The Lost City trek costs COP 1,860,000 for four days, COP 2,200,000 for three and COP 2,150,000 for five — and every authorised operator charges the same. The rate is set with ICANH and the four indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada, not by the agencies, so there is nothing to shop around for. What changes between quotes you find online is not the trek. It is the margin somebody added on top.
You pay a 10% deposit to hold a place and the remaining 90% in person at the Santa Marta office the evening before you walk.
Lost City trek price by duration (2026)
| Duration | Distance | Price (COP) | 10% deposit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 50 km | 2,200,000 | 220,000 | Fit trekkers, limited time |
| 4 days | 60 km | 1,860,000 | 186,000 | Most trekkers — best value |
| 5 days | 62 km | 2,150,000 | 215,000 | Slower pace, more camp time |
The 4-day is the cheapest of the three and covers more ground than the 3-day, which surprises people. It is not a reduced version: same guides, same camps, same meals, same entry to Teyuna. It costs less because it is the highest-volume departure, and it leaves every single morning.
The 3-day is not a discount option. It is the most expensive of the three — COP 340,000 more than the 4-day — and it gives you less time for a harder walk.
Does the price change if you are Colombian?
No. It is the same rate for Colombians and for foreign visitors: COP 1,860,000 for four days, COP 2,200,000 for three, COP 2,150,000 for five. There is no surcharge for nationality and no discount for it either.
The question comes up often enough to be worth answering plainly, so: one price, everyone, and the figure you see above is the figure you pay.
What the price includes
- Round-trip transport from Santa Marta to the trailhead at El Mamey
- Authorised certified lead guide, plus an English translator on international departures
- Archaeological zone entry (Teyuna / Ciudad Perdida)
- Full board at camp: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and fruit
- Hammock or bunk with mosquito net, blanket and basic mattress
- Trek insurance for the hiking days
- A direct contribution to the indigenous and campesino communities and to ICANH, supporting cultural and heritage preservation
Guides are local to Santa Marta and the Sierra. We have run this trail since 2004. Which guide walks your specific date varies — ask us and we will tell you.
What is not included — with the numbers we can actually stand behind
Most price guides list exclusions without pricing them, which is not much help when you are building a budget. Here is what we can quantify and what we honestly cannot.
We publish these:
- Tips. Not included, not expected, genuinely appreciated. The convention in the Sierra is COP 50,000–100,000 per trekker, split between the guide team and the cook. Bring small bills — there is nowhere on the trail to change a COP 50,000 note.
- First-day breakfast on the 4- and 5-day treks. You eat before the 07:00 meeting. The 3-day includes it — it picks you up at 04:30 and feeds you at El Mamey.
These we will quote you directly rather than publish a number we cannot hold:
- Pack mule for personal gear. Optional, arranged on request, and the price moves with the season and how much you send. Ask when you book, not on the morning you leave.
- Alcohol at camp. Sold at some camps, priced by the camp, not by us.
These are not ours to price at all:
- Travel insurance for flights, cancellations and medical evacuation. Trek insurance for the hiking days is included; this is the other thing, and it matters more than people expect on a trail with no road access.
- Getting to Santa Marta, and a bed the night before. Every departure meets at 07:00, so arriving the same morning is not realistic.
The costs people forget
The tour price is the fixed, knowable part. These are the ones that quietly add up:
- A night in Santa Marta before departure. Non-negotiable at a 07:00 start.
- A recovery day after. Four days on foot, and the fourth is a 17.2 km descent. Most people underestimate what their legs will want on day five.
- Cash for tips. In small denominations, taken out before you leave the city.
- Left luggage. Your main bag stays behind — at your hotel or at our office. You carry 8–10 kg.
Budget a full week in the region for a four-day trek. If you have less than that, the trek will eat the whole trip.
Why the price is quoted in pesos
The rate is set in pesos with ICANH and the communities: COP 1,860,000 for four days. Any figure you see in dollars or euros is a conversion of the day, not the rate, and it moves with the exchange. Pay the balance in COP at the office and you get the published rate, with no conversion spread.
That is why it pays to compare against the peso figure. Some sites publish this same trek considerably higher, and converting the COP rate at the day’s exchange before you compare is the quickest way to see it. Nothing about a higher price is illegal, and nothing about it gets you a different walk. See how to choose a Lost City operator for the four checks that take two minutes.
How to book at the listed price
- Pay the 10% deposit online — the booking button is at the end of this page.
- Pay the remaining 90% at Calle 17 # 3-69, Centro Histórico, Santa Marta, the evening before your 07:00 departure. Card and cash accepted.
- Free reschedule up to 7 days before departure. After that the deposit is non-refundable.
The evening payment is also your briefing: you meet the office, confirm the guide, hand over your main bag and ask everything you did not think to ask online. It is also where the Ciudad Perdida stamp goes into your passport.
Does rain change the price or the plan?
Neither. The trek runs in any conditions and rates do not surge in dry season. Rain is frequent from May to November: the trails turn to mud, river crossings rise and the final descent is slower. The operator does not cancel a trek for rain, so pack a real rain shell and two dry bags rather than hoping for a refund.
The only month with zero availability is October, when the archaeological site closes from the 1st to the 31st for indigenous spiritual and environmental restoration. No authorised operator runs it. See best time to visit for the weather-versus-crowds trade-off.
Price vs difficulty — do not mix them up
The 3-day and the 5-day are opposite experiences, and the shorter one is now the dearer: COP 2,200,000 against COP 2,150,000. The 3-day compresses the same trail into longer days; the 5-day spreads it out with an extra camp night.
The 4-day is the cheapest and the most balanced physically. If price is what is pulling you toward the 3-day, that logic does not hold — it costs more. Read the difficulty guide before choosing on anything but your legs.
Related
- How to choose a Lost City operator — why the price is fixed, and what actually differs
- 3 vs 4 vs 5 days — which duration fits you
- Lost City trek difficulty — what the four days ask of you
- What to pack — the 8–10 kg you actually carry
Ready to walk it?
Departures leave Santa Marta at 7:00 a.m. every day. The 4-day trek has no minimum group — it runs whether you are five people or one.
From COP 1,860,000 4 days — the classic
