Caño Cristales Tour, (aka the most beautiful river in the world) is an exceptional and surprising natural beauty. Its unique ecosystem is very fragile and now belongs to the Sierra de la Macarena Natural National Park.
Season: June - November
Departure Locations & Days:
You will start your adventure in Bogota. Arriving at the airport on your own, you will board your flight from Bogota to La Macarena (1 hour flight). Presentation time can be as early as 5:00am*. Once you arrive at the La Macarena airport you will be greeted by a FlashpackerConnect guide/representative. From here, you will attend an information session with National Park Sierra de la Macarena (video and talk with park representative) and be transported to your hotel for check in.
Today, you will journey to Caño Cristalitos (a smaller Caño Cristales river), where you will have the opportunity to view a conservation project for local wildlife and learn about the culture in the area. Today’s lunch will be at the river. (In an effort to preserve the natural beauty of the parks, all lunches are packed in banana leaves to prevent any trash from ending up in the parks.)
After lunch, we will venture back to La Macarena and rest before dinner. Tonight, dinner will be at a local restaurant with your guide.
Please note that your guide will be with you during all excursions and meals.
*Your flight itinerary will be emailed to you about 1 week prior to your reservation.
**Please note that La Macarena is a very remote Amazon town and while comfortable, accommodations come with only the basic amenities. Most do not have hot water.
Before your adventure starts you will have breakfast at a local restaurant. Afterwards, you will launch from La Macarena’s boat ramp for a 30 minute boat ride. During this ride you will have the opportunity to see monkeys, and exotic bird species such as the prehistoric Hoatzan. You will then be transported in 4x4s from the La Cachivera district to Caño Cajuche. Once we arrive in Caño Cajuche we will start our walk to Caño Cristales.* Our route will end at Los Ochos also known as "The 8s" which is considered the most picturesque location throughout the park (around 6 hours total).
Please note that while hiking we will take many breaks for pictures and swimming, it is often very hot so please bring an ample supply of water (no single use water bottles allowed).
After leaving the park we will return in 4x4s to the Guayabero River and go back to La Macarena. You will have time to rest at your hotel and meet for dinner with your guide. After dinner you will get to enjoy traditional Joropo music as well as learn some local dances.
*Your route through the park is assigned the morning of your trip by Cormacarena and the National Park. While the park admits up to 350 people per day, you will most likely see no more than 20 people due to these planned trails.
On the morning of your last day you will wake up early for a sunrise wildlife boat ride (around 6:00am depending on time of year) after enjoying this you will be taken to breakfast at a local farm. After breakfast, you will go back to your hotel to pack (around 9:00 am). Flights back to Bogota vary in time and are typically between 10:00am-2:00pm depending on availability and flight schedule that day. (Lunch included if you have an afternoon flight.)
*English guide available upon request ($75 USD per day)
*If flights from Bogota are not available we will transport you to the Villavicencio airport (3-5hrs from Bogota) for a charter flight (hotel transfer included)
