Canio Cristales — the most beautiful river on Earth

Caño Cristales, or the River of the Five Colors, as it is called by the locals, originates in the south of the Macarena mountain range, in Colombia, and flows east to its confluence with the Guayabero River.

In Caño Cristales, there are five colors: yellow, blue, green, black, and red. All of them are the product of the vital activity of numerous algae, and depending on the time of year, the color saturation either weakens or increases.

The water in the river is so clear that the bottom can be seen even at a decent depth, but there are no fish here because of the unique characteristics of the riverbed. In summer, the sun dries the plant, called Macarenia Clavijera, and the river turns a rich red color.

Yellow, black, turquoise and green color also appears due to various algae. Since the riot of color occurs in the hot season, the river is open to tourists from June to November. See it once – and believe that the possibilities of nature to create miracles are truly limitless.

It is enough to go to the shore of Caño Cristales to understand that you are in a unique place. The Caño Cristales River is known as the most beautiful river in the world. To reach it, you need to fly by plane from Villavicencio to Macarena, then sail by boat and finally walk along the paths that are still untrodden to this natural wonder.

Kristales flows in the jungle, its length does not reach 100 kilometers, and the width — 20 meters, which is why it can not be called large, especially in comparison with the Amazon. Cano Cristales is a rainbow-colored firework display dominated by shades of red, yellow, blue, and green.

Long strands of purple, scarlet, pink, and where there is less sun, greenish algae called clavija macarinence, which grow only here, cover the bottom with a bright soft carpet, writhing under the pressure of the water. The Caño Cristales National Nature Park is located around the river.

In deeper places, the bottom irregularities form natural depressions: deep, multi-colored, round wells — "moyas". Swimming in these pools is like being born again. Extraordinary universal peace, ease and zero thoughts in the head. The complete absence of man, only the sun, the jungle, the sky, the green, moss-covered warm stones, the falcon frozen somewhere high in the hot air, looking for prey, and this crystal-colored cool water that penetrates every cell of the body.

Recent studies conducted by local naturalists have shown that the water in the river is so clean that it is almost distilled. The river water is free of salt and minerals, so it is not suitable for drinking. And there are no fish in it, in general.

Since rainwater and mountain, oxygen-rich water and rocky bottom do not contain silt and do not bring with them sedimentary materials, there is practically no other underwater vegetation. The fish simply have nothing to eat. Only unpretentious small fish are found in the river.

You can also take a walk at the step cascade called "stairs", where hidden grottos hide behind a sparkling wall of water, and bats nest in the rocks. The bizarre flat blocks of stone seem to have been thrown in disarray on the shore by someone's giant hand.

Dark, damp caves, the home of witches and Columbian water-mohans, hiding untold treasures from people-all this is Caño Cristales. No wonder rivers, lakes, caves were for the Indians, who lived here long before the Spaniards, a symbol of the "lower world" — the world of moisture, night, the feminine principle, the mother's womb, the mystery associated with birth.

In winter and spring, you can not get to the banks of the "crystal river" – the status of a UNESCO natural heritage site obliges you to take extreme security measures and protect its basin.

The age of the Macarena mountain range is 1 million 200 thousand years. It is the western extension of the so-called Guyanese Shield of Venezuela, a mountain range that crosses Guyana and Brazil and is considered the oldest on the planet. In Macarena, there are other rivers with red algae — for example, this color is painted in winter Siete Machos. These algae stick firmly to the rocks, where the current of the river is the fastest.

The mountain region of Macarena is considered by scientists of the world to be the "seed of biodiversity". It has existed since the formation of the Andes, and it is from here, according to experts, that the spread of species in this territory began.