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Angel Falls |
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top 100 falls |
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VIDEO |
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| Plane Trip above Angle falls
& Caimana Lagoon 10 minutes google video with
related quickie vids nearby |
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If the volume of tourists to the Gran Sabana does
increase, as it has done over the last two decades, it is
essential they be sensitized
to the environment -- both human and natural -- they're
entering. This is what the Lost World site is about, please take
your time to explore it. |
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It is recommended that you:
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ID. or passport * Sweaters or
Jackets * Solid walking shoes * Jeans and light cotton trousers
* Sports shorts * Flashlight * Rain- protection * Bathing suits
and towels * Insect repellent and solar protector * hat or
scarf.
Overnight trips in jungle camps are not recommended for persons
of advanced age or with health problems |
|
->Respect the wildlife
and its habitat
->Follow the signs along
the path - remember that you are visiting extremely fragile
ecosystems
->Learn about Canaima
National Park before visiting; register with the forest rangers'
post and follow their advice
->Present sound
contamination; carry no radios or sound equipment that may
disturb the peace in the park
->Respect the culture and
customs of the Native Indians
->Do not contaminate the
rivers; use only soaps with low detergent levels.
->Prevent forest fires;
take every precaution necessary |
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Kavak |
 |
|
Get here by light
plane flying over Angels Falls prior to landing in this small,
charming indigenous settlement at the base of Auyantepui. On
clear days, the entire tepuy can be seen. Once there, take
the excursions guided by Indians, skirting rivers and
waterfalls, to arrive at the impressive Kavak canyon whose vault
contains a magnificent view of the sky and a cascade enclosed by
stone walls.
At the indigenous community of
Santa
Marta, you can observe Indians working on handicrafts to
sell to you. Visit the village of Kamarata, set in a
valley formed by 2 tepuis creating a natural portal, to
the La Toma falls
A field trip to this
road isolated
village consists of traveling through a rainforest, then
swimming into a cave that opens into a grotto containing a
splendid, 300-foot Kavak waterfall.
Situated in the far south of the Kavak/Kamarata Valley. Known
for the crystalline waters of its deep pool and for the rocky
fissures that have formed at the foot of the Auyán-tepuy.
The roar of the white water is magnified by the canyon, you can
have a swim in this strange, beautiful place The grottos are
located at the source of the Kavac River and consist of
rocky walls to which vegetation clings.
You could begin
your trip in Kavak by flying in and traveling by canoe to
Cainaima Village |
 |
|
Birds |
| Some 536 bird species have been
recorded from the park (Goodwin and Salas 1997). Of these, 42 are
endemic to the tepui region. Red
and green Macaw, Red billed Macaw, fiery-shouldered Parakeets,
Brown-throated Parakeets, King Vulture, Paradise Tanager, White
Bellbird, Guianan Cock of the Rock, Musician Wren, Great
Kiskadee, Bananaquit, Velvet Browned Brillant, Capunchinbird,
sooty-capped Hermit, Blue-cheeked Parrot and others. |
|
FAUNA
|
| The fauna is
diverse, though not very abundant: 118 mammals, 550
birds, 72 reptiles and 55 amphibians have been recorded
(Government of Venezuela, 1993). There are six species
of mammals of conservation concern: giant anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla (V), giant armadillo
Priodontes maximus (V), giant otter Pteronura
brasiliensis (V), bush dog Speothos venaticus
(V), little spotted cat Leopardus tigrinus (K)
and margay Leopardus wiedii (K) (Groombridge,
1993). The only endemic mammal is the rodent
Podoxymys roraimae. The avifauna is varied and
contains over thirty species endemic to Pantepui (ICBP,
1992). The less mobile orders, amphibians, reptiles and
fish, exhibit even higher levels of endemism. |
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|
Canaima National Park (Parque
Nacional Canaima) |
_______________ |
Weather
 |
|
Most
of the Canaima National Park falls under the influence of an Equatorial
Climate, with sunshine and high precipitations throughout the year. Precipitation varies greatly depending on
local geographic features though mean annual rainfall is 2600mm while higher
areas may have up to 4,000mm per year. The climate of the great savanna plateau
is temperate with a mean annual temperature of 24.5° C with the
temperatures on tepui summits as low as 0° C during the night. The dry season lasts from January to March, and the
rainy season lasts from April to December. The climate of the Gran Sabana
is mild and very agreeable, partly due to the altitude of 2200-2500'
(700-800m), and the continual fresh, buoyant winds. The temperature average varies since 10º C. to 22º C. The
period of rains is since May until November, with a high
precipitación of 3.000 mm annual
Weather
Forecast- Santa Elena De Uairen by wunderground.com |
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“Ucaima”,
the origin Pemón word that means “what attracts.”
