Where Was The Lost City Of Z Filmed? Deep in the Amazon and hidden across Ireland – the real filming locations behind history’s greatest unsolved mystery.
The Lost City of Z (2016) follows real-life British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who becomes obsessed with finding an ancient Amazonian civilization he calls “Z.”
Across multiple expeditions, he drags a skeptical fellow explorer (Robert Pattinson) and later his own son (Tom Holland, yes, pre-Spider-Man) into the jungle. Sienna Miller plays his long-suffering wife, Nina.
The plot: Fawcett vanishes in 1925, becoming the 20th century’s greatest missing-person mystery. This is not Indiana Jones. This is mud, malaria, and misery – and the filming was worse.
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🗺️ The Lost City Of Z Filming Locations
Grab your compass and a healthy fear of beetles – here’s where the magic (and misery) happened.
🌿 Colombia – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
If you thought watching the movie was sweaty, try making it through the filming of The Lost City of Z (2016) jungle expedition scenes.
The production spent six brutal weeks in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a mountain range near the Caribbean coast that doubles for the Amazon. Yes, the place they chose was the easier option.
Here’s the hilarious/terrifying truth: Director James Gray emailed Francis Ford Coppola (who made Apocalypse Now, the gold standard of jungle film disasters) for advice. Coppola replied with two words: “Don’t go.”
Gray went anyway. Regret followed. The actors lost weight – Hunnam dropped 35 pounds for the role. Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson barely spoke off-camera.
Then came the ear beetle. One night, Hunnam woke to a sound like a “pneumatic drill” inside his head. A long-winged beetle had burrowed into his ear and was flapping against his eardrum.
He tried to “MacGyver” it with a Neti pot, then went back to sleep. When he woke up, the beetle was still there. He had to be taken to the hospital for extraction. The next day? Back to filming.
Wildlife didn’t stop there. One crew member was bitten by a viper. Several others caught malaria and dengue fever during those six weeks.
Flash floods were a constant threat. Hunnam recalled being caught in a torrential downpour so severe that a lightning bolt struck nearby and knocked him off his feet.
And here’s the craziest part about the Colombia shoot: they shot on 35mm film. In a rainforest. With 100% humidity. Gray called it “an act of absolute hubris.”
There were no labs nearby, so exposed film was stuffed into “torn-up crappy cardboard boxes” and flown out three times a day on a single-engine crop duster. The crew couldn’t watch dailies immediately – they had to wait for a satellite phone call the next morning, hoping the film arrived safely.
Gray’s Mac laptop died from the humidity and wouldn’t turn on anymore. The 35mm cameras? Kept running. Gray later admitted, “If I’d relied on digital, the machines might have conked out completely, and then I’d be in real trouble.”
What was filmed here:
- Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta: Jungle, Amazon, and one very angry beetle.
- Don Diego River, Tayrona National Park: Canoe paddles through bug-choked water that look peaceful but absolutely weren’t.
- Santa Marta City: Base camp, medical evacuation hub, and where actors cried between takes.
☔ Northern Ireland – Belfast, Antrim Hills, Strangford Lough
After Colombia tried to kill everyone, the production spent five weeks in Northern Ireland, which sounds like a vacation until you realize they were filming in freezing rain, standing in for both Edwardian London and the battlefields of the Somme.
The crew used Belfast as their production base, transforming city landmarks into period-accurate England. Why Northern Ireland? Tax incentives, studio infrastructure, and Northern Ireland Screen provided production funding.
The Belfast City Hall scenes required hundreds of extras in period costumes, all pretending to be London journalists and society elites. As a period film, everything was transformed to fit a 1920s setting.
Methodist College, a working school, was transformed into the Royal Geographical Society. The crew added period wallpaper, swapped out modern light fixtures, and dressed the location to match early-20th-century London.
The Antrim Hills doubled for the Battle of the Somme. That’s right – a peaceful Irish hillside played one of WWI’s bloodiest battlefields. The production dug real trenches and filmed the First World War sequences there using practical effects.
Brad Pitt, a producer on the film, arrived in Greyabbey village (which played the Fawcett’s idyllic English countryside home) with the production crew, parking on farm land near Strangford Lough, which provided the riverside scenes where Fawcett departs on his expeditions.
The crew filmed for more than three days at a remote whitewashed cottage with no electricity or running water, enduring wind, rain, and hail.
What was filmed here:
- Belfast City Hall: The Royal Geographical Society press conferences (lots of tweed & maps).
- Methodist College, Belfast: Interior scenes of Fawcett addressing stuffed-shirt geographers.
