Caño Cristales, river in Colombia
Caño Cristales is a river in the La Macarena region that flows through mountainous terrain with several natural pools and small waterfalls along its course. The waterway features varying depths and rocky outcrops that break the flow into distinct sections suitable for swimming and wading.
Caño Cristales was found in 1969 by a group of cattle farmers. In 1989 Andrés Hurtado García, inspired by Alfredo Quiroga, walked the trail from La Macarena and publicised the river through photographs and columns in El Tiempo and the magazine Iberia. His 2012 book Caminando Colombia, with the river on its cover, helped establish it as an ecotourism destination; it drew more than 16,000 visitors in 2016.
Visitors should bring good hiking shoes and water-resistant gear since paths can be wet and rocky. Arriving early in the morning helps you experience the location with fewer other people around.
The red riverbed colour comes from the aquatic plant Rhyncholacis clavigera, formerly called Macarenia clavigera, which clings to rocks where the current runs fastest. Green when young, it turns yellowish and then red; it grows only in Caño Cristales and a few neighbouring rivers such as Caño Siete Machos.
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