The  Caño Cristales river in Colombia is a beautiful escape, with fresh plants called Macarenia clavigerarooms rendering a colourful look to the pristine waters and the gorgeous Sierra de la Macarena, the mountain range located to the south of the capital Bogota, the  Caño Cristales qualifies for a unique vacation.

Between July and November, moss, aquatic flora and corals as well as red plants stick fast to the rocks all through the riverbed, thus forming a melange of shades right under the water surface.

The hues of red, blue, green, black and yellow makes the river look like a ‘liquid’ rainbow and it is a great tourist draw during the monsoons. the apt time to see the colourful aquatic formations, as per the locals, is just after a storm, when all the colours look clear.

Behind the topography of the river are the rich sediments and the 1.2 billion year old rocks lying underneath. When all these factors blend with the multi-hued plant life of the river, what generates is an awe inspiring spectrum of colours. For the rest of the year, however, the river remains a shimmering grey colour and some shades of green here and there.

How to Reach

To reach here, fly to la Macarena, then take a taxi to the Serraina de la Macarena National Park. From there, take a walk or a horseback ride to cover the final leg of the journey to  Caño Cristales.

Best Time to Visit

A visit to  Caño Cristales is most apt from July to the beginning of December. Travellers should bear in mind that booking tours before and after this season is not possible.

the spot was actually closed till 2009 for a long time due to terrorist influence and the possibility of an impending harm to the natural environment caused by the tourists. Other sites worth beholding in the vicinity of  Caño Cristales are the waterfalls Angosutra in the Guayabero and  Caño Cafre rivers.