- Antrim Hills: The muddy, trench-filled battlefields of World War I (all real Irish mud).
- Strangford Lough, County Down: Riverside and outdoor expedition departure scenes.
- Greyabbey Village: The Fawcett family home and rural English life.
🎬 Studio Locations
While Colombia and Northern Ireland provided the grit, studio work filled in the gaps – London interiors, rain-soaked train stations, and anything requiring climate control.
What was filmed here:
- Belfast studio interiors: Nina’s London home, Fawcett’s study, and the Royal Geographical Society‘s indoor chambers.
- Controlled jungle inserts: Close-ups of insects, artifacts, and scenes where actors couldn’t risk real Colombian wildlife.
- Train station sequences: Goodbye scenes filmed on soundstages because actual trains are too loud and schedule-unfriendly.
🛕 Is The Lost City Of Z a True Story?
Yes – with artistic liberties. Percy Fawcett was real. His obsession was real. His disappearance is one of exploration’s greatest mysteries.
The movie ends ambiguously – Percy Fawcett and his son are captured by a tribe and “marched into darkness” toward the legend of Z. It’s spiritual, poetic, and completely made up.
In reality, in May 1925, Fawcett, his son Jack, and Jack’s friend Raleigh Rimell entered Brazil’s Mato Grosso region. Their last message came from “Dead Horse Camp” (yes, that’s the real name).
Fawcett wrote to his wife Nina: “You need have no fear of any failure.” Then silence. Forever.
His own Journey to the Lost City of Z book is a record of his thrilling, mysterious account of ten years of travel through deadly jungles and forests.
American journalist David Grann traveled into the Amazon to investigate and write The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon based on Fawcett’s life, expeditions, occult obsessions, and disappearance.
Also read: Lost Trails, Lost Cities by Percy Harrison Fawcett
What actually happened? Three leading theories:
- Hostile tribes (most likely): The Kalapalo tribe told author David Grann they saw Fawcett’s campfire burn for five nights. On the sixth night, it vanished. They believe he ignored warnings and entered the territory of a warrior tribe.
- Disease and starvation: The Amazon doesn’t play. Malaria, parasites, infected ticks – Rimell already had a severely swollen foot before they disappeared.
- “Going native”: Some think Fawcett found Z (or a tribe he respected) and chose to never leave. Romantic, but zero evidence.
So, was the Lost City of Z ever found? Ironically, yes – just not by Fawcett.
Archaeologists later discovered Kuhikugu, a massive complex of ancient settlements near his search area, with roads, bridges, and moats supporting up to 50,000 people.
Fawcett was right about advanced Amazonian civilizations. He was just wrong about surviving the search.
❓ The Lost City Of Z FAQ
Grab a compass and a snack. Settle in, explorers – these answers won’t bite (unlike the Colombian beetles).
What is The Lost City of Z?
Fawcett’s term for a hypothetical ancient Amazonian city he believed held advanced knowledge. Not El Dorado‘s gold – more like a lost cultural hub.
Was the Lost City of Z ever found?
Not the one Fawcett hunted. But Kuhikugu – a massive ancient settlement complex – was discovered near his search area, proving he was right about advanced civilizations existing in the Amazon.
Who dies in The Lost City of Z?
In the movie, Fawcett and his son Jack presumably die off-screen. Historically, all three men (Fawcett, Jack, and Raleigh Rimell) vanished without confirmed remains.
Who was in The Lost City of Z cast?
- Charlie Hunnam (Fawcett)
- Robert Pattinson (Costin)
- Sienna Miller (Nina)
- Tom Holland (Jack)
- Angus Macfadyen (James Murray)
Other books like The Lost City of Z?
- The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
- Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
- Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
Other movies like The Lost City of Z?
- Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
- The Mission (1986)
- Embrace of the Serpent (2015)
📺 Where To Watch The Lost City of Z
Your couch is warmer than the jungle – and has zero ear beetles.
- Amazon Prime: Available to rent or buy.
- DVD/Blu-ray: Behind-the-scenes docs, director commentary, deleted scenes.
- Other platforms: Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Hulu, Paramount.
So was the Lost City of Z ever found? Not unless you count Kuhikugu.
But if you’re looking for a lost city of sanity, check the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta – last seen being abandoned by Charlie Hunnam after a beetle burrowed into his ear.
Now press play and let the real explorers stay lost.
Disclaimer: This fan-created article is provided for entertainment purposes only. We don’t guarantee the accuracy of any of these facts and don’t recommend making important life decisions based on them. All referenced titles, names, and related intellectual property are the property of their respective owners, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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