We viewed the falls from the boat and also did a short trek at the base of the falls to get some other excellent photo opportunities. We had one more might in the hammocks before heading back the following day to Canaima where we were catching a flight back The flight gave us one final glimpse of Angel Falls and the aerial view and the flight we took helped to illustrate why the falls are so difficult to access.
Angel Falls are worth the effort and even those on a tight schedule should try to make time for the expedition. The best way to see them in my opinion is to take one of the many organized tours. Although they tend to through in some slightly unnecessary detours the overall experience was fantastic and the region of Venezuela that host the falls is spectacular.
Ken Maitland 3rd July 2007
Angel Falls are worth the effort and even those on a tight schedule should try to make time for the expedition. The best way to see them in my opinion is to take one of the many organized tours. Although they tend to through in some slightly unnecessary detours the overall experience was fantastic and the region of Venezuela that host the falls is spectacular.
Ken Maitland 3rd July 2007
The world’s highest falls are Venezuela’s best-known tourist attraction and a one of South America’s most spectacular sites. The largest single drop is 807m (2648ft) and the total distance from Devil’s canyon at the base of the falls to the plateau at the top (called Auyantepui) is a dizzying 979m (3212ft). For the city slickers out there who are more familiar with man made structures, the Empire State Building stands at 381m (1250ft) and is still one of the world’s top ten tallest buildings. So even if you put the Empire State Building at the bottom of the falls in Devil’s Canyon, and then stacked another replica of the New York landmark on top, you’d still fall over 200 metres (about 700ft) short of the top.
Angel Falls | Venezuela
After an extended hangover following New Year celebrations in Caracas, I felt ready to tackle what I expected to be one of the highlights of my time in South America. Angel Falls are situated in the Canaima National Park and getting there from the country’s capital is not a simple affair. The actual expedition was eating up precious time from our itinerary and therefore instead of working our way overland from Caracas to Uruyen, we elected to fly. The expedition was set to take 5 days with 4 nights spent in a combination of tents and lodges.
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A Jeep transferred us to our official starting point, and the sun already felt strong despite the relatively early hour. It was the dry season, and although this meant the falls may not be as spectacular as they can be, the weather was a little more reliable. The trekking on day 1 was predominantly through rainforest and we were heading for a specific lodge where we were going to be staying. Along the way we stopped to see a ‘traditional’ local tribe, and although there was a strong feeling that it had all been laid on for the passing tourists, it was interesting none-the-less.
The first day’s trek wasn’t particularly arduous, but I was exhausted and slept very well in a surprising comfortable lodge, which in hindsight was especially valuable as the following night we were in hammocks.
Day 2 was less walking given that most of the day was spent on boats heading down the Carrao River. A large portion of the expedition where spent on boats along the rivers Churum and Carrao. When I set out on the trip I was so looking forward to seeing Angel Falls that I hadn’t given a serious thought to the scenery along the way would be like. Even without the jewel that is Angel Falls, the expedition was still well worth doing as the spectacular setting on the mountains and tropical forest was simply amazing.
After a couple of days spent mainly on the rivers, and some restless nights sleep in hammocks with the symphony of noises that nights in the rainforest bring, day 4 was the big one. We got up early and again took to the nearby river where the noise of the boats’ motors disturbed an otherwise idyllic morning. There is a short period in the rainforest just as the morning breaks where the temperature is very pleasantly cool, and the sun soon rises and the temperature follows. Our first sight of the falls was from a distance, although we could actually hear them before we saw them. We then approached the bottom of the falls with the boat entering Devil’s Canyon to get a much closer view of the world’s highest waterfall.
South America is blessed with many spectacular waterfalls and treks, but there is something about Angel Falls that makes it standout. Iguazu is the spectacular, but I think it might be something about it being accessible that takes a little of the majesty away. The expedition required to see the falls from the ground, gives you a feeling of being a true explorer even though in reality the trip isn’t too arduous.
The first day’s trek wasn’t particularly arduous, but I was exhausted and slept very well in a surprising comfortable lodge, which in hindsight was especially valuable as the following night we were in hammocks.
Day 2 was less walking given that most of the day was spent on boats heading down the Carrao River. A large portion of the expedition where spent on boats along the rivers Churum and Carrao. When I set out on the trip I was so looking forward to seeing Angel Falls that I hadn’t given a serious thought to the scenery along the way would be like. Even without the jewel that is Angel Falls, the expedition was still well worth doing as the spectacular setting on the mountains and tropical forest was simply amazing.
After a couple of days spent mainly on the rivers, and some restless nights sleep in hammocks with the symphony of noises that nights in the rainforest bring, day 4 was the big one. We got up early and again took to the nearby river where the noise of the boats’ motors disturbed an otherwise idyllic morning. There is a short period in the rainforest just as the morning breaks where the temperature is very pleasantly cool, and the sun soon rises and the temperature follows. Our first sight of the falls was from a distance, although we could actually hear them before we saw them. We then approached the bottom of the falls with the boat entering Devil’s Canyon to get a much closer view of the world’s highest waterfall.
South America is blessed with many spectacular waterfalls and treks, but there is something about Angel Falls that makes it standout. Iguazu is the spectacular, but I think it might be something about it being accessible that takes a little of the majesty away. The expedition required to see the falls from the ground, gives you a feeling of being a true explorer even though in reality the trip isn’t too arduous.
