Expotur - Operador autorizado a Ciudad Perdida — Local services in Santa Marta

Short Version: Excellent, professional, responsive organised, worth the money, great experience, educated guides, good food 5/5. Highly recommend this company.

Longer version: I read a lot of reviews prior to booking this trip, which therefore led to a lot of pre conceived ideas etc. In reality, this was my experience with Expotur on Ciudad Perdida.

Communcation: Excellent communication via both email ans whatsapp. Very quick to reply with helpful information. I asked a lot of questions and the staff were very patient with me

Organisation: Prior to this trip, lots of information was given about what to bring etc. As for the tour itself, everything ran to time and you could tell this was not their first time. The guides knew how long everything would take, they made sure we were prepared for each portion of the trek (ie wet weather, mosquite spray etc). They gave us good warning about what to expect each day and then again as the time came.

Trek difficulty: A lot of the reviews mention how difficult the trek is. Yes, it is difficult and there is a lot of up and downhill (potentially made more difficult by wet weather/mud etc). However we were able to go at a pace that suited us and we were not made to go any faster than we could. There are plenty of rest stops with plenty of snacks.

Scenary Incredible ans unique. Also a lot of shaded areas which I was very happy about given then heat!

Food/Drink All food was provided and this included 3 hot meals a day and snacks along the way. Each camp-site had a filtered water station so you could fill up each morning/night. I did not purchase any extra water along the way the whole trip. There are stalls etc along the way with various drinks like Coke, Beers etc. We even were given popcorn and hot choclate after a long day of trekking and this was such a lovely addition. They were also able to cater to various dietary requirements.

Guides I couldn't speak more highly of our guides. They were extremely professional, kind, patient and knowledgeable. They made sure our group was united (with team name and all), that we remained together and supported each other. They were sure to have one at the front and one at the back. They were available at all times if we needed anything. Also there was 1 x guide ans 1 x English translator.

Ciudad Perdida A truly incredible, unique and sacred place. I really enjoyed (and noticed) the lack of tourists there. As you're only visiting the lost city with those who also hiked the previous days with you too. There are no extra people/bus loads of people that come for the day. It felt very special and quiet, and I did not feel overwhelmed with other tourists. We were also given a talk by a local indigenous person who explained a lot about the history and way of life for their people.

Accommodation Each night, we slept at a 'camp', which included sturdy bunk beds with mosquito nets, blanket and pillow. The accom is inside/outside, there is a solid roof etc however it remains mostly open. You can hear the river etc as you lie in bed. The bathrooms were basic however they did the job. Toilet paper was there however limited. I personally would have liked to have brought my own. There are plenty of tables/benches that allow for team bonding and games etc. Wifi was available (Starlink) on the 2nd night for free. The 1st and 3rd night, I think wifi was available however our group decided to unite and disconnect from the outside world (unsure of the wifi status at those campsites).

Clothes My clothes got very wet from humidty/rain/sweat etc. They did NOT dry overnight. I had two outtdits that I wore on alternate days. I was able to dry my clothes at lunch time in the sun. The humidity did not allow for anything to dry overnight.

Mosquitos Yes there are a lot! Mosquito spray is necessary!

Thank you Expotur for a truly incredible 4 days! Will always remember this trip fondly. Thank you to our Guide Elizabeth, our translator Carlos and our...

I can't say enough good things about my experience with Expotur. I had to change my plans several times at the last minute, including canceling the tour for my friend who I was traveling with because he had to return to work. They let me apply his deposit to my trip, and were very flexible with all the last minute changes.

The guides were absolutely fantastic. The amount of work, communication and planning between our guide, Cesar, interpreter, Maria, and our chef, Lucho was astounding. It took me a while to realize how much they were communicating with each other over radio to make sure that food and accommodations were ready for us at each stop, and that there was a guide near all of us as we began to split apart while hiking due to different levels of fitness and ability. They made sure that there was always someone at the back of the group in case anything happened to one of us.

Cesar and Maria are very experienced and very caring guides who not only know a lot about the region, it's history, and the indigenous people living in the area, they also care deeply and have made many friends with the indigenous who live along the trek. Cesar shared his personal story of having to move his family several times due to the ongoing internal struggles in Colombia, and Maria told us about some of the wisdom that her friends in the indigenous communities have shared with her. It was such a rich experience to know more about not only the region and it's history, but also the more recent history of Colombia and the personal stories of the people whose care we were in.

