Do you want to know one of the most beautiful rivers in the world? It is not about the Amazon or the Nile, but about Caño Cristales, a surprising and small river current little known in most of the planet. In fact, it is not 100 km long or more than 20 m wide in any section. Of course, it is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
Caño Cristales is located in the Meta department, in the interior of Colombia, very close to the municipality of La Macarena. It consists of a succession of rapids, waterfalls, belts and wells with waters of impressive purity, through which the five colors that predominate throughout the river can be seen.
The river of five colors
The Macarena mountain range is a nature reserve where come together Amazonian Andean elements and the Orinico, in addition to innumerable water courses that descend the steep slopes. One of them is Caño Cristales, also known as the "river of the five colors", the hue of the algae that grow in this channel: yellow, blue, green, red and black. However, red is the predominant color of the spout, since, when the water decreases in summer, the sun dries the plant known as the clavigera macarenia.
Very old rocks
In addition to its colors, the river and the Macerena area are characterized by their rocks, which are 1,200 million years old. Due to the fact that the river bed is rocky, with a rain of moderate intensity its flow can increase dramatically, leaving isolated the traveler on its shores. However, Caño Cristales decreases just as quickly.
Here we leave you with some beautiful images of Caño Cristales.
Caño Cristales Colombia - The River of 5 Colours (Rainbow River) (April 2024)
- rivers
- 1,230
