La Macarena is quaint. Located in the isolated municipality of Los Llanos, La Macarena's population numbers just 4,000 – most of whom reside out of town cultivating the land.

Per hectare, Los Lanos is the most biodiverse place on Earth. Here, you'll find Anteaters, Jaguars, Cougars, Deer, eight species of monkey, 100 species of reptile, 550 species of bird, and 1,200 species of insect.

The area has something of a turbulent past, though. Between 1999 and 2002, the town and its surroundings became part of El Caguán peace. Colombia's government gave the zone to the FARC guerilla group while peace talks progressed. Today, that's firmly in the past. The town is safe to visit with Colombia's military controlling the area.

The resulting upturn in eco-tourism has given the town a new lease of life.

So, why has this sleepy little town become a mecca for travelers with its scarce amenities and accommodations? Well, there is something special here. Something you won't find anywhere else in the world. Something located just outside of town for those with the means to explore it.

That place is Caño Cristales, ‘El Rio de los 5 Colores’, the liquid rainbow. Widely proclaimed to be the most beautiful river in the world. Caño Cristales owes its rich hues to the seasonal bloom of Macarenia Clavigera. This aquatic plant grows on the bedrock of the river. It is a unique ecological phenomenon. 

To reach La Macarena, you need to really want to get there. Existing in an isolated, sparsely populated region of Colombia, it is a bitch to reach.

The only practical and, more importantly, safe way to reach La Macarena is via flight. Nine times out of ten, that flight will be via Bogotá, where flights depart for La Macarena three times a week via Satena airlines, costing 185,000 COP each way. Flights also depart from Medellín, albeit less frequently.

Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links, and we may earn a small commission should you use them, for which we are incredibly grateful. However, the recommendations are still our own and intended to advise on the very best experiences Caño Cristales has to offer.

Caño Cristales

Nestled in the Parque Nacional Natural Sierra de la Macarena, the area surrounding Caño Cristales is special. The national park represents a rare confluence of three distinct ecosystems; the Amazon to the south, the Lanos to the north, and the Andes to the West.

If you're planning to visit Caño Cristales, expect otherworldly rock formations, refreshing natural pools, hair-raising rapids, and powerful waterfalls.

Visiting the river is a fantastic experience, no doubt about it. However, it's not a year-round experience. The plants that give Caño Cristales its rich colors are seasonal, blooming between May and December each year.

For the best possible experience of Caño Cristales, try to plan your trip between August and September, when the plants are in full bloom.

It's worth noting that the plants beneath Caño Cristales' surface are susceptible to chemicals. Insect repellant, sunscreen, or make-up will cripple them. Avoiding these items during your visit is vitally important; otherwise, you may permanently damage this delicate ecosystem.

Independent exploration of the park and Caño Cristales is impossible. Explicit permission to enter the park is required. Luckily, Caño Cristales is one of the few places where guided tours work out cheaper than solo endeavors.

Multi-day tours will include accommodation, meals, and flights in your booking price. Expect three to four-day tours to set you back by an eye-watering 2,000,000 COP, though the expense is worth the experience.

To give you a helping hand, we've rounded up our favorite tours – though obviously, others are available.

Flashpacker Connect – Serrania de la Macarena, Jungle Tour

Flashpacker Connect's four-day tour explores the best this ecosystem has to offer.

On day one, you'll be up at dawn to make the one-hour flight from Bogotá to La Macarena. Upon arrival, your guide from Flashpacker Connect will greet you. They'll brief you on need-to-knows for entering the national park. Afterward, your guide will drop you at your hotel for check-in.

After settling in at the hotel, you'll spend the remainder of your first day visiting the lesser-known Caño Cristalitos river. Though it doesn't possess the same splendor, Caño Cristalitos is similar to Caño Cristales. While there, you'll contribute to a conservation project for local wildlife and learn more about the area's culture. You'll also have lunch. After lunch, you'll head back to your hotel, where you can rest or wander around town. Later in the evening, you'll head out for dinner with your guide.

Day two sees you head to Caño Cristales. The day begins with breakfast at a local restaurant. Shortly after, you'll launch from La Macarena's boat ramp and make a 30-minute journey upriver. On the boat, you may spot monkeys and even the prehistoric Hoatzan if you're lucky. After disembarking from the boat, 4x4s will transport you to Caño Cajuche. From there, you'll hike to Caño Cristales. The trek ends at Los Ochos, regarded as the most picturesque spot along the banks of Caño Cristales. Expect your trip up to the rainbow river to last around six hours.

After visiting Caño Cristales, you'll return to La Macarena to rest before dinner. After dining with your guide, you'll have the chance to experience traditional Joropo music and even learn some local dances.

