We are used to the fact that the water in the rivers always has the same color, or at least the same palette. Usually, the colors shimmer from dark blue to green. In the Serranía de la Macarena National Park, not far from Bogota, the capital of Colombia, there is a river that could be considered to be the eighth wonder of the world. It attracts millions of tourists.

Caño Cristales is not even a river, but just a tributary stream of the Losada River. From April to August this inflow is one of the most wonderful attractions in Bogota. Caño Cristales is called the «rainbow river» for its unusual color. It feels like a clumsy artist dropped all his paints into the water and they spread over the surface but did not mix. Impressive view! Very beautiful and unusual. The water in the river shimmers with green, red, pink, black, yellow, and somewhere blue – this is a reflection of the sky. If there is the sun in the sky, the colors are even brighter.

The infinite cameras’ clicks! Algae cause a lot of delight and joy. The water itself is completely transparent here. Algae grow taking shapes of islands of different sizes. They change color depending on the water temperature and season. If you want to see the Caño Cristales River in all its glory, it is better to come here in July. Then the algae look especially impressive. Yellow sand shines through the bright plants. You feel like walking along the mossy shores and look at these bizarre colored islets for hours.

Thanks to this nature whim, the Caño Cristales River was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can even swim here. You should find an area where it is deep enough and take an amazing photo inside bright algae. None of the inhabitants will bother you. There is even no fish here. But you can't drink water as it contains neither salts nor minerals.

If you are lucky and the weather is sunny, a trip to the Caño Cristales River can become one of the highlights of your Colombian holiday.