In photos: The indigenous Wiwa tribe of Colombia

Jose Mujica, the Wiwa guide on our trek, was lighthearted and quick with a joke. The Wiwa wear white as it represents purity and the snow that’s found in the upper reaches of the mountains.

The semi-nomadic Kogi tribe return to this village for ceremonies and reunions.

The Wiwa lives in harmony with three other nearby tribes; the Kogi, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo. This is a Kogi village.

Our guides show us how a sugar cane mill works that’s still in use today.

Wiwa boys and girls are given different accessories. Wiwa girls have necklaces and all Wiwa boys carry bags. Here, a Wiwa woman shows us how they make the bags.

Wiwa men use a danburro as a meditation tool. It’s a dried-out calabash containing crushed seashells. They grind the sea shells up with the stick to make a paste that they put in their mouth, along with coca leaves and tobacco paste. They then methodically rub the stick on the outside of the danburro, which gives it the yellow colour and shape.

The Lost City is a sacred temple for the local tribes. In September every year, no tourists are allowed to visit the site as that time is reserved for religious ceremonies.

The Lost City, or Teyuna, is located on an elevated ridge in the jungle. The Wiwa ancestors believed the higher they built, the closer they’d be to the stars and the sun.

A young mamo – a spiritual guide for the Wiwa – took us through a soul-cleansing ceremony at the end of our hike. ‘What we do to the earth, we do to ourselves.’

A wiwa woman starts the long process of making a bag. It can take months to make the more intricate bags.

A group of Wiwa leaders discusses their place in society. Many indigenous tribes in Colombia face uncertain futures. The Wiwa have decided to embrace tourism in order to secure their legacy.

Wiwa tribe members can be identified from other tribes by their white hats (pictured right), while a mamo (spiritual guide) wears a slightly different type of hat.

Jose shows how to dry out coca leaves. You take a red-hot stone from a fire, put it in a bag with the leaves, and shake it around rigorously for a couple of minutes.