jump to navigation

The River That Ran Away to the World: Ca?o Cristales, La Macarena National and Ecological Reserve, Colombia, South America

Posted August 21, 2009 , trackback

Today I am taking a departure from my usual sandy path, a trip inland somewhere far, far away. Because today’s post is not so much a beach as it is a river. And it is not so much just a river as it is “the most beautiful river in the world,” also known as “the river of five colors,” or even more poetic, “the river that ran away to the world.” With monikers such as these, how can I not write about Ca?o Cristales?

//www.flickr.com/photos/10162032@N03/952959556/

Count the colors. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10162032@N03/952959556/

I have been slightly bewitched ever since I first saw photos of Ca?o Cristales a few days ago. And now I must add this river to my list of Places I Must See Before I Die or Get Too Lazy to Travel, although apparently I need to plan accordingly. Because Ca?o Cristales is not always worthy of a poetic name. For most of the year it is just a regular old river with maybe some pretty green moss covered rocks and water that is at times dark blue. Nice, but not worthy of around the world or me pining.

//www.flickr.com/photos/kaytaria/3769825917/

This is algae? http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaytaria/3769825917/

Located in La Macarena National and Ecological Reserve Park, Ca?o Cristales is about 100km in length. During Colombia’s rainy season, the water flows fast and deep as rivers are wont to do. The bottom of the river is obscured from the sun, denying the myriad of mosses light. And during the dry season the river is not quite deep enough; the lack of water unable to support the growth of algae. But during a magical period between the wet and dry seasons, when the water level is just right, the many varieties of algae and moss bloom in a dazzling display of colors: blotches of fuschia, dabs of yellow, swaths of green, bright blue, black, red, all set off by dramatic waterfalls and lazy watering holes.

//www.flickr.com/photos/fredygomez/3537191787/

Rainbow river complete with waterfalls. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredygomez/3537191787/

There is something other-wordly about these photos, about this place. A cross between fantasy and reality, I half expect to see a unicorn grazing at the bank of this river, “the river that ran away to the world.”

pixelstats trackingpixel

Similar posts:
  • Anse Lazio, Praslin Island, Seychelles
    • Today is a lazy day, a day for eyes closed and yeah. Mm-hmm. Cold drinks with mint, this maybe that, who knows? Ice cream is too taxing for today, the way it melts so fast, which tells you just how lazy a day it is. Today I want a soft beach. Slack. Today I want
  • The Beaches of Tahiti, French Polynesia, South Pacific
    • I am sick of writing about beaches I’ve actually been to: Northern California rugged, all sweet grass and ice plants, sand the color of wheat, full of fiber and good for you. Today I want fantasy, I want plumeria, pikake, flowers with blooms bigger than my belly. Today I want sand the color of a
  • La Jolla Cove, San Diego, California
    • Who needs Australia, (Hawaii, Belize, Mexico, fill in the blank beautiful beach) when you can have the relative ease of La Jolla Cove? Sandwiched between striking sandstone cliffs, this small cove is one of the most photographed beaches in Southern California. View from above. http://www.flickr.com/photos/87938933@N00/3542444107/ And it’s no wonder really. La Jolla Cove is stunning: bright blue water
  • An Artificial Paradise in an Airplane Hangar: Tropical Islands Resort, Germany, Europe
    • When I was little I used to imagine that my street was a cool watery canal. On hot summer days I would pretend to swim home, and then once home, my house became a rain forest, my bedroom a lagoon. Not very tropical from the outside. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wassmer/1351546487/ It seems that I am not the only one with such
  • Bolinas Beach, West Marin, California
    • It is fitting that I write about Bolinas Beach right before the 4th of July. After all, throughout high school I spent every 4th of July there at the beach, drinking beer during the day and dodging bottle rockets at night. Perhaps best known for its residents who supposedly tear down road signs along Highway

Comments»

no comments yet - be the first?