Discover the Lost City!

Sunday 15 March 2020

A charity is on the hunt for a team of trekkers willing to venture into a 'Lost City' in order to make a difference to the lives of autistic people and their families.

After exploring Jordan Morocco and the Machu Pichu, Autism Jersey is inviting islanders to make their way through Colombia in March 2021 to reach the ruins of Teyuna, famously known as the 'Lost City'.

Dating back over 1,500 years, Teyuna ruins are located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, which run through Colombia and end close to the Caribbean Sea on the north coast.

Cloaked in dense tropical rainforest, the mountains have been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1979.

Pictured: Teyuna ruins, which date back over 1500 years, are located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.

The 10-day trek, organised in partnership with Discover Adventure, will see participants follow steep, sometimes overgrown and muddy trails, through lush jungle and river valleys, crossing clear streams in order to reach the climb 1200 ancient stone steps that lead up to the city.

En route, they will pass indigenous Kogui communities, the descendants of the city's early builders and will sleep near their settlements in hammocks.

 After exploring the ruins, the group will head to colonial Cartagena and its "stunning Caribbean backdrop".

Pictured: After Teyuna, the trekkers will head to Cartagena. 

"This is a tough trek full of natural beauty and cultural discovery, and is guaranteed to be a trip of a lifetime!," the charity said.

Dr Helen Miles, Vice-Chair of Autism Jersey, who is joining the trek with her husband, Richard, said the charity had been looking for a special challenge, following more "traditional" expeditions to Jordan, Kilimanjaro, Morocco and Machu Picchu.

"We were looking for a new, unique challenge that had not been on offer to Jersey trekkers before," she explained. "It certainly ticks all the boxes for us; a tough challenge that combines rainforest adventure, natural beauty, trekking through indigenous communities to discover remote, ancient ruins."

She continued: "This will be another opportunity to challenge ourselves to do something very different to raise money for an important cause – practical support to families living with autism in Jersey.

"It will be an awesome challenge and we are really looking forward to an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime adventure."

Last year's trek to the city of Machu Picchu helped raise £57,898.66 - an "amazing" result the charity is hoping to beat next year. They are appealing to islanders who are not only passionate about the outdoors and exploring the world but also get a buzz from helping others to join their team of trekkers.