The Caño Cristales season runs from mid May until mid December. Normally we will not book packages after the first week of December as in recent years it has been known for the season to end a little early. You can leave on any date within the season. If Caño Cristales is in season then you have as good a chance as any to see the river’s colours.
Rain. If it is raining whilst you are visiting the river, the raindrops disrupt the surface of the water and have a detrimental effect in terms of viewing the plant-life below the water’s surface. We recommend at least 2 nights in Caño Cristales to give you the opportunity to return to the river if it was raining during one of your outings.
We cannot predict when it might rain
In mid November 2017 authorities in La Macarena closed the park to the public due to a lack of rain. We encourage clients to not leave their Caño Cristales trip until the last minute. In the event of the park being closed your booking will be refunded or you can use the value of your Caño Cristales tour to pay for alternative services with The Colombian Way
Almost always yes. Tour companies such as ours aggregate passengers for destinations such as Caño Cristales, there will almost always be hotel availability and regardless of how many people there are, it will always be possible to arrange flights.
Caño Cristales is access-managed, there is a limit of people that are able to visit the river each day. Normally this is not a problem, however if you leave your booking until the last minute, there is a chance that we will not be able to obtain permits for you. In such circumstances we will take you to an alternative destination for one or more of your days. In booking a trip to Caño Cristales with less than 10 days notice, your making a booking is acceptance that your itinerary may be varied due to capacity restrictions. We do not issue refunds for varied itineraries as a result of a late bookings. To avoid disappointment, we urge you to book as far in advance as possible to ensure we obtain the relevant permits.
You are almost guaranteed to be in an aggregated group regardless of when you want to go. Grouping passengers together makes destinations such as Caño Cristales feasible by sharing the costs of flights, fluvial transfers and guides across a small group.
Unless you are booking a larger group, it is unlikely that any group will be over 12 persons.
Normally no. Our local guides are from the village of La Macarena and normally will not speak English. One of the other benefits of being in a small group is that normally the group will have bilingual guests.
Sorry, not with our company you cannot. None of our Caño Cristales tours include camping.
I want to book my own flights and/or accommodation, can I book the day trips with The Colombian Way?
No, we currently do not offer ground services packages.
We use a number of hotels in La Macarena, all are simple but comfortable, most have a pool and a room fan, some may have air conditioning and wifi too. We are unable to guarantee which exact hotel you will be in prior to your trip
Caño Cristales is located in a former problem area that is currently patrolled by 3 military bases forming a triangle around the river and the village of La Macarena. The area is generally recognised as safe. It is not in our interest to send clients into dangerous scenarios, if at any point there is contradictory information from Caño Cristales we will temporarily stop offering the destination.
Douglas DC-3 aircraft are the workhorses of the Llanos area of Colombia. It is common for at least one of your journeys between Villavicencio and La Macarena to be on such an aircraft.
We cannot guarantee always that your flight will be on a DC-3 on any specific date. If you want to increase your chances of travelling to La Macarena or back on a DC-3 then you should travel at the weekend when there will be the most demand from other passengers for a chartered DC-3 service.
If you want to further increase the chances that you are on a DC-3 then the only way to do this is to depart on a Saturday and let us know in advance that you want the scheduled DC-3 service from Villavicencio to La Macarena.
Most DC-3 aircraft in Villavicencio are ex WWII converted US Airforce Douglas C-47 Skytrains. The interiors are configured in passenger/cargo mode with seats along the sides in two rows. You will not be travelling in a vintage passenger interior, you should expect the cabin to also carry cargo nets and some freight such as food, beer, electronics and building supplies.
Most flights are charters, for scheduled flights there is no reliable data to assess the punctuality of flights. There may be last minute equipment changes or even a different aircraft operator. In any event you should seek to get to the airport at least 2 hours before your indicated departure time.