|
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Waterfalls from
Islands in Time |
 |
|
Salto Aponwao
(Chinak-merú) |
| Among the Park's main
features we find its waterfalls, known as meru or vena in the
Pemon language. the most important ones are
|
|
Rivers |
| The main rivers that cross
Canaima National Park are the Caroni, Carrao, Aponwao,
Kukenan, Churun, Arabopo, Yuruani, Kauai, Cucurital, Tirika,
Urimank Aranan, Kamoirank Apakara, Aprado, Aravak, Mauruk,
Surukun, Kerepakupai, Tek Luana, Arauriquenk Antabare, and
Karaurin, many of which are navigable throughout the
year; others are only navigable during the rainy season.
Caroní, Carrao, Aponwao, Kukenán, Churúm, Arabopo, Yuruaní
[source:
Venezuelan Embassy in Japan] |
|
Trip Reports: |
"About 50 hammocks complete with mosquito nets awaited our tired
bodies. Soon the kitchen was a hive of activity and we enjoyed
spaghetti bolognaise by candle light, joined by a group of 20
Italians who raged into the night.
Next morning our canoe headed up the tributary Rio Churan to
take us deep within the mountains."
by alan Taylor for bootsnall.com |
"At nearby Canaima, which
means poltergeist, there are seven waterfalls. People used not
to go near them for fear the spirits would get them. We went
very near - walking behind the width of the great El Sapo
waterfall. As tons of water smashed past, we edged along the
rocky path gasping through the flying, choking spray. On the
other side, filled with an overwhelming sense of exhilaration, I
plunged into a still pool. Not only had our guide extolled the
iron-rich waters as a useful antidote to wrinkles, she had also
kept repeating 'I get my power from the waterfall'.
Angela Clarence at paradise-now.net |
|
Canaima National
Park
Tips from a TripAdvisor Member: |
|
You
must do this.
I will never forget it, and will never be able to put it into words to do
it justice.
Just Do It! |
From Margarita Island it was
approximately a 2 hour flight in a 12 seater plane. After
walking to the lagoon, got into boats which took us past
many waterfalls then alighted on a small beach. We then walked
behind two of the waterfalls, this was fantastic! (You will get
very wet and you need to wear either trainers or other sensible
footwear.)
We had flown past the Angel Falls on the outward journey but
were unable to see the falls because of clouds so our pilot flew
past again and we were able to get some photos from the plane.
One word of warning - to do justice to this trip it is essential
that you are physically fit as there is quite a lot of climbing
involved.
To get to the waterfalls, one
must take a boatride down the Caroni River and its various
tributaries. Our boatman was highly skilled and familiar with
every nook and cranny of the river. It was the rainy season so
the river was high and the water covered up all of the islands
in the river. We went down some rapids and generally had an
amazing ride.
THEN, the boat docks and we went went on a 3 mile trek through
the jungle, about an hour or two of walking up and down a rocky,
slippery, path, through marshes, over savannah. It was not for
sissies. Also, our guide, Luis Moreno, likes to go FAST. It was
about 85 degrees and humid. HOT, but not extremely hot. It is a
good idea to wear long sleeves and long pants to protect
yourself from the sun, the bugs, and the folage but not everyone
did. We also wore bathing suits so that we could swim in the
Falls.
