Tomb Raider I-III Remastered updates are in progress but will take time. For levels that have not yet been updated, I will continue to link to the ORIGINAL WALKTHROUGHS, which cover all the basics. Please check the introductory notes at the start of the first level for info on my process, modern vs. classic tank controls, etc. This guide covers most but not all possible achievements/trophies. Follow this link for the archived classic City of Vilcabamba walkthrough.

Secrets: 3  Pickups: 13, including Silver Key and Gold Idol  Kills: 29
Save Crystals: 2 (New Game+ only)

LEVEL MAP by VGCartography (used with permission)

City of Vilcabamba Video Walkthrough by Eldincy

OBJECTIVES: In the first part of the level, you explore the area around a pool to find two items: a SILVER KEY and GOLD IDOL. The silver key opens the door into the second part of the level. Here, you find a building with three doors, only one of which is open. Enter the first to find the switch that opens the second. Enter the second to find the switch that opens the third. Enter the third to find the exit, which you open with the gold idol.

NOTE: The "Dances With Wolves" achievement/trophy requires that you not kill any of the wolves at the beginning of the level. I have included notes on unlocking this one in a footnote. If you aren't already familiar with the game, I would highly recommend saving at the start of the level and then saving again in a new slot. Play through normally at least once to get the lay of the land, then reload that first save to attempt this achievement/trophy.

ENTRANCE AND NETWORK OF PASSAGEWAYS: Ready pistols because a pack of 4 wolves (1-4) waits in the cave beyond the entrance. Two come from the hallway to the left, one from ahead on the left and the fourth from the passage ahead on the right. (screenshot) Keep moving, jump while shooting, and roll to face any wolves that try and sneak up behind Lara. Lara targets enemies automatically, so all you have to do is press Action (or Secondary if using modern controls) to fire, but remember to release that button briefly when you want her to change targets, otherwise she'll remain locked onto a dead wolf while live ones gnaw on her legs.

Ahead is a network of small rooms and caves surrounding a central area with a pool. (Level Map) You can go whichever way you like to start, and you'll cover the whole area eventually. We'll do a systematic sweep, moving more or less counterclockwise around the perimeter, in order to clear out all the enemies. Keep those pistols drawn as you explore, since Lara may spot a few—bats in particular—before you do.

Starting with the level entrance at Lara's back, follow the passage along the right wall. Kill the lone wolf (5) in the well-lit, open area at the next corner. Continue forward, past the doorway on the left leading to the central pool. Instead take the second left and follow the narrow hallway along the outer wall. Shoot 3 bats (6-8) that drop from the ceiling as you approach. Continue forward, ignoring the passageway leading off to the left for now. At the next corner, another wolf (9) jumps out. If you approach slowly with guns drawn, you should be able to lock on as it comes around the corner, then hop/backflip away while shooting. When it's dead, search the foliage in the corner to find a small medi pack (1) and continue on. (screenshots)

Just ahead, the passage widens and light spills in from above. There's a hallway on the left leading to a door with a black-and-white switch and the central area with the pool. Ignore them for now and continue straight on. At the next intersection, there's a locked door and keyhole. You don't have the key yet, so ignore it as well and continue straight on, killing 5 more bats (10-14) that drop from the ceiling. Continue forward, go up two low steps, turn left at the corner, continue straight, then go down two low steps, and turn left again. (Going straight here would take you back to the level entrance.) Two more bats (15-16) drop down from the ceiling. You may need to pass under the second bat to get it moving, then roll and shoot it. Continue into the large, low-ceilinged room with the square pool in the center. (screenshots)

CENTRAL ROOM WITH POOL: Near the pool and the small overgrown hill is a side room with two rectangular doorways and a wooden trough. There's a bear (17) lurking inside on the left. If you're hunting achievements/trophies, or just prefer a safer approach, check the note below. If you're not interested in achievements/trophies, enter the side room through the right doorway with pistols ready, get a lock on the bear, and back out of the room firing. Just watch out because the bear may exit the room through the left doorway and sneak up behind you. (screenshots) Run back into the room where the bear came from, climb onto the ledge/hayloft, and grab the small medi pack (2) in the right corner. (screenshot)