Yes, you are going on an aircraft and as with a scheduled flight, you will be required to show government issued photo identification. You may have arranged to leave some of your luggage elsewhere but you need to take your documents with you.
We request that you do not take more than 10kg of luggage with you. It’s likely that your luggage will be carried in the passenger cabin and not stowed in a hold. Do not pack items which would be otherwise prohibited in carry-on luggage. If you have more than 10kg of luggage, we can arrange for you to store some temporarily at Villavicencio Airport, please pack accordingly.
Hot. Expect temperatures in the high 20s to +30°C (90°F) The Meta National Park has a subtropical climate so the temperature will be constant throughout the Caño Cristales season.
The area is not known for any mosquito vector diseases, however you should consider that a valid yellow fever certificate is mandatory. You will be denied services if you do not have a valid certificate. You will be asked to confirm that you will present a valid yellow fever certificate when arriving at Villavicencio Airport. Without exception, there will be no refunds for denied services if you have told us that you will have the certificate and then arrive without one.
It is not common for visitors to take malaria tablets. We recommend visitors wear long sleeves and use DEET from nightfall onwards.
The main trips depart from Villavicencio Airport. Where possible we can also offer charter departures from Bogotá Airport
Yes, but not much. Do not depend on ATMs in La Macarena and most places will not take credit cards. You should take some spending money with you. The village has a lively ambience and you may well want to have drinks in the evening. Bear in mind that your trip with The Colombian Way is a complete package and you will not have to pay for meals whilst on your tour. If you are making your own way to Villavicencio from Bogotá then you will also need approximately 30,000 COP per person for the bus each way and 10,000 COP each way for taxis between the bus terminal and airport.
The food will be basic but wholesome. For breakfasts expect fruits, eggs, coffee, hot chocolate, juices. Lunch will be a snack such as a sandwich or fiambre (A meal of rice, meat and plantain wrapped in a banana leaf) Dinner will typically be beef or chicken with potatoes, plantains, vegetables or salad, beans.
We are not able to confirm special diets for clients with particular requirements. It is our opinion that lunch is the most difficult to change and recommend that clients with special dietary requirements take snacks for their day trips. Suitable snacks may not be available in La Macarena village and we urge clients to ensure that they have such snacks before arriving.
No. The region is approximately 300m above sea level and relatively flat. You will have ample time to relax along the way and enjoy the river.
It should be borne in mind that by going to Caño Cristales you are pushing the envelope in terms of tourism. The region has been inaccessible for many years and the local tourism infrastructure is unsophisticated. We will do our best to assist with your orientation. Do not be surprised if plans change at the last minute due to the weather, do not expect upmarket restaurants, do not expect consistent hotel standards, try to relax and go with the flow.
Wireless voice and data networks will be patchy, if hotels have wifi then don’t expect it to work consistently. Anticipate occasional power outages, given the temperature in the region, some hotels may not bother with hot water.
Much of the following goes without saying. Caño Cristales is an area of outstanding natural beauty, please do your utmost to protect this unique environment. Do not take anything that you did not arrive with, do no leave anything there that was not already there. Do not discard cigarette butts or matches as there is a risk of starting grass fires. If you wish to bathe in the river you should towel off sunblock beforehand and reapply it afterwards. Oils and creams leave a film on the surface of the river.
Note that plastics are specifically banned, this can include food packaging, water bottles, plastic plates, knives, forks. The rule is vague but the spirit of the rule relates to disposable items, not Crocs, plastic dry sacks etc.
Our packing list for Caño Cristales is available online.
Colombia has no consistent training nor certification relating to dietary requirements or food allergies for catering personnel. There is no way for us to confirm your dietary requirements will be honoured or even understood.
Labelling or highlighting of allergens on ingredients lists in Colombia is not mandatory.
We recommend vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs and those suffering from other severe allergies to exercise caution at Caño Cristales, and if applicable take their own snacks.
For more information read our resource page about special dietary requirements and food allergies in Colombia.