I finally decided to travel to Santa Marta because of all the positive feedback I've been hearing. From talks of its beautiful beaches, bumbling night life and great restaurants. But I soon discovered that while it was fun, I preferred the serenity of Taganga and the adventure/history I got from the ecotourism of the Ciudad Perdida trek.

The city of Santa Marta is very popular amongst travelers and many people vacation here, some even own vacation properties here. Here you'll find many people passing through and making a pit stop here during their travels. One such person was a gentleman from London named William. His enthusiasm for travel, got me to head towards Taganga, which was only 5km away.

The village of Taganga is just north of Santa Marta at the coast of Colombia. When I got to Taganga, the first thing that I noticed was its beautiful atmosphere.

The only bad thing was that there was a lot of debris all over the town so I decided to walk along the coast towards an isolated beach called Playa Grande. Although it was almost empty at the moment, I hear many travelers visit during peak seasons.

I decided to take a dip in the beach and shortly went back to Taganga. There, I mingled with the locals at a small bar called El Garaje. I shared travel stories and the locals seemed to take a liking to them.

Taganga is a low key area so there wasn't any expensive over the top hotels. For people who want to experience nature, they can decide to snooze away at the beach under the moonlight, but I needed a full rest for my journey for Ciudad Perdida Trek so settled on a bed.

Making the journey through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is tough and is only for those who are in good shape. You'll have to set off on foot for several days on treacherous conditions. The path is steep and hot weather conditions aren't helpful either.

The last part of the journey is very challenging as it requires you to climb 2,000 slippery steps to reach Ciudad Perdida; also called the "Lost City". I have to say that the feeling of accomplishment and the rewarding experience that awaits you at the end of this adventure cannot be measured.

In the past Ciudad Perdida had a civilization of Tayronan Indians.  But the Indians were all destroyed as a result of the Spanish conquest.  The only thing that is left are the remnants of their once flourishing nation.

And even their artifacts, art and treasures are now gone as treasure hunters had found them inside the Lost City and plundered their history.

What remains today is managed by the Colombian government.  The main purpose is to attract travelers and ecotourists with a sense of adventure and an appreciation of history.