Dubbed the world’s most beautiful river, Caño Cristales is a natural marvel deep in the Colombian jungle. The river is home to a special algae that causes it to become a “liquid rainbow” for half the year, as the algae carpets the river and turns it a bright mosaic of reds, yellows, greens and purples. It’s one of the most unique hikes you will ever go on.
Caño Cristales has the potential to become one of the top tourism destinations in Colombia, in my opinion, but it hasn’t been overrun with tourists yet – the area was only deemed safe for foreign travelers after a peace deal was brokered with the FARC in 2016. As a result of this, I found relatively little information online when planning my trip. I hope this blog guide can help you plan yours!
When should you go?
The unique algae is only in bloom half the year, from June to November. The phenomenon is really at its peak at the middle of this time period, between August and September. An additional consideration is the weather. You won’t be able to see the vibrant colors if the sky is cloudy.
For all these reasons, August is the very best time to go. You can take advantage of Colombia’s veranillo (small summer), when the rainy season stops for a few weeks of sunshine. You don’t have to worry about the crowds either. The area is large and it was very easy to dodge the other groups when we visited at the peak of high season.
Of course, your trip dates might not perfectly align with this. Our guide reassured us that the colors are still very much visible between July and October. If you are going outside of peak season, however, you might want to plan an extra day just in case the weather isn’t cooperating on the day you were planning to visit the river.
How much does it cost to go?
The bad news is that visiting Caño Cristales is expensive (at least by Colombian standards). You are not allowed to visit the river on your own, so you need to go with a licensed operator. There are also pretty significant national park fees. You should budget 600 to 900 USD depending on whether you are doing the 3 or 4 day package, whether you require an English speaking guide (there are only 2!), and whether you are departing from Bogota or Villavicencio. Packages typically include your transportation, lodging, park entrance fees, and guide.
Even though it was expensive, I thought Caño Cristales was absolutely worth it. Hiking through the colorful river is a mindblowing experience you cannot have anywhere else in the world. It was the rare sight that actually looked even better in real life than in the pictures. The river was obviously the highlight, but exploring the stone ruins and getting a glimpse of daily life in a small jungle town was also fascinating.
Finally, note that visiting Caño Cristales is significantly cheaper if you are a Colombian citizen, as you are eligible for reduced park fees and airplane fares!
How do you get there?
Everyone who visits Caño Cristales stays in La Macarena, a small town at the edge of the jungle. La Macarena is extremely remote, so the only way to get there is by flight. Your tour package will likely include transportation from either Bogota or Villavivencio.
The flights from Bogota take off from the main airport and lasts about 40 minutes. They are only operated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and they tend to sell out a few months in advance during peak season. The flights from Villavicencio are very short (20 minutes) and can be reserved last minute; however, getting there involves a 3 to 4h drive from Bogota, often in the early morning.
If you wish to fly from Bogota but there is no commercial flight available that day, ask your tour company about chartering a plane. Don’t worry – this doesn’t mean you have to pay for the whole plane by yourself! The airline will simply schedule an additional, smaller plane that day and let other interested tourists join. We were a group of 5 and got a plane chartered from Bogota for an extra 50 USD / person, which other people joined.
If your tour package does not include transportation, you can book a flight from Bogota yourself on Satena’s website. To my knowledge, you cannot book a flight out of Villavicencio without a travel agent (you would have to organize ground transportation there anyway).
How long should you go for?
Most tour packages are for 3 to 4 days. Since Caño Cristales is a full-day hike, you need at least 3 days in order to be able to fly in and out of La Macarena. If you go for 4 days, you will also get to visit Ciudad de Piedra, a mysterious set of ruins in the jungle. This was another highlight of the trip for us, so if you are going all the way to La Macarena I would recommend spending the extra day.
Another plus of going for 4 days is that you have an extra day to see Caño Cristales in case it rains. Our guide told us that some groups even stay for 5 or 6 days to guarantee they will get one day of sunshine at the river.
As you might have gathered, it rains a lot in La Macarena. If Caño Cristales is the last stop on your Colombia itinerary, make sure to budget at least one extra day in Bogota before your international flight. Planes won’t take off when it is raining too hard or after the sun has set. Our own flight was delayed by 3 hours and we almost spent an extra night in the jungle.