NOTE: The "Circus of Vilcabamba" achievement/trophy requires you to "look at the bears standing on hind legs." So don't kill the bear immediately. Holster those guns, enter the side room through the right doorway, and quickly climb onto the ledge/hayloft. This is easier if you veer to the right as you enter and climb up where there's a solid pillar beneath the ledge, rather than open space. Once Lara is safe on the ledge, wait for the bear to approach. Eventually, it should rear up on its hind legs. This may happen without any effort on your part, but if the bear runs out of the room before doing its tricks, try dangling Lara from the edge as bait, as described in the Caves walkthrough. Repeat until you see the majestic display. Double check your achievement/trophy progress to make sure it registered. (screenshot) If not, try again. You may need to be closer to the bear or hold the Look button to actually look at it. Then save the game so you don't have to do it again. (screenshots) The third bear appears later in this level.

UNDERWATER PASSAGEWAYS: Stand at the edge of the water facing the room with two doorways and wooden trough, where the bear came from. If you're new to the game, or your swimming skills are a little rusty, save before entering the water. Jump in and swim down and forward, following the flooded tunnel. When you reach the T-intersection, turn right. Follow the tunnel as it slopes upward. At the top is a flooded room with numerous square pillars. Head for the far right corner. Find the lever on the wall below the carved stone faces. Pull it to open a trapdoor above. (To pull the lever, swim close, turn Lara to face it and press Action.) Swim up to the open trapdoor and climb out of the water. This room contains SECRET #1, a small medi pack (3). The switch in the corner, behind the burlap sacks, opens the nearby door, which leads back to the room with the pool. Go ahead and open the door if you like, but don't exit that way. (screenshots)

Instead return to the open trapdoor and jump into the water. Swim down and forward, away from the trapdoor, toward the diagonally opposite (far left) corner of the flooded room. On the back side of the pillar there, you'll find a second lever. Pull it to open a door elsewhere. If Lara's air/breath meter (at the top left corner of the screen) is less than half full, return to the open trapdoor above the first lever to breathe. Otherwise, after pulling the second lever, swim between the pillars on the left and then down into the wide tunnel you came through before. Follow this tunnel forward and down. At the bottom on the left is the tunnel leading up to the pool. Unless Lara is about to drown, ignore it and continue straight ahead, following the tunnel as it slopes upward and then turns left. Here the tunnel is lined with blue tiles. Follow it to the end. Surface in a room containing a row of Mesoamerican serpent statues. Climb out of the water near them to unlock the "Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?" achievement/trophy. Then turn around and head for the far right corner and the door you opened with the second lever. Inside is a roughly excavated room containing magnum clips (4) and a small medi pack (5). This is SECRET #2. (screenshots)

There's no other way out, so return to the pool and swim down the tunnel, right at the bend, and right again at the next intersection. Follow that tunnel up to the first pool, near where you killed the bear, and climb out of the water.

ROOM WITH STAIRS & ROOM WITH SKULLS: Now, face away from the room with the two doors and wooden trough. Ahead on the right is carved stone door with a switch next to it. Use the switch to open the door. Enter and climb the stairs to a small doorway overlooking the corridor below. Take a running jump across the gap to the opposite opening. If you're achievement/trophy hunting, save the game here. (screenshots)

The next room has a floating walkway made of 2 break-away tiles (3-4/51) and a raised alcove surrounded by skulls. The "Kon-Tiqsi-Wiraqucha" achievement/trophy requires you to "Go in to get the gold idol and exit through the same window." "After Us the Deluge!" wants you to "Make all shuttered [sic] floor panels crash on a single walkthrough." Here's how to do both:

Walk to the edge of the opening. Then jump forward to land on the second cracked tile. It collapses, dropping Lara to the floor, but the first tile remains intact. Don't worry about the medi pack in the alcove for now. Locate the darker movable block in the wall below the ledge. Position Lara against it and hold Action. She'll go into a crouch, showing that she's ready to pull or push the block. Press Forward/Up to push it. Repeat this several times to push the block into the next room. Kill a bat (18) and move past the block. Vault onto the low platform at the back of the room and collect a SILVER KEY (6) and GOLD IDOL (7) from the alcoves on each side. (screenshots)

NOTE FOR NEW PLAYERS: After collecting the key and idol, check your inventory. Press Esc (keyboard), View (Xbox), touchpad (PlayStation), – (minus on Switch) to open the inventory. Then press Up to access the upper menu ring. Press Left/Right to examine the items here. This will be useful later, as you find yourself looking for more keys and puzzle items.

