CAÑO CRISTALS RIVER: SOURCE, ROUTE, CHARACTERISTICS - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Caño Cristales River is one of the main water destinations located in the Sierra de La Macarena National Natural Park, in the La Macarena municipality, Meta department, Colombia.

Due to its size, smaller than others of greater magnitude with a width not exceeding 20 meters and approximately 100 km in length, it is called a pipe. However, Caño Cristales is considered one of the most beautiful rivers in the world.

Caño Cristales is classified as a tributary or tributary because its waters do not reach the sea, but rather flow into another larger river. Photo: Mario Carvajal, Licensed with Creative Commons 3.0 Unported.

It has a unique color that has been a source of inspiration for all who see it, which has made it worthy of multiple titles such as: the "River that escaped from Paradise", the "River of five colors", the "Rainbow that melted "or the" Liquid Rainbow ", among others.

Caño Cristales, as well as the park to which it belongs, has become an obligatory tourist spot to visit. However, it has been threatened on multiple occasions for various reasons, which has led to a great emphasis on its care and preservation.

Birth

South of the Sierra de La Macarena, in the municipality of La Macarena, located in the Department of Meta, is the source of the Caño Cristales River. The Sierra de La Macarena is a mountainous formation that has multiple natural attractions.

From a geographical point of view, this park and therefore Caño Cristales, belong to the Amazon. However, hydrographically this and other rivers and streams in the park are slopes of the Orinoco River, which makes them part of its basin.

R

The southern plateau of the Sierra de La Macarena, where the waters of the Caño Cristales River and others such as Caño Indio or Caño Canoas are born, is characterized by being a rugged surface where you can see paintings of the first inhabitants of those lands, some of them not studied.

Once part of this place, Caño Cristales has a route of no more than 100 km, which is why, in addition to being called a pipe, it is also known as a micro-basin. On its route you can find waterfalls and rapids, as well as swimming pools. Among the places that stand out on your tour are:

- The Red Carpet, where you can see this color in its maximum splendor.

- Los Ochos, a sector named by the locals where it is possible to observe the water falling in multiple waterfalls and then entering rocky tunnels.

- Pools such as the Farol Cristal Pool or the Tourist Pool, known for their refreshing waters.

- The giant calderas, circular rock formations that widen every time a rock is fragmented.

- Waterfalls like Los Pianos, known for its multiple levels.

Caño Cristales is classified as a tributary or tributary because its waters do not reach the sea, but rather flow into another river of greater magnitude. In this case, its mouth has a confluence with the Guayabero River.

Since the Guayabero river is located in the Recovery Zone for the South Preservation of the DMI Macarena Sur; While its source is in the Sierra de la Macarena Natural Park, its preservation is in charge of two Colombian entities. In the following map you can see the mouth:

History

Caño Cristales is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. Source: Mario Carvajal

One of the best-known records in the history of this place dates back to 1989 when Andrés Hurtado decided to venture to meet it and, being enchanted, nicknamed it "the river that escaped from paradise."

Caño Cristales is a river that has been listed as one of the places that must be visited before dying. Various experts in the field of tourism consider it one of the natural wonders of Colombia and the world. To know its history it is necessary to first explore that of the place to which it belongs.

Sierra de La Macarena

The Sierra de La Macarena National Natural Park serves as a meeting point for 3 ecosystems, the Amazon, the Andean and the Orinocense. It is a mountain chain that belongs to the Guiana shield, a rock formation older than one billion years.

From the petroglyphs and pictographs found at various points, such as the Angostura I and II sites, it is possible to infer that this park was inhabited by humans since ancient times, however, a study has not been made that specifies the date of these settlements.

Among the indigenous tribes that made the park their home are the Choruyas, the Pamiguas, the Tukanos and the Guayaberos. However, only the latter two still inhabit the area and retain their original language while others have been disappearing.

