Caño Cristales

I am a river that giggles and flows through a warm, sunny land. I have a secret. For part of the year, I look like a sleepy, gray-green ribbon resting on the ground. But when the sun warms me just right, I burst into color like a liquid rainbow. I splash with bright red, sunny yellow, happy green, and even deep blue. Who am I. I am Caño Cristales, the most colorful river in the world.

How do I get my colors. It is not magic, but it feels like it. Tiny little plants live on my rocky bed. My bed is made of very, very old rocks. For most of the year, the plants are sleeping. But from about June to November, when the water is just right, they wake up and bloom in all their beautiful colors. They are called Macarenia clavigera, and they are my best friends. They tickle my rocks and paint me with stripes of red and pink. They make me look so pretty for all my friends to see.

I live in a special place in Colombia. A big park was made to keep me safe a long, long time ago, on July 29th, 1971. People come from all over the world to see my colors. They walk gently along my sides and take pictures of my rainbow waters. It makes me so happy to share my beauty. I show everyone how wonderful and surprising nature can be. I am a reminder that even a simple river can hold a world of color and wonder, just waiting for the right time to shine.