Return to the movable block and use it to climb onto the ledge above. (There's a save crystal here in New Game+.) Go to the left side of the L-shaped platform, killing 2 bats (19-20) that drop from the ceiling. Pick up the large medi pack (8) in the dark corner to the left of the window opening. Do not climb out this window. Instead, drop back down to the lower level and push the movable block back into the other room. Use it to reach the alcove with the large medi pack (9) on the wall made of skulls. (You might want to save again here.) Take a running jump to grab the edge of the intact break-away tile. The tile won't shatter as long as Lara is hanging. Pull up to stand on top of it. Then, before it can crumble away, immediately jump forward to grab the windowsill. Pull up to unlock the achievement, then drop down into the hallway below. (screenshots)

NOTES: There are 51 shattered tiles in the entire game, so you won't unlock the Deluge achievement/trophy right away, but that's two more down. If you don't care about achievements/trophies, it's quicker to run across both breakaway tiles, jump to grab the edge of the ledge with the large medi pack, pick it up, drop to the floor, and push the movable block into the other room. Collect the key and idol, climb to the upper room, and drop down through the window near the other large medi pack.

Now head for the locked door you saw earlier. If you get lost, return to the pool and use this screenshot to get oriented.

LOCKED DOOR: Use your newly acquired SILVER KEY in the keyhole to the right of the door to open it. (screenshot) To do this, stand close to the keyhole and press Action. Select the key from your inventory and press Action again. Enter and either run/jump past the dart trap or do a dive-and-roll (Walk + Jump + Forward) to avoid it.

RED-ROOFED BUILDING WITH THREE DOORWAYS: The open area beyond contains 5 wolves (21-25). Proceed cautiously and they won't all be on you at once. The first two sit on either side of the doorway. If you enter, pistols ready, and immediately turn right, you can kill the first wolf, then roll and kill the second. The others approach as you move farther into the room—one from the left, one from the right, and a third from the stairs. Lock onto each in turn and back away shooting. (screenshots)

LEFT DOOR: When they're all dead, go up the stairs to the building with three doorways. Enter through the door on the left. (The others are still closed.) Follow the passage to a room with a pool and some stairs and ledges. Go to the top of the stairs, turn right, walk to the edge, and then jump forward and grab the ledge beyond. Pull up. Then either take a running jump or a standing jump from the outer corner (Forward + Jump, no run-up, no grabbing) to the next ledge. Go through the doorway and up the stairs. Draw pistols and kill a bat (26) that drops as you emerge on the next ledge. Take a running jump across to the next ledge and continue to the top. Kill another bat (27), pick up the small medi pack (10) and throw the switch to open the right-hand door at the front of the building. (screenshots)

Exit this room via the other doorway (not the stairs). Step off the edge to land on the stone ledge below, where you'll find some shotgun shells (11). Safety drop to the red-tiled roof. Pick up another small medi pack (12). Then hop down to the ground in front of the building. (screenshots)

NOTE: Lara won't lose health if you just step off the edge here, but if you run off the edge, she'll overshoot the edge of the roof and fall all the way to the ground. To safety drop, walk to the edge, turn around, hold Action, and press Back/Down to drop and grab the edge. Then release Action to let go.

RIGHT DOOR: Now enter through the door on the right. Follow the hall to another pool. Climb the stairs and run across the 4 break-away tiles (5-8/51) to collapse them. (Doing this contributes to the "After Us the Deluge!" achievement/trophy.) Climb out of the water, return to the top of the stairs. Take a running jump to grab the ledge ahead and pull up. To shatter all 8 break-away tiles (9-16/51) on this level, run forward onto the corner tile and immediately veer left. Continue running along the row of tiles near the wall, then turn left onto the solid ledge. Pause here if you like. Then run across the remaining tiles, back to the ledge where you started. (screenshots)