Formerly, at the time of the colony, this region received the name of the Airico jungle. The Jesuits founded San Juan de los Llanos (now known as San Juan de Arama) in the seventeenth century and it is known that it was they who named it as it is dominated today: Sierra de La Macarena.

On December 11, 1948, the sector located in the east of the park, the mountain range, was declared a National Reserve due to the scientific interest it aroused. For this reason, the “José Jerónimo Triana” biological station was created in honor of a Colombian naturalist.

In turn, on September 1, 1989, the Colombian government established that the territory of the Sierra La Macarena and part of its surroundings be declared a National Natural Park. Its official extension was 629,280 hectares which are adjacent to the west with the Tinigua National Natural Park.

Municipality La Macarena

Natural tunnels called "Los Ochos". Source: Mario Carvajal

This is a relatively small municipality within its department, due to its limited access location. Its current population does not exceed 40 thousand inhabitants, of which a large portion is dedicated to livestock. Its history has been passed by word of mouth by the people who reside in it.

It is said that in 1535 the Spanish colonization reached La Macarena on its way to Peru, but the differences with the indigenous people who lived there made it impossible. At the end of 1954, the Gonzáles family, joined by the Silva, Los Oviedo and Los Pérez family, decided to settle in this territory.

His first merit, in addition to the founding of what is now La Macarena, was the construction of an airstrip to facilitate the arrival of other future inhabitants and potential tourists attracted by the beauty of its flora and fauna.

Between 1960 and 1974 it was part of the San Juan de Arama and Vista Hermosa police inspection, until ordinance No. 21 of 1974 officially granted it the title of municipality.

It remains with few inhabitants, known among them. Since the 1960s, different commercial activities were developed in La Macarena, such as hunting and selling skins, but it was at the beginning of the 1980s, with the production of coca, that the number of the population increased.

At the beginning of 2000, this activity went into decline, which led to tourism becoming the main source of income for La Macarena, along with livestock that attracts farmers from its surroundings.

Armed conflict and exploitations

In addition to the drug boom, which due to the need to build roads for its transport generated a negative footprint in the place, both La Macarena and the Park have suffered external threats that overshadow their history.

In October 1998, part of the Colombian territory was granted as a demilitarized or demilitarized zone for the guerrillas. This decision was made in order to end the Colombian armed conflict. In January 1999, it came into force, affecting the municipality of La Macarena.

Although its inhabitants know that there was control by the guerrillas to preserve the place, with measures such as prohibiting logging and fishing, their presence in this area instilled fear. For this reason, tourism did not have the peak that it has later reached.

In February 2002, the demilitarized zone was eliminated and the recovery process began, which was delayed due to the deep-rooted organization established among its premises. An example of this is the measure to close shops on Wednesdays, a situation that began in those 3 years and still continues.

Recently, in March 2016, an oil exploitation license was granted that should not affect the Macarena and its natural wonders. This caused great discontent, but shortly thereafter a report came out stating the possible harm it could cause and the license was revoked.

Natural preservation

Approximately 62% of the extension of the Caño Cristales river is in the Sierra La Macarena Natural National Park, while the remaining 38% is in the Macarena Sur preservation zone. Therefore, the preservation of this park corresponds to two entities.

In 2013 restrictions were established for entering the park and rules that must be followed in the facilities in order to preserve nature in general and specifically, Caño Cristales. The planting of trees has been promoted, as well as improvements in access that do not impact the park.

characteristics

Through the Caño Cristales River there are circular holes, in the background it is possible to see colors such as red, yellow, green and orange. Source: Mario Carvajal

The most outstanding of the attractions of Caño Cristales is also its main characteristic: its color. A combination of a reddish-hued plant, green algae, black rock formations, yellow sands, and the blue of its waters creates a beautiful sight for its visitors.

To appreciate Caño Cristales in its maximum splendor it is necessary to go between June and December. The rest of the year the tributary decreases because it is the dry season and the plants that give it its color are in a state of reproduction, reaching their peak of beauty between September and November.

