Caño Cristales, an explosion of natural color known as “the river that ran away from paradise.”

3 min read

4 weeks ago Ivan

We are in Colombia, home to an unique biological wonder, Caño Cristales, that has been referred as the “river of five colors,” “the river that ran away from paradise,” and even “the most beautiful river in the world.”

The quartzite rocks of the Serrania de la Macarena tableland, an isolated mountain range in the Meta Department, formed approximately 1.2 billion years ago, they are a western extension of the Guiana Shield and Caño Cristales is a fast-flowing river with many rapids and waterfalls.
For most of the year, it is indistinguishable from any other river: a simply bed of rocks covered in dull green mosses, visible below a cool, clear current.
However, for a brief period of time every year, more precisely the short span between the wet and dry seasons, it appears in a vibrant explosion of colors.
When the water level is just right, a unique species of plant that lines the river floor called Rhyncholacis clavigera (or Macarenia clavigera) turns a brilliant red, with by splotches of yellow and green sand, blue water, and a thousand shades in between.
Unfortunately, this only happens for a brief period between seasons.
In fact, during Colombia’s wet season, the water flows too fast and deep, obscuring the bottom of the river and denying the Macarenia Clavigera the sun that it needs to turn red while, during the dry season, there is not enough water to support the dazzling array of life in the river.
But for a few weeks from September through November, the river transforms into a sort of living rainbow.

According to native legends, the Caño Cristales river escaped from paradise to wander among the mountains and prairies, and it has been known to indigenous locals for ages, but it was not discovered by modern society until 1969 when a group of Colombian cattle farmers stumbled across the river in full bloom.
It used to be very dangerous to get to the river, and it remained a reclusive gem, hidden in the Colombian wilderness until guerilla groups commandeered the tiny village of Macarena, transforming it into a spot for militant activity and cocaine production.
Throughout the following years, the Colombian national army looked for these hideouts and the entire area into a war zone.
Either way, Caño Cristales is located in a remote, isolated area not easily accessible by road.
The site, closed to tourists for several years because of guerrilla activity in the region along with concerns about the impact of unregulated tourist traffic, it was reopened to visitors in 2009, and today there are several Colombian Tourist Agencies that will fly travelers to La Macarena.
From there, they must make their way to the river site on horseback or donkeyback and by foot as part of a guided tour.
Visitors are not permitted to stay overnight or cook, while swimming is permitted only in designated areas, without sunscreen to not destroy the fragile ecosystem!