Caño Cristales

The Caño Cristales is a river located in the Serranía de la Macarena, an isolated mountain range in Meta Department, Colombia. It is a tributary of the Guayabero River, itself a part of the Orinoco basin. Caño Cristales was found in 1969 by a group of cattle farmers. The river is commonly called the "River of Five Colors" or the "Liquid Rainbow," and is noted for its striking colors. The bed of the river from the end of July through November is variously colored yellow, green, blue, black, and especially red, the last caused by Rhyncholacis clavigera plants on the riverbed. In recent years, the river has become a tourist destination; there were more than 16,000 visitors in 2016.