For all these reasons, it’s also not a bad idea to get travel insurance for the Caño Cristales portion of your trip. That way, you will sleep easy in case you miss your international flight or have to cancel the trip at the last minute.
Which company should you go with?
We went with Flashpacker Connect, a US travel agency focused on trekking, because of their great online reviews and relatively competitive prices. I wouldn’t really recommend them, though. All they did was put us in touch with their Colombia manager who booked us with a local travel agency in La Macarena. Even in doing that they were not super organized – we had to email multiple times to just get our flight details, and they gave us the wrong hour for pickup for one of our friends. They also did not really deliver on their promises: they told us they would run our tour as private but then added someone else, and we paid the supplement for an English speaking guide but only had him for 2 of the 4 days (they did refund us for that).
Our local team in La Macarena was great, however, so I wish we had just cut out the middleman. If you speak some Spanish, you can try reaching out to our hotel directly on WhatsApp at +?? to see if they can arrange something with you or a local company.
If helpful, these are all the companies I considered during my research process:
- Flashpacker Connect: $730/person for 3 days. Includes flights from Bogota and English guide.
- The Colombian Way: $658/person for 3 days. Includes flights from Villavicencio. Supplement for Bogota flight or English speaking guide.
- Amazon Adventures: $846/person for 3 days. Includes flights from Bogota and an English speaking guide.
- Destino Bogota: $550/person for 3 days. Does not include the flights (~$260), English guide is extra ($57 per person).
- Caño Cristales Aventura: $208/person for 3 days. Does not include the flights or the airport tax (~$260). Spanish only. I could not find reviews online.
You might also be able to find a better deal by showing up in person to travel agencies in Bogota. If you want an English speaking guide or a direct flight from Bogota, know that these are in high demand and likely won’t be possible last minute.
What should you expect?
Caño Cristales is an active holiday – you will be hiking every day. While the distances covered aren’t particularly large, the heat and humidity do make the hiking feel much more strenuous. The good news is that all of the hikes feature frequent swimming stops, which are a welcome chance to cool off and relax. If you are worried about your fitness level, you can also communicate this to your guide who will modify the itinerary in consequence. Overall, I think Caño Cristales is accessible to anyone who can hike 5-6KM (3-4 miles) – we saw many families and retired couples enjoying themselves.
Most companies run a pretty standard tour package due to restrictions from the Ministry of Tourism. Here is a brief overview of what you can expect each day.
Day 1: Caño Cristalitos. You will land in La Macarena and be taken to watch a short environmental conservation video at the tourism office. After lunch, you go on a short hike (3-4h) to Caño Cristalitos. This is a smaller offshoot of the main river, where you can witness the liquid rainbow for the first time! Expect a challenging start to the hike as you climb above the jungle, but don’t worry – there will be plenty of opportunities to swim in the river and cool off later on. You will have the evening free to relax in La Macarena. 4KM / 2.5 miles of hiking, about 4 hours.
Day 2: Caño Cristales. At last, the time has come. After a boat ride followed by a short Jeep ride, you enter the Caño Cristales national park and start hiking. The river branches out from a main artery into several smaller branches. Depending on your fitness level and the directives from the tourism office, your guide may choose a longer or shorter route. It’s hard to describe how exciting it was to spot the first colorful carpet, but by the end of the day we couldn’t pick a favorite spot. Some highligths included Los Ochos (a series of cascading waterfalls), the “Tourist Pool” (the deepest swimming hole), and the “Red Carpet” (which you might recognize from Encanto)! Lunch is eaten on the go; you pick up lunch from a restaurant in La Macarena and carry it in a banana leaf. The lunch stop sells fruit juices and beers, so bring cash if you want a drink. You can expect to be back in the hotel in the late afternoon. 4km / 2.5 miles of hiking, 6-7 hours with many swimming stops
Day 3: Ciudad de Piedra. If you’ve chosen a 4 day package, you spend the extra day hiking to Ciudad de Piedra. Little is known about this abandoned city deep into the jungle, other than it was inhabited sometime before the Spanish came to Colombia. In order to reach there, you first take a long boat ride up the Guayaquil river (about 1h), where you might spot some wildlife, and then start hiking through the forest. This is a longer but easier hike than the previous day’s due to the cloud cover provided by the trees. Caño Cristales was far from being overcrowded, but this really felt extremely remote – we didn’t run into a single other group all day. It really added to the Indiana Jones feeling when we finally reached the stone city! We also loved the opportunity to swim in the river one last time. Lunch is at a small restaurant along the water. Note that this area falls under a different tourism authority, so you will likely have a different guide for the day licensed for that particular sector. 12km / 7.4 miles of hiking, 5-6 hours
Day 4: Return home. Depending on what time your flight is, you may head straight for the airport or do an additional morning activity. Some groups wake up at dawn to do some animal watching in Laguna del Silencio. We slept in and headed to Caño Piedra, a relaxed swimming spot popular with the locals. It’s basically a long stretch of river over a granite stone. It’s not a must do if you’re short on time, but it was very relaxing to just bathe in the water after the 3 days of hiking. Our guide JB told us that this is where many Macareñans learn to swim.