The river in size is quite small. A length of approximately 100 kilometers and a width of 20 meters at its widest. This makes it a micro-basin, also known as a caño. But the size is offset by how showy it is, with the colors and its chandelier shape.

At the hydrographic level, Caño Cristales has extremely pure and crystalline waters, approaching the degree of purity of distilled water. It is cool, ideal for taking a bath on the tourist trail. As quickly as it decreases in drought, it grows back when the rainy season arrives.

The climate in and around the river is warm, reaching an average of 30 ° C, with its hottest time between December and March. The rainy period occurs between April and June.

To visit it, you must start from the La Macarena municipality by the Guayabero river to La Cachivera. Once there, there are a total of 10 trails that can be traveled to get to know Caño Cristales, the longest being the Salto del Águila trail.

tourism

Being this a major tourist spot, the inhabitants of the area welcome those who go with very good character. However, to get the most out of the experience it is necessary to document the mandatory requirements that the visitor must meet.

To enter, it is mandatory to have the yellow fever vaccine since there is the possibility of contracting it. As a matter of preserving nature, you cannot enter with plastic containers, as well as chemical products (suntan lotion, repellents, among others).

Main tributaries

Caño Cristales is a tributary of the Guayabero River due to its lower magnitude. For this reason, it does not have tributaries, although in its 100 kilometers of route it is possible to find other pipes, such as Caño Cristalitos, which also has the attractiveness of the reddish plant, but without equaling Caño Cristales.

Flora

Orchid (Orchidaceae). Source: Cássio van den Berg

The vibrant color that adorns its waters, red, originates from the common aquatic plant in this area called Macarenia clavigera, which can also be found in pink and fuchsia. But this is not the only one that can be found in Caño Cristales, since it has more than 1500 species.

Due to the meeting of the 3 ecosystems that converge in Sierra de La Macarena, it is possible to see a wide range of species. In total, the 3 floors that comprise its territory are: humid humid forest with a warm thermal floor, a temperate and cold humid forest.

Its diversity ranges from trees 30 to 40 meters high, through bushes and palms, as well as orchids and other flowers. Additionally, it is possible to find endemic species, that is, typical of this place, such as the zapotillo or the deer chunk. It is presumed that there are species not yet discovered due to the few studies that have been carried out.

Fauna

Corocora (Eudocimus ruber). Source: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

The fauna is also rich in variety, approximately 420 species of birds have been recorded, such as the hoatzin, the macaws and the corocora. 69 primates, such as the marmoset and the zocayo. Other mammals such as the puma, the anteater and various rodents inhabit the river. Additionally, there are more than 1,200 species of insects, 10 of amphibians and 43 of reptiles.

Although in other rivers of the Sierra de la Macarena park it is possible to find fish such as the milkfish, the yellow catfish and the tiger ray; curiously, Caño Cristales has no fish in its waters. This phenomenon occurs due to the lack of food that can be found in it.

References

1. Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sierra de la Macarena National Natural Park, BirdLife International entry compiled in 2008. Taken from datazone.birdlife.org
2. Environmental disaster? ANLA grants an exploitation license in the Serranía de La Macarena, an article in the newspaper El Espectador published on April 13, 2016. Taken from elespectador.com
3. The past and present of Caño Cristales, article in the newspaper El Espectador published on April 13, 2016. Taken from elespectador.com
4. ANLA revokes environmental license for oil exploration in La Macarena, article by RCN Radio published on April 19, 2016. Taken from rcnradio.com
5. Caño Cristales, the river of colors that the end of the conflict freed, article in the newspaper El País published on September 29, 2017. Taken from elpais.com
6. ABC to visit Caño Critales and the Raudal de Angosturas I, digital guide published by Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia and CORMACARENA in July 2019. Taken from parquenacionales.gov.co