Lost City Packing List: What to bring on a 4-day jungle trek

So you’ve signed up to trek to Colombia’s mysterious Lost City. You’ve got four days of adventure ahead of you: fording rivers, climbing mountains, and exploring abandoned ruins sites. The bad news? You’ll have to do it all while carrying everything you bring on your back. The key to surviving this trek is to pack as little as possible. In this post, I’ll provide you with the perfect Lost City packing list to make sure you have everything you need — and nothing more.

 

Wile you’re trekking, you can leave all the rest of your belongings at your Lost City tour company office in Santa Marta. I went with Expotur Colombia and they even brought my bag to meet me on the last day so they could drop me off at Costeno Beach, near Tayrona National Park. So you have no excuse — pack as light as you can!

 

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1. Backpack: Osprey Day Lite

 

 

The goal of this Lost City packing list is to travel with just a day-pack, not your big travel backpack. And the ideal day-pack to use is the small but sturdy Osprey Day Lite. I’ve traveled all over the world with this pack, and it’s never let me down.

 

The Day Lite is smaller than typical school backpacks, but perfectly designed for outdoor adventure. It accommodates a Camelbak water bladder. Even better, it has waist and chest straps. This helps a lot with weight distribution — the people whose backpacks only had shoulder straps on my Lost City trek constantly complained about neck pain.

 

If you follow the rest of this Lost City packing list you’ll have no trouble fitting everything into this bag.

 

2. Clothing

 

 

It’s a tough balance on the Lost City hike. On the one hand, you want to bring as little as possible. On the other, it’s so hot and sweaty that you won’t want to wear the same clothes each day.

 

I suggest striking a middle ground — bring a change of underwear and socks for each day, but only two shirts and one pair of pants. And of course you’ll want something to change into after you finish trekking each day. This is assuming you’re doing the trek in four days. If you’re extending to five or six, throw one more shirt in your bag.

 

The essential Lost City packing list clothes:

• Two wool or polyester, quick-drying, lightweight t-shirts. I particularly like this one from Toad & Co — it’s super durable.
• One lightweight, comfy shirt to wear in the evenings and as pajamas. Choose something you don’t mind getting a bit dirty.
• One pair of hiking pants. Although many people hike in shorts, I highly recommend long pants due to the bugs. These pants from Toad & Co are perfect.
• One pair of leggings for the evenings and as pajamas.
• Four pairs of hiking socks.
• Four pairs of underwear.
• Two sports bras.
• Bathing suit — you’ll have several opportunities to swim in rivers.

 

3. Shoes

 

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The only hiking boots I will ever trust are these amazing Merrells. They’ve taken me to the crater of a volcano in Ethiopia, a jungle trek in Malaysia, and up to nearly 5,300 meters in the Himalayas. Again on my Lost City trek, they held up, despite the rain, mud, and river crossings. Because the trails are so steep and muddy, I would definitely recommend proper hiking boots over regular sneakers.

 

You should also bring a pair of sandals to change into in the evenings. Flip-flops are fine, but I prefer these Tevas for extra sturdiness and support. Since they’re strap-ons, you can wear them for river crossings too.

 

4. Toiletries

 

 

In case it wasn’t already clear, you’re going to be dirtier during your trek to the Lost City than you ever thought possible. Whatever your normal beauty/hygiene routine is, you won’t be able to maintain it in the jungle. So don’t even try. Bring only the essentials on your Lost City packing list:

• Body wash or soap
• Toothbrush
• Travel-sized tube of toothpaste
• Deodorant (if you have a small one — otherwise, don’t even bother)
• Hand sanitizer
• Contact lenses (with at least two buffer pairs) and/or glasses if you need them
• One small bottle of high-SPF sunscreen.
• Mosquito repellent with DEET.
• Toilet paper. Most campsites don’t have it

 

One thing on this list bears extra emphasis — the mosquito repellent. The bugs at the Ciudad Perdida ruins themselves are some of the worst I’ve ever encountered in the world. Expect to go through most of a small bottle of bug spray on this trek. Don’t take any chances — infected mosquito bites are extremely common in this part of Colombia. One guy in my group got one and became so ill that had to ride back on a mule before we even got to the Lost City.

 

5. Electronics

 

 

Yes, you’re heading deep in to the Colombian jungle. But it’s not totally insane to include some electronics on your Lost City packing list — most of the camps have power where you can recharge things.

 

Still, electronics take up space and add weight. Plus, they’ll be vulnerable in the event of a downpour. So I’d keep it pretty minimal:

• Camera or phone to take photos on: I use the awesome-but-still-lightweight Sony A6000
• Camera/phone charger and spare battery
• Plug adapter if you need one
• At least one — maybe two — plastic bags to protect each piece of electronic equipment you bring

 

6. Essentials for the jungle

 

 

The Colombian jungle is a tough environment to hike in. Throw these items in your bag to make your trek more comfortable and safe.

 

First, bring a camping towel and an inflatable pillow. The towel will allow you to shower when you get to camp each afternoon — which is huge for feeling less disgusting. The pillow is less essential, as all the camps provide pillows. The provided ones are clean, but they smell gross and they aren’t very comfortable. Additionally, pack a headlamp for middle-of-the-night bathroom runs and early-morning packing.

 

Rain protection is a big issue on the Lost City hike. Even when it’s dry season in Colombia as a whole, it still rains in the jungle — and by “rains,” I mean “rains.” The humidity means nothing will dry overnight. If putting on damp socks sounds unpleasant to you, take steps to prevent your backpack from getting wet: Invest in a decent rain cover. Additionally, line the inside of your backpack with a garbage bag. Finally, carry an additional garbage bag that you can pin to the outside of your pack, above your rain cover.

 

You can buy bottled water all along the way to the Lost City, but it’s not very environmentally friendly. Instead, bring a reusable water bottle that you can refill with safe, purified water at each camp for free. I also recommend bringing a Steri Pen — a U/V light that purifies water in 90 seconds without affecting taste. This provides an extra layer of protection from the treated water, but it also allows you to fill your bottle from streams and rivers between camps. Better yet, you can use it throughout the rest of your travels in Colombia and totally avoid buying bottled water!

 

7. Lost City packing list nice-to-haves

 

 

If you were able to fit everything above into your Day Lite pack and still have space, congratulations! You’re a master trek packer. Consider using the space that’s left on one of these items.

 

First, you could consider bringing a book on your trek. Long afternoons at the camp can be pretty boring, and reading material helps. Just remember that books add weight and you stand a good chance of it getting wet.

 

Better than books perhaps would be a deck of playing cards. Use it to make new friends in your trekking group and pass the time — or just play solitaire if you’re feeling anti-social.

 

Finally, proper trekking poles would make the extremely steep descents a lot easier on your knees, if you don’t mind carrying them. For more on the pros and cons of using trekking poles, check out this article.

 

And that’s it! If you follow this Lost City packing list, you’ll be covered with everything you need for this four day jungle trek, without having to lug around anything extra. Happy hiking!

 

What’s your favorite trekking accessory? Leave a comment and tell me about it!

 

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