Caño Cristales: The River of Five Colors
Caño Cristales
Caño Cristales, which translates to “Crystal Channel” in English, is a stunning Colombian river located in Serrania de la Macarena—an isolated mountain range.
The river is famous for its “liquid rainbow” appearance.
Often dubbed, “The River of Five Colors”, Caño Cristales is one of Colombia’s most precious hidden gems.
Not only is the river filled with vibrant colors, it is also filled with craters, rapids, waterfalls, caves and impressive flora unlike anywhere else in the world.
The rainbow beauty of the river is indeed naturally occurring, and a rare phenomenon found nowhere else on Earth.
What is The River of Five Colors?
Caño Cristales is a fast-flowing river with lots of rapids and waterfalls.
It is called “The River of Five Colors” because of the numerous vibrant colors that fill the river when the yearly conditions are just right.
But where do the colors come from?
What creates the color?
The colors in the river come from an endemic aquatic plant called Macarenia Clavigera. When the water level is just right, and there’s enough sunlight, the river will shine a bright, beautiful hue.
These plants are green when they are young, turn yellow as they grow, and are various shades of reddish-pink when fully grown. The shades of color also change with the brightness of sunlight.
The river is also said to change in hue and vibrancy after long periods of rainfall.
Why are there so many waterfalls?
Sizeable circular pits are formed by pebbles or chunks of harder rock. These pits are known as “Giant’s kettles”. Once the smaller rocks fall into the pits the rushing water bangs them around, which slowly carves out the walls of the pit, making it larger.
These pits among the rapids are lined with the colorful plants, as the flora sticks tightly to the rock formations where the current is stronger.
The deeper the pit gets; the more waterfalls are formed.
What wildlife lives in the River of Five Colors?
Although some reports say there is no fish in the river, there are actually several species of wildlife that call is home, including: fish, turtles, frogs, birds, and other aquatic animals.