Cesar and Maria were also super patient with everyone - even when people in my group were being demanding or, a few times, inappropriate. They met everyone with kindness and respect but were also not afraid to let us know that, for our safety, they were the ones calling the shots. Though we didn't get a chance to interact much with the chef, Lucho, the food was fantastic, especially considering we were in such a remote location. All the snacks and treats provided throughout the trek were a wonderful bonus.

I got some sort of stomach bug the last night of the trek, and the staff were super attentive, offering me antibiotics, bringing me water and a bucket in case I needed to throw up again, and offering to call for a mule to bring me back to El Mamey the next day if needed.

It's also worth mentioning that once you start hiking, the guides become one big family there to help make sure everyone is safe and has a good experience. I really appreciated that comradery - it made the entire journey feel a lot safer knowing no one would leave me on the path to die if I wasn't a part of their tour group :D. And be sure to tip your guides at the end of your journey - it's not required or even solicited, but several of us offered a tip and they were so grateful. It's hard work, y'all.

All of the tour groups mainly stay in the same, somewhat primitive base camps (there's lots of blogs you can read that describe the campsites). Considering how remote these places are, it's kind of amazing that they have electricity, working plumbing, and matresses. All the river swims at the campsites were stellar.

One thing to note - I am currently taking a sabbatical and living out of bags in Colombia. I heard about the Ciudad Perdida trek and really wanted to see the ruins but felt a bit nervous about being so far from home and storing all of belongings including my computer and other expensive gadgets while out trekking in the mountains of Colombia for 4 days. Expotur has a secure room in the building next door with a security guard. My bags hadn't even moved an inch from where I put them when I returned.

Thanks, Expotur, Cesar, Maria, and Lucho for such a fantastic,...

Myself and 3 friends did this tour and had an absolutely incredible time. Myself and my boyfriend did the 5 day version where the other 2 did the 4 day version.

Our first day we were picked up by a lovely driver - Juan Carlos, and brought to the office in Santa Marta. Here we met our incredible guide Ida and our translator Pilar, along with the other 7 people in our group. We then had a 2 and a half tour drive to the start of the hike. When we arrived we were provided with a delicious lunch, fresh juice and met our chef for the next few nights and other guide Pecho.

The first day hiking was tough with about 4 hours of basically just up, for most of this there was an option of a moto taxi for those who were struggling and wanted to save themselves for the following days. We reached our first hostel at around 4.30 and coffees, tea, hot chocolate waiting for us. The camp had clean comfortable bunk beds with mosquito nets, clean toilets and clean showers with great water pressure. Dinner was delicious and the chef and guides were all very conscious and aware of everyone’s dietary restrictions. Our guide Ida then went through the history of the area with us and told us about her family coming to the area as farmers and all the difficulties similar farming families had met. This was an incredible story and provided so much context to the area we were hiking though.

The following days started early at 5am with more amazing food that I can not sing the praise of more and incredible care and attention from our guides. Our guides were genuinely caring people who made everyone feel comfortable safe and ensured we were always having an excellent time. I cannot think of any negatives for the tour or the staff.

A member of our group was particularly struggling and the guides always ensured she was not left behind and could go at her own pace without judgement or pressure to hurry up.

When we arrived in the lost city we spent about 3 and a half hours getting a detailed tour of the history of the site from its historical use, how it was lost to how it was found in modern times. This was not a crowded site and we felt like we had the place to ourselves most of the time.

On the fourth day we split from the main group and continued for our 5th night. This was a fantastic experience. Ida brought us through a much more rugged path that felt like the jungle you imagine as a child. She showed us beautiful waterfalls which we could swim beneath, shared more stories of her life growing up in the area and acted as our personal photographers.

Our final day was a short easy enough walk back to the restaurant where we had started days previous. Here we had a delicious lunch and were dropped back to our hostels.

Things we wished we knew: there are MANY shops along the way that help support local farmers and families, bring soap or shower gel for the showers, bring a set of clothes to wear around the camps in the evening (1 set to wear each evening while relaxing post shower will do), bring slides or flip flops for the evenings, some camps have massage services and laundry services.

to finish I highly recommend anyone visiting Colombia do this tour as I genuinely think it’ll be the highlight of my 3...