The hook
Often called the most beautiful river in the world, a remote jungle stream that, for a few months each year, blazes with colour, its bed carpeted in an endemic aquatic plant that turns brilliant red among green, yellow, and blue, the "river of five colours."
01Why it's worth it
In the remote Serranía de la Macarena, an ancient outlier of the Guiana Shield rising from the Colombian plains, flows Caño Cristales, a clear river over a bed of rock, rapids, and waterfalls that would be lovely on its own. But for part of the year it becomes extraordinary: a unique aquatic plant that grows on its riverbed, Macarenia clavigera, blooms an intense crimson-red when conditions of sunlight and water level are just right, and set against the green of other plants, the yellow of sand, the black of rock, and the blue of the water, the riverbed turns into a living, flowing rainbow, earning names like the "liquid rainbow" and the "river of five colours." Closed to visitors for years during Colombia's conflict, it reopened as the country stabilised and is now accessible via organised tours that fly in to the gateway town of La Macarena and hike to the river with guides, swimming in its pools between the coloured stretches. Seeing this natural phenomenon, seasonal, remote, and unlike anything else, is a highlight of Colombia's growing frontier of newly-accessible nature.
02How to experience it
Visit in the colour season (roughly June-November, best mid-season) on an organised tour, which typically includes the flight to La Macarena, guided walks along the river, and swims in its pools; independent access is not really possible. Follow the strict rules that protect the fragile plants (no sunscreen in the water). It rewards the effort with a one-of-a-kind sight.