On day three, you'll dip your toes into the Amazon. After breakfast, you'll make a one-hour journey upriver towards the rainforest. If you're lucky, you might spot freshwater dolphins, crocodiles, and anacondas, amongst many other species. You'll depart from the boat at La Ciudad de Piedra, where you'll be able to see Pre-Colombian petroglyphs carved into the rockface.

At La Cuidad de Piedra, your guide will educate you on the area's history, indigenous tribes, and unique rock formations. After your stop at the City of Stone, you'll head back to La Macarena for dinner before hitting the hay.

You'll be up early on day four. The reason? Your guide will take you on a short wildlife boat ride to watch the sunrise. After sitting back to admire the sun creeping above the horizon, you'll head to a local farm for breakfast. After breakfast, you'll be dropped off at your hotel to pack before making your way to the airport and back to Bogotá.

The tour with Flashpacker Connect costs $815 – equivalent to just under 3,000,000 COP. For your money, you'll get round flights from Bogotá, fully guided tours with a knowledgeable local guide, all your meals included, accommodation, entrance to the national park, and transfers in and around La Macarena.

La Manigua Lodge – Five days, Four nights

The stunning La Manigua Lodge is a flashy accommodation option 15 minutes downriver from La Macarena. The accommodation is luxurious, certainly more than the alternatives available to you at La Macarena, but more on that in a bit.

Alongside cozy eco-accommodation, La Manigua offers several tours. Our pick of the bunch lasts five days and four nights.

On the first day of this tour, you'll be picked up at La Macarena airport and taken to the national park office, where you'll be given an introduction to visiting the area. Talk over; you'll head to La Manigua's lodges, check in, deposit your luggage, and freshen up. After that, it's on to the tour's first part: a visit to Caño Cristalitos.

You'll arrive via boat at a farmer's house, from which you'll climb 25 minutes to a viewpoint before walking 45 minutes to the river. Once at the Caño Cristalitos, you'll admire the blooming Macarenia Clavigera before taking a dip in a natural pool. After your visit, it's back to the boat and back to the eco-lodge. There you'll enjoy dinner before settling in for the night.

On the second day of this tour, you'll rise early and have breakfast on-site. Afterward, you'll head out towards Caño Cristales. The journey begins with a 15-minute boat ride before being transferred to a 4x4 and heading to the park entrance. After hiking several kilometers, you'll arrive at Colombia's rainbow river. You'll spend about seven hours inside the national park, with a dip in one of the natural pools, lunch, and photo opportunities squeezed into that time. After arriving back at the lodge, your hosts will invite you to a cultural activity on the river before dinner and bed.

The third day follows a similar pattern to the second. Once again, you'll go to Caño Cristales, repeating yesterday's journey to the national park. This time, however, you'll be heading towards the lower basin of the rainbow river. After seven hours in the national park, you'll return to the lodge, relax, have dinner, and settle down for the evening.

On the penultimate day of this adventure, you'll wake up, have breakfast at the lodge, and head out for the day. This time, you'll be taken 40 minutes upriver, towards Raudan de Angosturas – white-water rapids. From there, you'll hike towards Ciudad de Piedra, part of the Guyana shield. You'll observe Pre-Colombian petroglyphs within this labyrinth and bathe in Caño el Encanto. Afterward, it's back to the lodge. Before dinner, you'll take a short wildlife hike into the forest. You might spot the National park's larger residents if you're lucky. After the hike, the lodge will serve another delicious dinner before heading to bed.

On the final day, you'll have breakfast before heading out for the morning. You'll depart the lodge, walking for ten minutes before reaching the lodge's horses. You'll spend the next 45 minutes on horseback, traversing savannahs before arriving at Caño Piedra. Time permitting, you can take a dip in the pool here. But, if that's not the case, it'll be time to head back to La Manigua and gather your belongings before departing for the airport. Sometimes, your flight might not be until later in the afternoon. If so, you'll stop for lunch in La Macarena before bidding farewell to your hosts.

At 3,000,000 COP, the guided tour with La Manigua is expensive. But when you're staying in a boutique eco-retreat, with sumptuous meals and staff this friendly, it's far from being a bitter pill to swallow. This tour doesn't include flights to and from La Macarena, though they can be added for an additional fee.

Caño de Piedras

A short 20-minute mototaxi away from town, this river is home to a natural pool popular with the locals. In this tiny town, it gets pretty busy on weekends. Locals will flock to the river to enjoy some downtime.

Entrance is free, making a stop at Caño de Piedras a cheap and cheerful option if you're looking to kill a couple of hours when in town.

Grab a couple of beers and snacks, and head down for a dip in the pool, a picnic, and some drinks with new friends before watching dusk settle in at what is, by all accounts, a great spot to watch the sunset.

Jardín Botánico de la Macarena

Found 18-kilometers from La Macarena, Jardín Botánico is a 350-hectare farm – of which 150 hectares is a natural reserve.

The garden is open to visitors. Should you wish to visit, you can explore its grounds following trails on foot or horseback, taking in an abundance of biodiversity along the way.

