Before I’d even set out on my South American trip in February, I’d wanted to go to Caño Cristales – Colombia’s colourful rainbow river.
As I travelled up the South American continent, passing through northern Ecuador and crossing into Colombia, it became increasingly obvious that Caño Cristales wasn’t an easy place to get to.
I did start seriously considering whether it was worth the long journey, and also whether I wanted to go solo for this part. In Cali, I was strongly leaning towards missing them out.
Things changed when I met Phoebe at Hostal Pacifico. Sasha, a French volunteer there, told us that visiting Caño Cristales by bus was totally doable. Inspired, we spontaneously decided to go for it.
How to get to Caño Cristales
For how to get to Caño Cristales, follow this link to read my previous post. It covers our bus experience which involved multiple bus changes, a closed road and a long detour, a 4×4 ride, my rucksack falling off the roof, crossing rivers on a wooden barge…an adventurous journey to say the least.
Caño Cristales Tour
We arrived to La Macarena late afternoon, found a place to stay and gathered information on visiting Caño Cristales.
Good to know: We’d been hoping to visit Caño Cristales the next day. However, this wasn’t an option as we’d missed the information talk put on by Cormacarena, the official body, that all visitors need to attend before visiting the river. There are talks in the morning and late afternoon (except for Tuesdays when the office is closed). In our case, we’d missed the late afternoon talk and couldn’t go to one the next morning since it was a Tuesday!
The tour
At 7am we went to the information talk about Caño Cristales. We were shown a short video about what was/wasn’t allowed, advice on what to wear etc. We also had fill in a medical form about just in case. It even asked our blood group which I had no idea!
Phoebe and I were put with another Colombian family for the trip and we set off at 9ish.
We first got a boat along the Guaviare river and then a jeep to the entrance point. From then on we were walking.
Our first glimpse of the colourful river was nice but nothing amazingly special. I remember thinking the river perhaps wasn’t worth our really long journey.
My opinion soon changed!! And it got so much better!! Really wow!! The water was so clear and the red algae, which was the predominant colour, was so stunning. The rock formations were also wonderful! A really beautiful place!
There are two sections where swimming is allowed. The water was so clear and wonderfully refreshing from the heat! I did get the worst foot cramp I’ve had in forever!
Good to know: Wearing suncream and insect repellent isn’t allowed. This is to preserve and protect the river’s plant and water life.
Tip: Don’t underestimate the power of the sun! Wearing long sleeves and trousers is recommend. I wore long trousers and a short sleeve T-shirt. I would’ve melted in a long sleeve! I’d recommend wearing a top with a high neck, mine had a scoop neck and my chest burnt very easily! Aloe Vera was needed that evening!
After our first swim, we had lunch in the picnic hut area. We got under shelter just in time, as soon as we sat down it poured!
We went swimming the second time further down the river. This section had a lot more bright green algae.
The rocks to the swimming area were slippy. It was fine on the way there but on the way back it was a different story. Phoebe slipped first, and then we both hit the deck in quick succession. I’m pretty sure my own fall was because I was laughing at Phoebe’s second one!
We were helped up by the two orange clad lifeguards and accompanied, holding their hands, for the remainder of the slippy path back.
Price: We paid 330,000COP (£80 approx) for our day tour. This didn’t include the tourist bracelet we also had to buy in the airport (41,400COP – £10 approx). We didn’t negotiate which looking back we really should have done! I think you could get it for 300,000COP if you shopped around. After a super long journey, we went straight for the easy option and booked it through the tour agency linked to our hostel.
When to visit
Caño Cristales gets its red colour from the water plant, Macarenia Clavigera. The river isn’t colourful all year round, especially in the dry season (January-May), and is only possible to visit in season.
In season, and the best months to visit, are between June-October. We went mid-July and the colours and water clarity was fantastic.
Tours
The most common way to visit Caño Cristales is with a packaged tour. They are usually three days and depart from Bogota. They can be longer, four or five days, and can also be started from other cities such as Cali.
You have to have a guide to visit Caño Cristales. We arrived to La Macarena independently and once there booked a tour through our hostel. Rather than going with a tour, you can find a local guide in town. You’ll have the bonus of it being just you and will be cheaper than a tour.
Caño Piedra
Caño Piedra, a freshwater pool popular for swimming, is another one of La Macarena’s natural attractions. If you’re doing a packaged multi day tour, a visit to Caño Piedra will usually be included on the first afternoon.
We went on our last day. We got a mototaxi from town for 70,000COP return (£17 approx). We were unsuccessful in getting it for less, the price seemed pretty fixed.
Journey time to Caño Piedra is dependent on recent rainfall and how wet/muddy the road is. It took our mototaxi about half an hour. We had a great time bumping around in the back seat and crossing a small river. The views on route were also beautiful.
We were driving towards a stormy purple sky and just before we arrived rain started pouring down. We sheltered at a small shop/bird sanctuary. The lady was lovely and showed us the birds she’s rescued and is looking after.
The rain was showing zero signs of stopping. We picked our moment and went to the river. The water was high and fast flowing. We’d ruled out swimming at this point and to get to the pool we had to go further downstream and cross the river. Deciding not to, we headed back to shelter.
On a dry day, I imagine the pool would be great for swimming!
For the return journey, we tried to get the mototaxi back. Cesar, our driver, drove us back to the river crossing. However the water was a lot higher than earlier and there was no way the bike would’ve made it across.
We went back to the house and hitched a lift in the back of a jeep with a tour group. Crossing the river in the back of a jeep we were told to hold on tight. It was so much fun!
Final thoughts
Caño Cristales was worth the 32hr bus journey!! I’m extremely glad we made the effort to go – it’s beautiful! The red and green colours are gorgeous and the water so so clear! Swimming in the river was really refreshing. It was a great day trip!
If you have the time and are looking for a more off the beaten track destination, really consider Caño Cristales! I won’t forget the place or how we got there any time soon!
P.S. Do manage expectations and don’t expect to see a literal rainbow!!
We’re now flying to Bogota and then on to San Andres for Providencia. I’m really looking forward to island paradise!! We’re making this trip up as we go again (only have our flight to San Andres booked), so fingers crossed we make it!
P.P.S. My camera’s died! The lens is jammed! I’ll try and get it fixed but I may be camera-less for the rest of my trip.
