Ciudad Perdido - Comparative difficulty

Hiya,

Just wanted to get an idea of the level of difficulty for the Ciudad Perdida trek.

While in SA, the two most difficult hikes I.ve done have been

Choquequirao - difficult for long days of incredible steepness and heat. (But a mule to carry the equipment)
Torres del Paine - really only difficult due to carrying a 15kg bag, coupled with a 30km day of stupidity.

I am not in peak physical condition.

Also, I understand this is the dry season - does this mean the trek is easier? less mud/less bugs?

Any thoughts much appreciated - after Choq, I didn.t think I.d ever go hiking again, but now its one of the trips highlights!

Mike

It would be difficult if it was done in a day, however you go so slow on the trek that it is quite easy, stopping often to swim etc. you walk 4 hrs maybe a day (except one day on the return which is about 6). We had 3 x fatties out of 6 in our group who made it no problems.

sweet. really good to know -- not sure why it.s got such a difficult rap - perhaps depends on the time of year?

Mike

No probs. I really didnt find it difficul at all due to the slow pace. On the bug note - they were a killer; I was absolutely covered in bites so take the best protection you can.

ddry season is easiest as you have to ford a river a half dozen times each direction...can get a little scary if it's running fast

...but it was a piece of cake when i took it at age 60..

the difficulty totally does depend on the time of year, if there is lots of rain, the clay soil beccomes almost impossible to climb, its just time consuming, be prepared to be on your ass for allot of it if its rainy!! It is however an incredible hike and was worth every fall that i had!! One of my favs!!
good luck!!

So how long is the Ciudad Perdido trek from Santa Marta altogether? The LP guidebook says 6 days?!!
btw, going there probably Sunday next week (March 2) :)

6 day 5 nite trek went like this:

day 1....2 hour jeep ride..3 hour steep hike..hardest day with hike at hottest time...slept overlooking a pueblo in idealic jungle setting with stream. nearby a big natural pool with a 4 meter jump into its clear waters...fun & refreshing

day 2....coffee at 6 am that went well with a doobie....only a 4 hour hike..easiest day...finished by 1 30 pm...lazy afternoon...smoke & lounge

day 3 5 hours...sustained up hill...some precarious cliff hugging...forded river 5 or 6 times...steps a little tough & very slippery up to city after final river crossing...very slippery & need for caution on way down.

day 4......hang out at lost city for a full day.....can get cold at nite here...wore both my long sleeve tshirts at nite to stay warm..

day 5...porters up late..hard rains the last nite made for a late start & a tough 8 hours of trekking with 5 or 6 scary crossings of the river that was just a creek on the way up

day 6...3 hours trekking...steep down hill most of the way & then a couple hour truck ride back to santa marta
...kiwi guy reinjured what he claimed was a futbal knee injury...had to be trasported out the last day on a mule..

.. got out ahead of group on last day & stopped by a couple dozen soldiers...leader had face mask on...asked me some questions...then let me go...went by other soldiers with nothing but a wave when with the group...

...all camp grounds except lost city itself were hammocks with mosquito nets under open side palapas...nice setting with running water & water pools all around...settings were close to friendly little villages

..cabin for 2 nites at ciudad perdido itself...cold 2 nites...needed 2 blankets in contrast to most of the trip which was hot

...had 2 friendly porters...one guide (wilson)...decent food & early morning coffee...mule carries food & supplies most of way...no need to carry much individually...i contracted to have them supply a blanket at all the stops...in addition to a change of clothes & the barest of toiletries i carried a miner's torch, towel, ron & smoke...they supplied decent & ample amounts of food & had some snacks inbetween

1 light weight nylon pants
2 all weather synthetic long sleeve fast dry tshirts
2 nylon underwear
1 set of thermal silk long underwear
2 nylon socks
1 new balance shoes
2 ace bandages...to support ankles
1 visor
1 chamois towel
1 poncho

toothbrush, paste, hotel soaps, baby powder, bandaides & antiseptic lotion, mosquito repellent, antiitch cream wash cloth

mountain smith fanny pack & water bottle, pocket knife, minor's lamp plus a smaller torch

the only dead weight carried in fanny pack

.....extra shirt, sox & underwear
pair of long thermal silks
rain poncho.
smoking material & 3 half pints of ron
minor's lamp, knife, toiletries

...wash underwear sox & shirt everynight...not even nylon dries completely but baby powder is a good equalizer & protects against chaffing

...for head & neck protection i use the visor & chamois towel...soak them in the ever present cool streams for hot weather trekking.

...thermal silks a nite time protection against mosquitoes

germuno - thanks very much, this sounds perfect! I guess I'll be on my way next week then :)

hi... i did the 7 day hike(different from the 6 day trek as there's no backtracking) last May and found the first 4 days pretty easy/moderate... but the last 3 days were tough. steep inclines and lots of mud and sliding. my legs began to turn to jelly! stunning views from the 2 houses we stayed in though, and was really stoked i did it. it cost around US$300 for the 7 day trek and i bought cheap singlets in santa marta for about $2ea and then threw them out at the end of the trip. just wore the same shorts each day... wet, dry, or muddy!

Pretty easy, but the heat can be oppressive and the bugs are irritating !

just finished trek -- will post review soon... essentially though, easy trek - 6 days waaay too long!

Mike

I thought, if they had reasonably healthy people the tour could be completed in 3 days. Our guides said they get there in 1 day when they are on their own.

yah.. posted a review above that the walking level was kinda lame-o.

3 days with 2 nights at the site would be pretty exhausting, but definitely doable -- 3 days to get there was just stupid.

If you do any trekking, definitely go for the loop.

Mike

i don't think 6 days is all that stupid as the extra time gave us the opportunity to interact with the locals where we camped

..break out the frisbee & they will come running...frisbee rules & the frisbyterian church is the one true religion..

If anyone suffers from respiratory problems, I'd be careful. The cots provided in Ciudad Perdida haven't been washed in years, so they're full of dust, mites, etc. Any asthmatic will surely have an attack. We had one in our group. He was fine walking, crossing the rivers, sleeping in hammocks, but said that the cots were "an immediate attack on the lungs", lol.

Other than that and the CONSTANT BUG BITES, it's not especially difficult.