Celeste River (Rio Celeste): Costa Rica’s Himmelblauer River

The Rio Celeste, which shines in an almost unearthly beautiful blue. Long scientists from all over the world puzzled over the reason for the unusual coloring of the water. Then they found a surprising explanation.

The fact that nature plays very big in the small Central American country of Costa Rica is probably no longer a secret. But in the national park at the foot of the Vulkan Tenorio there is a place that looks particularly magical – almost as if it were not real, but from a fairy tale. We are talking about the Rio Celeste, a river with a unique color. Its water shines in an almost unnatural blue. And that is exactly what made him one of the country’s largest tourist magnets.

The water of the Rio Celeste has a total of fourteen kilometers has this extremely unusual coloring. Celeste literally means “sky blue” from Spanish, but in some places it is almost more neon colors. For many years, scientists from all over the world could only speculate where this unique property would come from. A popular hypothesis was that the coloring would be caused by metals and/or minerals in the water. It was only in 2013 that a local team of researchers found out the real reason.

Why does the river shine so supernatural blue?

The scientists from the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) and the Universidad Nacional (UNA) were particularly amazed at one detail. The Rio Celeste is formed by the confluence of two other waters, namely the Rio Quebrada Agria and the Rio Buena Vista. And both have no color at all, their water is completely clear. Only at the point where they combine to form the Rio Celeste does the unearthly beautiful blue arise through a (nature) miracle. Samples from the sky blue river then led to the next surprise: As soon as water was taken from it, it lost its color properties, and also became crystal clear.

After a few further investigations, the researchers soon became clear: the phenomenon that turns the Rio Celeste Himmelblau could not be chemical. Rather, it is a kind of optical illusion that causes the human eye. And this is caused by the sunlight itself. This is contained all spectra of the color palette – just think of a rainbow. Usually water now absorbs sunlight without reflecting a special color. In the Rio Celeste, however, for a very specific reason it throws back the blue -folding, so that the river appears to the viewer in this special color.

Baden in the miracle river

But why does this phenomenon happen here? During their research, the scientists discovered a whitish substance in the river bed of the Rio Celeste that covered the stones and the ground. This is about particles of a mineral called aluminum silicate. This consists of aluminum, silicon and oxygen and is the cause for the fact that the sunlight in the river is reflected in such a unique way. And that in turn is related to the size of the particles that lie in the nanometer area. If the particles were larger or smaller, they would probably reflect a different color.

The countless tourists who visit the Rio Celeste every year probably prefer a local legend to explain the coloring of the Rio Celeste. Accordingly, God drew his brushes into the water after he was finished to paint the sky. Numerous activities are waiting for holidaymakers around the river today. So you can hike or ride along your banks. Floss trips are also possible, as are a bath in the beautiful blue. Little surprise is also attributed to healing powers.

If you are looking for “Rio Celeste Tours” on Google under the term “, you will also find it very quickly and numerous. On TripAdvisor, the users overturn with praise for this unique natural wonder. “Definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen with my own eyes,” says one. A second commented: “The entire national park is breathtaking. A must if you are in Costa Rica! ”A third added:“ This place is really magical. The pictures don’t lie, it really looks like that. ”

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