The other highlight was the
visit to the Indian village (really a camp) where a family of
about 15-20 people live without running water, indoor plumbing
or electricity. We bought beautiful jewelry at a very low price.
They keep birds as pets. The feathers are clipped so they don't
fly away and they live freely in their camp.
Liked: A bird had built a nest in our cabana
Disliked: Lights out after 11 p.m. and a rugged climb up
and down from the cabanas
Tips/Secrets: bring bug spray, sun screen, long sleeves
and pants (but summer variety) and prepare for a lot of walking.
GOOD SHOES are a must.
Take
plenty of suncream and a hat, as you are in an open top boat for
several hours each day. Also, buy any alcohol you may want
before you leave Ciudad Bolivar, ....
The camp that we stayed at
was in a good location and away from other groups. We stayed in
a big hut-like construction with a communal sleeping room with
hammocks and blankets and a seperate eating area. It was
well-maintained, with flushing toilets and cold-water showers.
The food was good and filling. |
| There
are two areas where the tour operators have set up their
concrete-and-corrugated-iron camps:
around the confluence of the Carrao and Ahonda rivers (in
vicinity of Isla la Orchidea in the Carrao), and around Isla
Ratoncito at the base of Angel Falls. The Ahonda River is
Churún’s smaller brother, another canyon carved into the Auyán
plateau. Some companies have come and gone, and in general there
is a lot more competition nowadays than there used to be, to the
tourist’s benefit. [more
by Arno C. Hammann:] |
|
Attractions |
- Laguna de Canaima
- Salto Hacha (waterfall)
- Salto El Sapo
(waterfall)
- Carrao River
- Mayupa rapids
- Salto Yuri (waterfall)
- Cucurital River jungle
and grasslands
- Isla de la Orquìdea
(orchid Island)
- Churún River
- Angel Falls
- Kavac
- Kamarata
|
|
Salto La Cortina |
|
Salto La Cortina is another of the major waterfalls which drop
from Auyan Tepui within Canaima National Park. The falls plunge
a sheer 300 meters, give or take, into a large bowl-shaped
amphitheater. |
|
Sink Holes |
 |
SARISARINAMA HOLES, a geological
phenomenon consisting of circular holes measuring 300m both in
diameter and depth
[film
at lastrefuge.co.uk] |
|
|
|
| Canaima National
Park is the home to the famous ancient
table-top-mountain landscape
of the Guyana Highlands.
This is a 30,000 km² park in south-eastern
Venezuela that borders Brazil and Guyana. It is located in the state of
Bolívar, and was established on the 12 June 1962. One of the six largest National Parks in
the world. The Park protects the NW section of the Guyana Shield, a
unique and beautiful region with the Gran Sabana surrounded by
more than 100 tabletop mountains called “tepuis. The Gran Sabana
occupies about half of Canaima National Park, which was established in
1962. In 1975, Canaima was tripled in size to 30,000 km2,
(slightly larger than Maryland and about the size of Belgium). In 1994,
Canaima National Park became 1 of 126 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Tepuis
(teh-poo-ees) are the famous characteristic table-top mountains sculpted
by the milliennums from the
oldest rocks on Earth.
The most
famous Tepuis in the park are Monte Roraima, the tallest and easiest to climb, and
Auyantepui, from which fall the Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. The Tepuis are
sandstone and date back to a time when South America and Africa were
part of a super-continent.
Originally the tops of the tepuis were
joined together in a vast continuous plateau that stretched over a large
part of northern South America from the Colombian Mountains into Guyana.
Over the time erosion carved steep-walled valleys and crevices into the
plateau leaving fragments of the plateau completely isolated. The region
remains one of the most thinly settled and one of the most beautiful of
all natural areas in South America
The name of the
park, which derives from the novel "Canaima" by Venezuelan author Rómulo
Gallegos, means "spirit of evil" in the language of the Pemón, local
inhabitants of the park. Their population is more
than 20,000, with about three quarters of these within the national park
taking an increasing interest in the booming visitor industry. Pemón
indians often lead hikers
to some of the more accessible tepuis, such as Roraima, Matawi (Kukenan)
and Auyantepuy.
