My choir director passed this item along to me. I'd never heard of this river before, but I would love to see it in person. The colours are brilliantly spectacular!!
"This is incredible.
The river shown in the photographs is the Cao Cristales, which is located near the town of La Macarena in Columbia, 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."
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. And 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 colors. Blotches of amarillo, blue, green, black, and red - and a thousand shades in between - coat the river.
The part of the river where the colorful 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 reopened to visitors in 2009.
So far, some 1,000 people have visited Cao Cristales, 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."
More photos...
Comments (7)
Wow! I'd love to visit it too. Those are some incredible colors!
Please let me know what you find out about the squirming baby!
Posted by Annie | March 9, 2010 2:29 PM
Posted on March 9, 2010 14:29
Sure will, Annie. I just knew a book on the hidden symbolism in Italian art would come in handy someday! Hope it sheds some light on what the squirming pose is supposed to represent.
Posted by Anne | March 9, 2010 3:43 PM
Posted on March 9, 2010 15:43
Wow! I'd love to visit. So colorful and delightful.
Posted by Candi | March 9, 2010 9:10 PM
Posted on March 9, 2010 21:10
That is really spectacular, Anne!
Posted by sandrac | March 9, 2010 10:39 PM
Posted on March 9, 2010 22:39
How beautiful. It would be wonderful to see in person.
Posted by Marta | March 10, 2010 12:22 AM
Posted on March 10, 2010 00:22
Amazing photos! Must be very cool to see in person.
Posted by girasoli | March 16, 2010 11:11 PM
Posted on March 16, 2010 23:11
Wow, I thought this was junk or spam mail. It kinda was but one of my friends sent me this and telling me about this river, but anyways wow. looks like someone painted it, Nature really is beautiful XD
Posted by Kailyn | April 23, 2010 4:07 PM
Posted on April 23, 2010 16:07