Finca Cristalitos

A mainstay of multi-day tours to Caño Cristales, Finca Cristalitos is an attraction found close to town. Its popularity owes to its striking resemblance to the rainbow river.

Caño Cristalitos, which runs through the Finca, is another colorful river in the region, though not quite as radiant as Caño Cristales.

On-site, there is a tiny camping zone should you wish to stop over. You'll also find a wildlife conservation project and a food stall selling farm products. With the Finca based high up in the mountains, you also get some impressive views.

A Word of Warning

La Macarena is a cash-only kinda town. There's only one ATM. That would usually be enough, except it's often suspect to power outages and doesn't get stocked up too regularly.

Chat to the police if you're running low on cash and the ATM is out of commission. They'll be happy to give you a ride up to the local army base, where there is another ATM for you to use.

La Manigua Lodge

We'll hold our hands up and admit it. La Manigua is extravagant. But hey, you've been hopping from one hostel to the next. You deserve a little luxury, right?

Fifteen minutes down the river from La Macarena, La Manigua is an eco-lodge wrapped in a boutique package.

The lodge uses renewable energy and sustainable constructions. The lodge also invests its earnings into cultivating a nursery of native plants. Their goal is to play their part in recovering Serranía de la Macarena's plant structure and tackling climate change.

On-site, you'll find an incredible restaurant that makes the most of local produce, laundry facilities, a terrace, a stable full of horses, and fishing equipment.

There are two types of cabins available.

The first option is the family cabin, built for two to five people. There are three family cabins on site, each with a double bed and additional single beds. Each bed has a mosquito net. The family cabin also offers a private bathroom, an open shower, a hammock, towels, biodegradable body soap, and repellant. The family cabins are priced between 500,000 and 1,000,000 COP, depending on how many are staying.

The second option is the couple cabins, with room to accommodate two. There are just two of these cabins on the property. Inside, you'll find a queen-size bed. The cabin also features a private bathroom, open shower, hammock, towels, biodegradable body soap, and repellant. The couple cabins cost between 325,000 and 500,000 COP per night.

As said, extravagant. If set on staying at La Manigua, we'd recommend booking a tour with them. You'll get so much more for your pesos.

Hotel San Nicolas

Hotel San Nicholas has been a family-run affair delighting backpackers since it opened its doors in 2014.

The hotel is located three blocks from La Macarena airport and six blocks from the Guayabero river.

Hotel San Nicholas is basic but comfortable. Visitors can access cable TV, security lockers, a daily cleaning service, a cafeteria, and a hammock area. The hotel is also one of the only places in town with – if somewhat patchy – WiFi.

Travelers staying at Hotel San Nicholas can choose private or dormitory-style rooms.

Private rooms can occupy one to four people. Prices range from 150,000 to 250,000 COP. The cost increases according to room size.

Four-bed mixed dormitories are also available, priced at 50,000 COP.

All guests are greeted with a complimentary breakfast each morning.

Café de Lithos

Café de Lithos is a tiny coffee shop in the center of La Macarena. Given its modest surroundings, the café is a pleasant surprise, handsomely decorated with a hipster vibe. It would make the trendiest café's in southeast Asia quiver with envy.

Café de Lithos is the place to go if you're looking for a coffee fix.

The café serves sweet treats, including pastries, waffles, and other desserts. Should you be looking for something more substantial, actual meals are available, with vegetarian and vegan options on the menu.

If you're paying a visit, check out the café's signature drinks, guarapo frappe and citric lemonade.

Restaurante Punto Verde

A favorite amongst travelers and locals, Restaurante Punto Verde is based near the town center and is home to the mother of all Menu del Dia's for just 16,000 COP.

While you'll need rolling out of the restaurant after polishing off a Menu del Dia, the food isn't the highlight here. As we've said, the restaurant is popular amongst the locals in town, who are incredibly welcoming. Have a chat with them, and make some friends. It'll be a fond memory that you look back on more than you do the meal itself.

The area surrounding La Macarena sees various ecosystems crashing together. This confluence creates a range of temperatures with altitudes varying wildly. However, temperatures in town remain pretty steady year-round.

In the area surrounding La Macarena, temperatures can range between 12ºC and 25ºC. In contrast, the average temperature in town ranges from 23ºC and 26ºC throughout the year.

The highlight of any trip to La Macarena is an expedition to Caño Cristales, which will influence when you decide to go far more than any other factor. The Macarenia Clavigera that creates the river's stunning hues blooms between May and November each year. August and September are the best months to see Caño Cristales when the plants are in full bloom.

Tourism in La Macarena spikes when Caño Cristales is in bloom, though it's still pretty minimal.

Should it fit with the rest of your itinerary, we recommend dashing to La Macarena when the river is in full bloom between August and September.

Our Map Of Caño Cristales, Colombia