Colorful Rivers

Corte Pequena Faro: the Blue Dragon This aerial photograph showcases the stunningly blue water - the reflection of the sky above - of the river near Faro, Portugal. Here are the coordinates on GoogleMaps: Such beautiful blue color and multiple twists can be a feature of many rivers, best appreciated from a great height - producing stunning aerial photography shots. Lake Nacimiento in California, for example, displays the same dragon-like bristling shape and similarly brilliant color reflecting the clear skies. However, some rivers display similarly brilliant color up close and personal, and the following glacier melt-water river is perhaps the most vivid of them all: Stunningly Vivid Blue River, fed by the Petermann Glacier in Greenland This is melt water, of course, with thousands of melt ponds (some having a cutesy heart shape) all around it; but it is also a flowing river of intensely blue color which can be experienced on an organized kayak trip for those daring enough to go. Petermann Glacier is 70 km long and can be 600 m deep... "In August 2010, a giant iceberg measuring 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi) broke off from the floating portion of Petermann Glacier reducing its area and volume by about 25% and 10%, respectively."

River of Five Colors: Cano Cristales Also known as "the river that ran away from paradise," and "the most beautiful river in the world", the Crystal River is located near La Macarena, Colombia, and sports five distinct colors within its waters - yellow, blue, green, black, red - which change their hue and brilliance depending on a season (best observed in September-November) and on a life-cycle of the Macarenia clavigera weeds lining the riverbed.

To access the river you will have to fly to La Macarena and then take a horseback trip into the "Serrania de la Macarena" National Park, so it is not that easy to get there - but the rewards of witnessing and even swimming in all this radiant glory speak for themselves. Check out these lovely water-eroded pits in rock where you can even submerge yourself for a brief "fish in a bowl" experience:

There is also an abundance of miniature waterfalls, adding to the spectacular beauty of the place:

Color it Green: Lovely, Curvaceous River Uvac in Serbia

This light-green beauty is located in Special Nature Reserve Uvac, namely the Uvac Canyon, which is also known for being a habitat of huge Griffon Vultures, which can have a wingspan of almost three meters...





Color it Red: Washed Sand Changes Rivers into "Blood"

This is the much-revered Yangtze River in China, which turned color one day (most vividly near Chongqing) due to some washed out sand - and caused an ecological scare in the news as it was initially thought to be caused by somebody dumping chemicals in the river: 

Another washed sand "red river" was spotted in Madagascar - this is an aerial shot over the Bombetoka Bay in Betsiboka region:

Color it Rainbow: Incredible Volcanic Ash-infused rivers of Iceland

Intense volcanic activity in Iceland leads to overall abundance of other-worldly landscapes, and this apparently includes rivers which look like they were lifted bodily from the surface of some other planet - an ancient Mars, perhaps, bountiful with water reflected over the shimmering alien sand.

Russian photographer Andrei Ermolayev took these fantastic aerial shots over the Southern coast of Iceland:

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These incredible river-made patterns don't even seem natural, but rather a handiwork of a fairy-tale maiden, an ornament to adorn the blushing face of the Earth, to cherish for ages to come: