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Walking Through Colombia’s Most Colorful Rivers

Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada | August 23, 2024

We stood at the intersection of three very different ecosystems: the Andean Mountains, Amazon Rainforest, and Orinoco Basin. Some days we would see 10-12 colors between the clouds, sky, water, and aquatic plants. These streams held the magic plant: Macarenia Clavigera, which blooms in every shade of green, red, and pink. The streams, cold and clear, were decorated with pink carpets of Macarenia Clavigera. This river system, Caño Cristales, was given the nickname el rio de siete colores—the seven colored river, or the liquid rainbow.

It was a space where abundance was spilling out of its seams. Nothing had to make sense in our traditional ideas of order. Everything belonged.  

This past August my mother and I celebrated our combined birthdays here, in the heart of Colombia: La Macarena. We are Colombians who live outside the country, so any trip back home feels extra sweet. Colombians are generally very proud of the lands we come from and the biodiversity they hold. But one area in particular holds a special place in our hearts: Caño Cristales. My mom had grown up hearing about it all her life, and as a result, so had I. We would hear stories of these faraway lands where the rivers changed colors. We hadn’t told anyone that we were venturing to these mystical lands, so they felt more like a fairytale than reality.

Our excursions started with a boat ride up one of the largest arteries of the country, the Rio Guayabero. On canoes we moved peacefully through the muddy waters where we found monkeys, birds, alligators, and turtles. We then started our hike through a thick green canopy of tropical trees, following streams. 

On top of witnessing this special and magical plant in its abundance, we also got to enjoy the many different rivers, their swimming holes, and waterfalls. The Del Día bags we carried along the way matched the rainbow of colors of the landscapes, and they were filled with swim suits, water, and my absolute favorite outdoors food: el fiambre.

El fiambre is a special Colombian concoction of hiking food. It is a hearty bundle of beans, rice, meat, and ripe plantains all tightly wound together in a very large plantain leaf, tied off with a piece of twine. These meals are prepared the same whether you are sitting down at a table or traveling many miles to eat your lunch. We sat on rocks along these magnificent rivers and waterfalls, eating our plantain slices underneath plantain trees. We laughed, napped, swam, walked, and repeated it all the next day. 

On the third day of our trip, we sleepily headed home on our canoe after an action packed day along the rivers. It was around 5pm, so the sun started its journey down the sky and all of the wildlife along the river was awakening from their afternoon naps—the monkeys were particularly active around the trees. As I squinted into the canopy, I saw a round ball shape that did not match the other monkeys. It wasn’t long until our guide pointed at this ball and told us it was a sloth. She slowly, and I mean slowly made her way down the tree to drink water from the river. We sat with the sloth for a long time, and she eventually raised her head up from between her arms and looked right at us. We finished the canoe ride stunned by the beauty of the scene we had witnessed and soaked up the last golden rays of sun that ran across the wide and magical river.

When we returned to town, our evenings were spent enjoying regional food, gazing up at the sea of stars, watching all of the parrots return to their nesting trees for the night, and spending time with the local community. One night we were invited to participate in a traditional dance. There was a small stage in a restaurant with live musicians who played the most lively and joyful music. The strings of the harp and several guitars warmed up the room, and the stage was filled with local kids who proudly shared their regional dance with us. The music and dancing went on for hours, and we never got tired of watching. I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of joy and grief at the privilege of getting to experience that moment, but also knowing how much I missed living in Colombia, and getting to experience nights like that all the time. I looked up at my mom and noticed tears in her eyes. I knew she was feeling the same thing.

Being an immigrant is a complicated and beautiful experience. My mom and I immigrated together, but our generational differences created very different experiences. Still, neither of us fully fit into one place or the other. Being able to walk together through a land that accepted these intersections was healing. It reminded us that our diversity as humans was what created this beautiful rainbow of colors for us all to enjoy.

Nature has always been my greatest teacher. My day to day life in the US often feels desaturated. Everything must fit into a black and white, yes or no binary. Spending time in this ecosystem reminded me that the world does not operate in black and white, but in every color on the spectrum. 

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