A MAGICAL PLACE IN THE WORLD
It is its aquatic plants that dress it in colors and transform a corner of Colombia into a wonderful tourist site visited by national and international travelers. Caño Cristales is considered one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, the Colombia Travel portal calls it the river of five colors, although many observers have shown that it has up to seven colors such as yellow, blue, green, red and black and as if were few, in their different shades. In addition, international portals such as National Geographic describe it as "a liquid rainbow" and others call it the river of the gods or the melted rainbow.
CAÑO CRISTALES IN LA MACARENA - COLOMBIA
This wonder of Colombia for the world, is located in the central zone of Colombia, in the department of Meta and shares both different and unique geographical spaces such as the Andean region, large plains of the Orinoquia region and begins to the south. with the amazing Amazon region. Unquestionably, the river forms part of the great diversity that the department of Meta has.
Calo Cristales is part of the Sierra de la Macarena natural park, located in the municipality that bears the same name: La Macarena. You can get there by plane from the main capitals of Colombia and the recommendation is to visit it from the end of July to October, when the vegetation is in all its splendor and you can appreciate the colors on the surface of the river.
It is advisable to visit the rainbow of water especially in the second half of the year, since it is at this time when you can appreciate the tonalities of the river more clearly.
WHAT ELSE DOES THE CAÑO CRISTALES RIVER AND ITS SURROUNDINGS OFFER US?
The Caño Cristales river is truly a symphony of nature that makes this entire area a paradisiacal place, not only because of its colors but also because of the heavenly harmony with which natural organisms coexist in its waters and on the banks of the river.
One of the most magnificent surprises is the Macarena Clavigera, an endemic plant to this region that gives the river its forceful red color. We also find the hoatzin, or stinking turkey, which according to National Geographic is one of the most primitive birds. Colombia Travel assures that in the ecosystem of this natural reserve we find, among other wonders, 420 species of birds, eight primates, 43 species of reptiles and many other native species.
In this wonderful tourist destination, activities such as trekking, bird watching, walks, hiking and active meditation and appreciation are carried out.
HOW CAN WE PRESERVE THE CAÑO CRISTALES RIVER?
The river in the first months of the year protects and hides its colors, as a strategy to recover, to this is added that the communities and managers of the natural park close and the entrance to tourists is restricted so that the ecosystem has a prudent time to recover and guarantee the conservation of the present ecosystems.
Tourists and visitors are trained by different tourism agents in the area with the aim of taking measures that help conserve the ecosystem, such as: not using creams or products on the skin when entering the river waters, not extracting vegetation nor species that inhabit the paradisiacal river and its banks, make good use of the facilities and above all deposit the waste in the appropriate places for this.
Visit the Caño Cristales river at least once in your life, whether you are Colombian or of any nationality, nature offers you this world full of exotic aesthetics that will fill you with good energy.
