The rainbow river of Colombia also known as the river of five colors, is like a colourful painting hand painted by Mother Nature herself. Every year just when the time is right ( end of July through November ), the rivers water levels are low enough that the sun’s warmth creates an ideal temperature for the blooming of algae and moss, these algae and moss are among the reasons this river blossoms in a vibrant explosion of colors. Along these algae and moss there grows another unique species of plant that lines the river floor called Macarenia clavigera. Other colors come from black blue water,rocks and yellow sand, producing an iridescent effect.
Location
Located in the Serrania de la Macarena province of Meta, Colombia. It’s a tributary of the Guayabero River.
A short video of the rainbow river of colombia by Business Insider
Phenomena of The Rainbow Rive of Colombia Explained
This phenomena only occurs for a brief period ( end of July through November ) as the condition for the growth of Macarenia clavigera , algae and moss is just perfect. During the wet seasons the water flows too fast and deep obscuring the bottom of the river and denying Macarenia clavigera of the sun that it needs and in the dry seasons there is not enough water for the algae and moss to grow. Thus in this short span between the wet and dry seasons, when the water level and temperature is just right the river gets filled with colors. The colors widely depend on the Macarenia clavigera’s exposure to sunlight. If exposed to a lot of sunlight the plant can exhibit pink, hot pink, blood red or maroon color and if exposed to less sunlight the plant appears blue, yellow, orange, but most typically bright green.
