Salto Cristal

Salto Cristal drops around forty metres in the hills near La Colmena into a pool whose colour is the reason people come: a strong blue-green from the minerals in the water and the rock beneath, held in a bowl of forest with the fall coming in at one side. The name refers to that clarity. Reaching it means turning off the road onto a rough track through private property, paying at the gate, and then walking down a steep path to the pool, twenty minutes or so with the return harder. Swimming is the point once there. Facilities are a car park and basic amenities. It is among the most photographed natural sites in Paraguay.

What you actually see

• The turquoise pool - the coloured basin at the foot of the fall.
• The forty-metre drop - the fall coming into the pool from the side.
• The forest bowl - the vegetation enclosing the site.
• The descent - the steep path down from the parking area.

When to go

October to April in the wet season for the fullest flow and warmest swimming; the colour shows best in bright light. The track is difficult after heavy rain. Weekends bring local visitors.

Honest expectations

Access is across private land with a gate charge and the track needs a capable vehicle. The descent is steep and the return climb hard. Facilities are minimal. Flow reduces in the dry season.

Nearby

La Colmena lies north; Paraguari is northwest.