Estrecho del Magdalena

The Magdalena runs some fifteen hundred kilometres from here to the Caribbean and carries the great majority of Colombia's river traffic and history, and at this point, not far from its source in the Macizo Colombiano, it passes between two rock walls with a gap usually given as about 2.2 metres - the entire river forced through a slot narrow enough to step across, which is the whole point of the visit and is genuinely startling given what the river becomes downstream. The water is fast and deep in the gap and the rock around it is worn smooth. There is a viewing area and a small path. It is close to San Agustin and usually combined with the archaeological park and the two waterfalls in the same area.

What you actually see

• A river squeezed to about 2.2 metres - the whole Magdalena through a slot.
• Smooth worn rock - shaped by the water.
• Fast deep water in the gap - not a place to go near the edge.
• The river near its source - fifteen hundred kilometres from the sea.

When to go

December to March. An hour and a half.

Honest expectations

It is a single feature and the visit is short. The rock beside the gap is slippery and the water is lethal - people have fallen in. Entry is charged. It is best combined with the other San Agustin sites.

Nearby

San Agustin and its archaeological park are east; Obando is west.