Face the corner ledge above the one where Lara is now standing. Walk to the edge, jump straight up and grab the edge (Jump + Action). Pull up, turn around, and jump straight up once more to grab the next ledge. Pull up. Ignore the ledges on the other side of the room. Instead turn right and take a running jump to grab the ledge near the doorway. Pull up, draw weapons, and kill another bat (28). Follow the stairs up to another room with a switch. Pull it to open the middle door, below. Exit through the doorway to the roof. (There's a save crystal here in NG+.) Carefully drop down, ledge by ledge, to the ground. Or, if you prefer, return down the stairs, exit onto the ledge overlooking the pool and try a swan dive into the water (Walk + Jump + Forward). Climb out and return to the front of the building. (screenshots)

MIDDLE DOOR: Enter through the middle door and proceed cautiously. Three blades begin to swing back and forth as you approach. Take each one in turn, standing slightly left or right of center and running through as the blade swings away toward the opposite side. Beyond the blades is a gate. There's a bear (29) in the room beyond, but you can't shoot it through the gate, and in any case, you probably want to watch it dance for the "Circus of Vilcabamba" achievement/trophy. (screenshots)

Throw the switch and the floor collapses, dropping Lara into a pool. Swim forward then up to the surface, but don't climb out of the water yet. That bear (29 again) is pacing around the pool. If you tread water near the edge, it may stand up on its hind legs. Press Look and move the camera to get a good eyeful. If you've done the same with the previous bears (one in the Caves, one earlier in this level), you should unlock the achievement/trophy. You can now climb out of the water and confront the bear, or continue and shoot it in a moment from a safe ledge. (screenshots)

Swim through the square underwater opening about halfway up one side of the pool. Follow this passage around to the left and surface in another pool. Climb out of the water and follow the stairs up to a room with a switch. Use it to open the gate in front of the exit door (below, at one end of the pool). Step out onto the ledge above the pool and shoot the bear (still 29) from above if you like. Or, if you haven't seen it dance yet, it may happen here. When it's dead, jump down into the pool and climb out on the other side. (screenshots)

Face the gate you just opened, but don't go through yet or you'll miss a secret. Instead, head for the dark corner to the left of the gate. Climb the stairs there. At the top is a room with another switch that stops the swinging blades. (You can ignore it unless you missed something earlier in the level and need to return that way.) Opposite the switch and to the left of the stairs is a doorway. Enter and drop down twice to find SECRET #3, Uzi ammo (13). Climb back to the switch room and either return down the stairs or drop down off the balcony. (screenshots)

LEVEL EXIT: Use the GOLD IDOL in the receptacle to the right of the gate to open the door beyond. Go through to end the level. (screenshots)

†UPDATE HISTORY: Updates made prior to the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered release, including credit for tips sent in by other players, are tracked in the original guide.
2/21/24 - Remastered City of Vilcabamba guide first posted.
2/22/24 - Added a note about Why Did It Have To Be Snakes, thanks to a heads-up from Andalux.
2/24/24 - Updated strategy to cover the Kon-Tiqsi-Wiraqucha achievement/trophy. Added the save crystal back in for NG+ players. (Oops! Learning as I go.)
5/27/24 - Added running totals for the break-away tiles needed for the "After Us the Deluge" achievement/trophy.

DARK MODE: I plan to add optional dark mode for these pages, but my current priority is updating the walkthroughs. Meanwhile, may I suggest a reputable dark mode browser extension, such as Dark Reader? (Download only from trusted sites, like darkreader.org or your browser's web store.)

DANCES WITH WOLVES ACHIEVEMENT/TROPHY: This achievement/trophy requires you to "Gather 11 wolves in front of 4 Toltec warriors. The "warriors" in question are the statues in front of the RED-ROOFED BUILDING WITH THREE DOORWAYS in the second part of the level. So you'll need to obtain the SILVER KEY, unlock the door to the second area, and bring all 6 wolves, alive, from the starting area into the second area, where you'll pick up 5 more wolves. Then, as you approach the steps leading up to the red-roofed building, the achievement/trophy should unlock. Follow this link for Tomb Raider 1 Remastered - Dances with Wolves Achievement/Trophy - screenshots and video.

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