What should you pack?
Luggage space is extremely limited on the small propeller planes that take you to La Macarena. We were told we could only bring 5kg in a backpack; most people we saw seemed to have a small carry-on suitcase, however, so our tour company may not have provided us with the most accurate information. In any case, plan to leave your bigger suitcase at a hotel in Bogota and only bring what you need with you. This includes:
- Long-sleeve hiking shirt and pants. Sunscreen is forbidden inside the Caño Cristales park because it is harmful to the precious algae. To avoid burning, hike in a long sleeve sun shirt and hiking pants. Keep in mind it’s hot and humid, so the lighter the fabric the better! I recommend this shirt and these pants. You are allowed to wear sunscreen once you’re back in La Macarena, so you can bring some for the afternoon if you burn easily.
- Hiking shoes that you don’t mind getting wet. Caño Cristales is a river, so expect to be walking through mud at least once on the trip. On the way to Ciudad de Piedra in particular, you will be crossing a river on foot. If you have the option, try to bring a pair of shoes that are easy to slip in and out of, as you’ll be taking them off multiple times to go swim. The hiking is not particularly strenuous, but there are some slippery spots, so make sure your shoes have good grip.
- Reusable water bottles (2L). Single use water bottles are banned inside the park. You will want to carry at least 2 liters on you: there is no place to refill inside the park and it’s hot. If you forget to bring a bottle, there are tons for sale in La Macarena which double as a cute souvenir.
- Rain poncho. The weather in Caño Cristales can turn from clear skies to thunderstorms in a second. Have a full length poncho readily accessible if it happens! If you forget to bring one, you can easily buy a disposable one in La Macarena.
- Ziploc bag for your electronics. When it rains in the jungle, it pours. Your backpack will get soaked. Keep your camera and phone in a Ziploc bag for peace of mind.
- Swimming suits. Did I mention how lovely the swim breaks were?
- Many pairs of socks. Your feet will get wet, so you will want to bring at least one fresh pair every day.
- Quickdry towel (optional). Useful for drying off yourself and your feet after swimming.
- Sandals and light jacket to wear at the hotel in the evening. It gets surprisingly chilly.
- Cash. The ATMs in La Macarena are notoriously unreliable.
- Books or other forms of offline entertainment. The cellular data and WiFi are very spotty, so download anything you’ll need while in the jungle. You’ll have quite a bit of free time in the evenings.
Where should you eat?
Your tour package likely includes all your meals. If you get some say over the restaurant, we liked the food at Cuarzo Gourmet and headed back there several times. Try to steer clear of El Caporal – we found the buffet mediocre and one of my friends got sick. If you want a snack, I recommend the juice stand in the botanical garden or the arepa cart making its way around town!
What should you do in the evenings?
La Macarena is a peaceful town and I felt safe walking alone in the evenings as a woman. There are lots of bakeries where you can grab a beer or sit down in the afternoon. The local favorite pastime appears to be pool. We counted no fewer than six billiard halls, almost entirely populated by men. We spent one evening playing pool with our guides, which was a lot of fun!
I hope this guide helps you plan your visit. I’m torn between wanting Caño Cristales to remain as pristine as it is and wanting more people to experience it. Please feel free to comment with any questions – and if you find a tour operator you really like, let us know in the comments as well!