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‘LOST WORLD’ RIVER JOURNEY
Angel Falls, Venezuela
‘Paradise on Earth’ claimed Christopher Columbus when he encountered Venezuela’s coastline in 1498. If he had only ventured further inland, what words would he have used to describe Venezuela’s richest natural treasure: Angel Falls (Salto Angel), the world’s highest waterfall? Words might have failed him even sooner – getting to Angel Falls along the Carrao River, which weaves between a ‘Lost World’ archipelago of table-topped mountains afloat on a jungle sea, is perhaps one of South America’s best wilderness river journeys.
Set within the Canaima National Park (Parque Nacional Canaima), in the Gran Sabana region buried deep in Venezuela’s south-east corner, these bizarre rock islands, or tepuís, provided the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel, The Lost World. Convinced that their inaccessibility meant there was hope of finding dinosaurs and pterodactyls still alive atop them, he wrote this classic tale that eventually inspired Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.
To reach the Gran Sabana from Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, it is necessary to fly first to unspectacular Ciudad Bolívar. Then the adventure begins, with an exhilarating flight southwards either in a small four-seater plane or an old, silver, twin-prop DC-9 that comes straight out of the golden age of flying. As you near Canaima, a tiny village populated by Pemón Indians and the base for river trips to Angel Falls, tepuís begin to pop their summits through sporadic clouds.
Before departing upriver for the falls, be sure to take the short boat trip and hike to Sapo Falls (Salto Sapo), one of seven waterfalls above Canaima Lake (Laguna Canaima), which you will have seen from the plane. At over 100 metres wide and 20 metres high, the tannin-brown fall is spectacular in itself, but the real treat lies behind it: a literally breathtaking path hewn from the rock behind the torrent. The path was cut by a hermit, Tomás Bernal, and traversing it requires a swimsuit – and a dose of courage when you experience the air-sucking power of a massive waterfall.
Although it is feasible to get to Angel Falls and back in a day the pace will be feverish, so if time allows it is better to take a two- or three-day option. Overnighting in a hammock at one of the rustic camps near Auyan Tepuí will add immeasurably to your sense of exploration.
The boats to the falls are driven by experienced Pemón Indian guides, and as the narrow, outboard-motor-powered craft battle against the strong currents of the Carrao, the snaking, jungle-cloaked river plays tricks on your sense of direction. ‘New’ tepuís seem to appear and disappear until it eventually becomes clear that most of them are just one: Auyan Tepuí. Rising above the treeline like an immense, medieval fortress, and turreted with tall, standing, pillar stones, it is a forbidding sight. The name means ‘Hell Mountain’ and it is revered and feared by the Pemón Indians, who believe that marawitón (bad spirits) live up there with the god Tramán-chitá.
If Conan Doyle had gone looking for dinosaurs he would have been hard pressed to find them on Auyan Tepuí’s summit. At a staggering 700 sq km it is four times as big as Washington DC. Angel Falls launches itself spectacularly from the 807-metre-high plateau in a fine misting, dancing spray.
Missouri-born adventurer, pilot and gold prospector Jimmy Angel brought the first reports of this natural wonder to the outside world in 1935. Two years later he deliberately crash-landed his plane, Río Caroni, on the summit of Auyan Tepuí and took 11 days to find a way down the treacherous cliffs – a stunt that gave the waterfall its name.
Although Angel Falls can be seen from the river, a short hike towards its base takes you to a far better vantage point. Crane your neck, peer skywards and watch in wonder as the water tumbles down the red rock-face to form the world’s highest waterfall.
usually operate only from May to November – the wet season, when river levels are higher – but prolonged rainfall may see this period extended. In Canaima and Ciudad Bolívar several airlines, such as Rutaca and LTA, offer flights over the waterfall. You can find tour packages to Canaima from Caracas for good value with tour operators in Ciudad Bolívar and Canaima.
