The river shown in the photographs below is Caño Cristales, an
amazingly colorful river in Colombia. The river takes on many different
colors, including yellow, green, blue, black, but especially red, caused
by the weeds at the bottom of the river (
Macarenia clavigera).
The river is commonly called “The River of Five Colors”, “The Liquid
Rainbow” “The River That Ran Away to Paradise”, and “The Most Beautiful
River in the World” due to its striking colors.
This is what Caño Cristales looks like with its beautiful red color. Looks like something straight out of The Bible.
Interestingly, for most of the year the river is actually indistinguishable from any other river.see more pics .....
It’s normally just a bed of rocks covered in dull green mosses in the cool, clear current.
However, for a short period of time every year, the river comes to life in a vibrant explosion of colors.
During the short span between the wet and dry seasons, when the
water level is just right, a unique species of plant that lines the
river floor called Macarenia clavigera turns a brilliant red. It is
offset by splotches of yellow and green sand, blue water, and a thousand
shades in between.
The site of the river 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.
It was reopened to visitors in 2009, and today there are several
Colombian tourist agencies that will take visitors of a guided tour of
the area.
This is what the red weed known as Macarenia clavigera looks like.
This is what I imagine a river downstream from a Skittles factory looks like. Taste the rainbow!
Source:
Atlas Obscura
No comments:
Post a Comment