The park is bordered by the Río
Carrao and the Lema Mountain Range to the north, the
Pakaraima Range as far as the Brazilian border to the south, the
headwaters of the Río Venamo and the Roraima Range as far
as Roraima-tepui to the east, and the Río Caroní to the west. The
nearest cities are is Ciudad Bolívar some 600km to the north. The two
rivers meet where Ciudad Guayana (city of Guiana) now exists.
This city was created by the fusion of old cities of San Felix and
Puerto Ordaz, in either sides of the river.
The park protects the headwaters of
the Río Caroní which supplies Guri, the country's largest
hydroelectric power station and source of 70% of the nation's energy
|
GETTING THERE: Cainaina Village
|
by air, departing from
Maiquetía, Ciudad Bolìvar, Puerto Ordaz, Margarita, Maiquetía
(Caracas),or Puerto La Cruz.
You pay the National Parks fee upon landing. |
| Avior
(www.avior.com.ve)
from Caracas direct. |
|
Aerotuy (www.tuy.com)
flies from Porlamar on Isla de Margarita. |
Rutaca
(tel: (0285) 632-2195
rutaca.com.ve/ ) small planes leave
Ciudad Bolívar in the early mornings, usually providing flights
out in the afternoons. Rutaca’s planes essentially go to
wherever there are passengers in the Gran Sabana, and are the
best option for getting to Kavak and Kamarata, or on to Santa
Elena. |
|
By Road: |
| A main road from Ciudad
Bolívar runs along the eastern border of the park through the
Gran Sabana, bisecting its south-east corner. There are no other
roads within the park, the western section being
accessible only by air. |
|
Getting Around
There
|
|
Besides the few
dirt tracks that ring the eastern edge of the lagoon and define
the tiny village of Canaima, there are virtually no roads in
this region. Transportation is conducted primarily by boat in
traditional dugout canoes called curiaras and small
airplane. |
|
WHEN TO GO
|
|
You can only travel by dugout canoe up the
Río Churún to Angel Falls in the rainy season, which runs from
April-May to late November. This
is the north-west of the park, whereas in other areas rainfall is more
or less constant throughout the year
The unofficial season for
tours to the foot of Angel Falls runs from June through
November. October and November are regarded as the best months
to visit, since the rains are winding down but the water level
remains high. High season is July to August and November
to January. Here prices can get inflated, and the river, lagoon,
and waterfall tours seem crowded with damn tourists.
The dry season while not so
good for the waterfalls and traveling the rivers without the
hassle of portage around shallow rapids does create a lot of
nice sandy beaches along the rivers' edges which all but
disappear during the rainy season |
|
Best Web Guides
|
thelostworld.org ||map2
Canaima National
Park
by Emilio Pérez||
map1
thelostworld.org/links
|
|
|
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|
 
map & many fotos
Angel Falls |
Canaima: Sapo and Sapito falls |
|
Angel's Plane:
For decades, the silver fuselage of "El Río Coroní"
could be seen on the top of Auyántepui. In 1970, it
was salvaged by the Venezuelan Air Force. The plane
was restored and is currently on display at the
airport in Ciudad Bolívar. Bush pilot Angel's 11 day
trek from where his borrowed plane got stuck
in a bog on top of Angel Falls put the world's
tallest falls on the world map. The escape route had
been previously scouted by fellow adventurer Gustavo
Henry who with Angel, his wife and his gardener made
their way down Devil's Tepuy. A note found years
later in the cockpit by angel reads "we were on the
ground 750 feet before we hit soft spot" |
|
venezuelavoyage.com/angel.htm
Some paragraphs
extracted from the Traveler's Venezuela Companion © The
Globe Pequot Press. |
"In 1921, the
dour geologist and explorer, J.R. McCracken
contracted a maverick bush pilot called Jimmie
Angel, a Canadian Air Force pilot of the First World
War with a penchant for red-heads, to fly down to
the Venezuelan outback.
 |
|
Jimmie
Angel |
McCracken never
showed Jimmie a map, and simply told him where to
go. Jimmie did as he was told, eventually landing
his plane on top of one of the 'tepuys'
('mountains' in the local Pemon Indian tongue).
