<strong>Ciudad Perdida:</strong> This Colombian site known as "The Lost City" was founded around 800 CE, some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu.
Ciudad Perdida: This Colombian site known as "The Lost City" was founded around 800 CE, some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu.
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<strong>Nearby: </strong>The closest city to Ciudad Perdida is Santa Marta, and the closest major airport Barranquilla.
Nearby: The closest city to Ciudad Perdida is Santa Marta, and the closest major airport Barranquilla.
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<strong>Getting there:</strong> Currently, the only way to visit Ciudad Perdida is via a not-for-beginners multiday hike.
Getting there: Currently, the only way to visit Ciudad Perdida is via a not-for-beginners multiday hike.
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<strong>In the thick of it:</strong> Deep in the Colombian jungle, the entrance can only be accessed by a climb up (and then back down) some 1,200 stone steps.
In the thick of it: Deep in the Colombian jungle, the entrance can only be accessed by a climb up (and then back down) some 1,200 stone steps.
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<strong>Going deep:</strong> Ciudad Perdida consists of a series of 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, a net of tiled roads and several small circular plazas.
Going deep: Ciudad Perdida consists of a series of 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, a net of tiled roads and several small circular plazas.
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<strong>On the way:</strong> There's only one trail to the site, meaning visitors must go back the same way they arrived.
On the way: There's only one trail to the site, meaning visitors must go back the same way they arrived.
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<strong>Lost and found:</strong> Historians believe that the city was abandoned around the time of the Spanish arrival and conquest. It was rediscovered in the 1970s.
Lost and found: Historians believe that the city was abandoned around the time of the Spanish arrival and conquest. It was rediscovered in the 1970s.
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