The World’s Most Psychedelic River
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Loading ...Out of the many flowing rivers on Earth, there 
really is no other quite like Colombia’s rainbow river, Caňo Cristales. For most of the year the river looks just like any other river, but for a few days in between the wet and dry seasons, in the beginning of October, you can witness a magnificent array of kaleidoscopic colours in the river which range from deep red, yellow and pink to blue black and green.
This transformation can be attributed to the drop in water levels which allows the sun to warm the colonies of moss and algae on the bottom of the river, and grow and multiply in the craters. The warmth allows for an explosion of blooming multi-hued algal and moss streaks upon the riverbed, with surrounding colourful flora which add to this spectacular sight. The colours are further enhanced by the eccentric waterfalls which spill into the neon-coloured tide pools.
The river is situated in Colombia’s Sierra de la Macarena, a large national park which contains a mountain range as well as exotic plant and animal species. Caňo Cristales flows from the south plateau and stretches 100km in length and 20m in width. It is also commonly known as ‘the most beautiful river in the world,’ ‘the river that ran away to paradise,’ and ‘the river of five colours’. The road to the nature reserve starts from the nearby town of La Macarena; however, it is a harsh road to get through. You can either go by horseback or fly in as part of a tour group.
If you want to see this unique site then make sure that you are there from the end of September, because as the water levels become deeper and the currents start moving faster so does the amount of sunlight reaching the bottom of the river’s algae and moss decrease. In the dry season the river dries up and all you will find is a cracked up river bed.
Due to terrorist activity in the area, as well as concerns about the environmental impact of tourism, visitors were not allowed access to the river up until 2009. Even now that it is open to visitors there are relatively few people who experience the majestic beauty of this hidden treasure, so be sure to take this opportunity to marvel at this meandering aquatic landscape before it becomes a popular destination with tourists.
(Post by Ivelina Dineva)
(Image by Managementboy at de.wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons)
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