McCracken then proceeded to pan a river, and fill a
sack, so the story goes, full of gold nuggets. So
many, in fact, Angel feared they wouldn't be able to
take off again with the extra weight in the
fast-fading light. As they nosed off the mountain,
the plane plunged thousands of feet before Angel
managed to level out. They returned to Caracas, and
McCracken paid Jimmie the other half of the money he
had promised him: $3,000, a tidy sum back then." |
|
|
salto-angel.com/
|
|
http://ecoportal.tripod.com/campboli.htm
|
|
"The
Living Edens : The Lost World"
The Making of
the Tepuis Film : |
|
Places To Stay
|
|
Canaima National
Park |
| The
small town of
Canaima is the gateway to Angel Falls. Given the remote
location, lack of roads, and limited accommodations, you should
make reservations prior to your arrival. Accommodations, range
from a hammock under a simple roof to a nice room with hot water
in a full bath in an elegant lodge setting. Booking direct can
save you travel dollars. There's fax and internet service in the
village of about 1,000 people. |
Arekuna Lodge: [Rooms:
30] Canaima National Park Caroní river, Canaima National
Park In-room: no a/c, no phone,
no TV. In-hotel: bar, laundry service. All-inclusive.
"The
Lodge itself is lovely and overlooks the Caroni
River. The food was good and the service pleasant. I
highly recommend this trip to adventurous people in
good physical condition who are willing to rough it.
"The electricity comes from solar panels and is only
available from 5 to 11 p.m. There is water but no
hot water but the cool shower that I had after
returning from the first day's march was heavenly.
" |
This self-contained
luxury camp is on the bank of the Río Caroni, just outside
the boundaries of Parque Nacional Canaima. An
outing is also offered on the Caroní River with a walk of 1
km. to reach the waterfalls of Las Babas. If the
river isn't too low (in the dry season), you can visit some
petroglyphs. Beyond the waterfalls, there is a beautiful
beach with red water
|
Barquilla de Fresa
(Strawberry Ice Cream Inn)
Canaima National Park, Venezuela
|
Bernal Tours & Camp located
on a small
["Anatoly"] island at the base of the Hacha
waterfalls at Canaima National Park
can accommodate one to thirty people in hammocks.
Its isolated spot, just up
from the pink-tinted beach, makes for a wonderful hide-away |
|
Campamento Canaima by hoturvensa.com.ve
Rooms: 96 Campamento Canaima Canaima National Park, Venezuela
run by the airline Avensa/Servivensa,
tel: (022) 907-8130 (022) 907-8054 fax: (022) 907-8053
"Great location, magnificent
views, excellent service " |
| Horturvensa camp is booked
through
www.canaimatours.com &
www.hoturvensa.com.ve
|
Jungle
Rudy's Ucaima Camp: Rooms: 14
Canaima
National Park, Venezuela
tel/fax: (022) 693-0618 or (0286) 622359 website:junglerudy.com/
&
www.ucaima.com.
(also known as Campamento Ucaima)
Visitors are attended to by the
family of the legendary Rudy Truffino. It is located on the
banks of the Carrao River, 2kn from the lagoon. You can enjoy a refreshing dip
in the river. Each room has fans, private bathroom, and a small porch with
hammocks.
| Our only minor
complaint was that most of the rooms don't have hot
water, and when you come home wet/cold/tired, a cold
shower isn't too pleasant. Then again, it's a
campamento, not a hotel! the food was absolutely
superb and the staff was lovely. We enjoyed the
resident parrots and tortoises, too.
