Ciudad Perdida — one of CUCACO's destinations
Cultura Caribe Colombia
CUCACO Travel
A community-based tourism agency that opens routes of encounter and creates conditions for life.
The foundation's commercial door
In the heart of the Colombian Caribbean, where the jungle merges with the sea and history remains present, CUCACO was born. We're not a conventional agency, but promoters of a legacy grounded in regeneration. We consciously connect travelers and communities, joining the present with the roots of our land.
We work closely with local communities, respecting their traditions and making sure tourism contributes to their strength. For every traveler, we plant trees in La Tigra Reserve. We've also installed 5 camera traps in the reserve to monitor wildlife and support conservation strategies.
- IncludedLocal guides, 4x4 transport with A/C, meals (vegetarian option available), entrance fees to reserves and parks, travel insurance, accommodation in nature
- Not includedTips, plane tickets, alcoholic beverages
- Phone+57 312 625 4432
- Instagram@culturacaribecolombia
Some destinations: Santa Marta, Tayrona National Natural Park, La Tigra Reserve, Bunkuani, Ciudad Perdida, Minca, Aracataca, Ciénaga, Barranquilla, Cartagena, San Basilio de Palenque, Palomino, Camarones, and other points across the Colombian Caribbean.
The first year, in real numbers
July 13, 2025 – July 12, 2026. Data from the first-year operations report on the Ciudad Perdida trek, prepared for Intrepid Travel.
- Trips run11
- Travelers served (PAX)105 — an average of 9.5 per departure
- Families impacted17, along the corridor to Ciudad Perdida
- Trees planted on trips33 (3 per departure)
- Trees via the Intrepid Travel partnership500, planted at La Tigra Reserve during the second half of 2025
- Total trees, first year533 — two distinct mechanisms: per-trip planting and the Intrepid Travel grant
The guide team is led by Giuliano Cavalli and Hernán Fonseca. Every departure activates a chain of local employment: certified guide, assistant, cook, mule handlers and accommodation in community campsites.
Source: CUCACO Travel's first-year operations report, prepared for Intrepid Travel. The report itself flags as an open gap that it doesn't yet report financial data on value distribution, nor a survival rate for the trees planted — documented as such, without inflating the figure.
The itinerary that's actually walked
4 days, out and back from El Mamey — the route CUCACO actually operates, not a generic version.
Santa Marta → El Mamey → Adán → Wiwa
Breakfast in El Mamey (120 masl), lunch in Adán, overnight in Wiwa. The day with the greatest cumulative distance.
Wiwa → Paraíso → Ciudad Perdida → Paraíso
Guided visit to Ciudad Perdida (1,142 masl, ~1,200 stone steps). Overnight back at Paraíso.
Paraíso → Wiwa
A rest afternoon. The lowest-exertion day, to recover after the climb to Ciudad Perdida.
Wiwa → El Mamey → Santa Marta
Final descent, with more river crossings, and transport back.
The full trek is about 51 km with ~3,700 m of cumulative elevation gain. Several travelers report that the real physical demand was higher than expected, especially due to humidity and mud — we're updating the pre-trip information to reflect that honestly, instead of softening it.
What those who've already walked it say
Direct quotes from travelers, compiled in the first-year report.
“It wasn't a trek, it was a life experience.”
“The Sierra Nevada stopped being a landscape and became a story.”
“I thought about quitting, but I kept going.”
“I felt cared for at every moment.”
Who makes every route possible
It's not an isolated project.
Ulukundua Trail
One of the experiences CUCACO makes bookable.
Learn about Ulukundua
Seed Guides Training
The people who guide CUCACO's routes trained here.
Learn about Seed GuidesCultivating the Journey
The editorial voice of the very trips CUCACO organizes.
Read Cultivating the JourneyI'd like to know more about CUCACO Travel
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