left installed on the rocks. Never attempt to cross alone. Never.

After the crossing, the trail climbs along a mountain ridge that muleteers call "the devil's ladder." It's 2 hours of climbing with loose stones, exposed roots, and a slope that in some sections exceeds 60 degrees. This is where most people attempting this route turn back. If you reach the point where you see three large stones stacked to the right of the path, you're 45 minutes from the Lost City. Those stones are a Kogui marker: it means you're entering sacred territory and from there on, silence is mandatory.

Arriving at the Lost City via this route isn't through the main entrance, but from the back, climbing the terraces from the eastern side. Seeing the 1,200 stone steps from above, with the morning mist covering the valley, is an experience the classic route won't give you. There are no guides shouting, no groups of 20 people taking photos. You're alone, with the ruins and the Kogui who care for them.

The 5 hidden viewpoints and camps that don't appear in official guides

4. Filo del Tigre Viewpoint

It's 20 minutes before reaching La Esperanza Camp. It's a flat rock jutting out from the mountain, with a 300-meter drop toward the Buritaca River. From there, you can see the entire river valley, the jungle as far as the eye can see, and on clear days, the Caribbean Sea in the distance. The Kogui consider this place sacred: they say it's the point where the Sierra Nevada "meets the sea." There's no signage, no railings, nothing. Just you, the rock, and the vertigo. It's recommended to go in the early morning hours, when the mist hasn't yet covered the valley.

5. Quebrada Honda Camp

This camp isn't on the main route I described, but on a 40-minute detour from Finca El Encanto. It's a clearing in the jungle, next to a stream of crystal-clear water that comes down from the snowy peaks. There's no wooden platform, no roof: just a flat space where you can pitch a tent. The advantage is that you're 15 minutes from a set of petroglyphs I mention later. The disadvantage is that there's no treated drinking water: you have to boil it or bring purification tablets. Locals who know the area say it's the quietest place in the entire Sierra Nevada. There are no birds in the morning, no insects at night. Just the water flowing. Some say it's peace; others, that it's unsettling.

6. Piedra del Águila Viewpoint

This viewpoint is on the ridge that climbs from the river crossing toward the Lost City, about 30 minutes before reaching the terraces. It's a rock formation that, seen from below, looks like an eagle with outstretched wings. The Kogui say it's the physical representation of the spirit that protects the Lost City. From here, you can see the entire Buritaca River valley, including the part of the official route that snakes along the right bank. On clear days, you can see the Adán and Alfonso camps in the distance, and count the groups of tourists climbing the main path. It's a good place to sit, eat something, and reflect on how different the experience is depending on the path you choose.

7. Tres Palos Camp

This is the most rustic camp on the entire route. It's 1 hour before reaching the Lost City, in a jungle clearing where there are three giant balsa trees, the kind indigenous people use to make their canoes. There's no structure, no water nearby, and the ground is packed earth. The people who use it are Kogui muleteers going up and down with loads. If you decide to stay here, you have to bring all your water, because the nearest source is a 30-minute walk downhill. But the advantage is that you're literally at the gates of the Lost City, and you can enter the ruins at dawn, before the groups from the official route arrive. Watching the sun rise over the stone terraces, with no one else but the indigenous guardians, is priceless.

8. Serpiente Emplumada Viewpoint

This is the best-kept secret of the route. It's 15 minutes from the Lost City, taking an unmarked detour. It's a flat rock with petroglyphs depicting a feathered serpent, a design not found anywhere else in the Sierra Nevada. Archaeologists can't agree on its meaning: some say it's a representation of Quetzalcóatl, others that it's a symbol exclusive to the Kogui. Local indigenous people don't talk about it. If you ask, they change the subject. The viewpoint itself is a natural platform with a direct view of the upper terraces of the Lost City, and the sunset from there is spe