Cano Cristales, located in Columbia,
is known as the Liquid Rainbow. The river is located near the town of La
Macarena in Colombia , South America .
The river, world famous for its colorful display, has been called:"the
river that ran away to paradise," "the most beautiful river in the
world" and "the river of five colors".
Due to the unique chemical
composition of its water caused by sedimentation, the river contains no fish.
What it does contain are brightly
coloured plants, which can withstand the conditions in the river and grow rich
and lush, turning the river bright red, among other colours, depending on the
season.
The vivid beauty of the river have
led some to call it the world's most beautiful river. The river, world famous for its colorful display, has been
called;- The river that ran away to paradise,"
- The most beautiful river in the world"
- The river of five colors".
During Colombia 's wet season, the water flows fast and
deep, obscuring the bottom of the river and denying the mosses and algae that
call the river home the sun that they need.
During the dry season there is not enough water to support
the dazzling array of life in the river. But during a brief span 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 colours.
Blotches of amarillo , blue, green, black and red - and a
thousand shades in between - coat the river.
The part of the river where the colourful blooms occur is
quite isolated and is not accessible by road. Adventurous tourists can now fly
into La Macarena and then make their way to to the river site on foot as part
of guided tours. 
The site was effectively closed to tourists for several years
because of guerrilla activity in the region along with concerns about the
impact of unregulated tourist traffic.
However, the site was re-opened to
visitors in 2009.
So far, some 1,000 people have visited
Caristales, including around 100 foreign tourists.
The tours will follow four clearly marked and authorized paths and one is no
longer permitted to stay overnight or cook, as this was ruining the area
previously.
It would be
nice to visit this place some time, sounds like its being well preserved now,
so hopefully it will one day be possible to make it over there.
Source: Agencies
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