|
|
| Lodge
of José on Orchid Island |
Parakaupa 8 rooms, private bathroom tel/fax: (0286) 614963
email: parakaupa at etheron.net
Good views, nice garden, decent food and fans. A few
minutes away from the Canaima lagoon |
|
Posada Churun tel: (0414) 8840511 has 5 simple rooms, and
some hammock-slinging space. Large restaurant next-door |
Wakü Lodge,
15 rooms
Located on the western shores of the lagoon. Opened in October
2001, it's the
most attractive of the camps on the lagoon. Find comfortable
rooms with private bathrooms and hot water plus your own porch
with hammock, ample windows that overlook the Canaima Lagoon
falls,
There are extensive gardens full of tame wildlife (toucan,
macaws, various parrots, woodpeckers) The restaurant is a big
open "Churuata" (indian hut) with buffet and a la carte menus.
There's a large satellite TV too.
run by
canaimatours.com |
| Wei Tepü
offers basic triple rooms with fan and private
bathroom for Bs. 30,000 (around 15 US$). There are meals on
request (breakfast Bs. 15,000, lunch and dinner Bs. 25,000 |
|
|
Angel Falls
|
|
The falls cascade from a canyon which
pries open the heart-shaped Auyan mountain. Auyan is the largest
of the many unique mesas here, rising 2,510 metres (8,233 ft) at the
north-eastern edge of Canaima National Park. This is in the river
Churún, tributary of the Carrao,
A dozen operators and campamentos in
Canaima make it their business to organise the trip by large dugout
curiara boats with outboard engines up to the falls, and 90% of
visitors to the falls pass through the village. Local Pemon families run
smaller operations.
At the 'airport', many operators wait around for
arriving planes. This is the best place to choose a tour operator if you
haven’t done so already.
Angel Falls is deep within
the National Park. When first entering the park (at the
airport in Canaima) one must pay the park entrance fee
of Bs. 8000 (US$ 4).
Angel Falls is located
about 5 hours' ride in a dugout canoe upstream from
Canaima village. The 30-minute or so walk from the
closest point on the river to the base of the Falls is
not easy going because of large tree roots on the path
and visitors are advised to take sports shoes or
suchlike for this hike.
Navigation upstream the
Carrao and Churum River until arrive to the base of the
Angel Falls. You'll experience the Mayupa Rapids and
trekking on Ratoncito Island up to Mirador Laime
(nearest place to Angel Falls).
|
"Day tours
from Canaima range from $100 to $200 per
person. Two-day, 1-night tours to Angel
Falls can cost between $150 and $250. Be
careful about trying to save a few dollars:
Paying more for a respectable operator will
often get you a boat with two working
engines (required by law, but not always the
case in practice), a more experienced
captain (important, given the nature of the
rivers), and a better and truly bilingual
guide." |
|
|
Canaima Lagoon
|
The Canaima lagoon, where the Carrao river plunges over a
series of falls, is one of the most spectacular sights in Venezuela. The
lagoons inviting white sand beaches are humbled by the falls which
increase spectacularly with volume of the river flow.
At one side of the lagoon there are several waterfalls that jump into
it: they are called Hacha, Wadaima, Golondrina and
Ucaima. Behind them another spectacular sight: three tepuis (flat
top mountains or table mountains): the Nonoy ("Zamuro" or Vulture),
the Kuravaina ("Venado" or Deer) and the Topochi("Cerbatana"
or Blowpipe). on the other side of the lagoon: palm trees.
. At a
15-minute hike uphill from the small village, you'll find a little
lookout built as part of the small hydroelectric plant on the top of
Ucaima Falls
---Cainaima
Lagoon fotos |
|
Orchid
Island
|
While orchids do thrive in Camaina
National Park, the island is no longer particularly abundant in them.
Navigating down the
Carrao River on the way to the island, there is an excellent view
of the Kurún, Venado y Kuravaina tepuyes. The rapids on the
Maypa River tend to be very turbulent, making it necessary to
disembark and walk around them, returning to the vessels further
upriver. The Auyán tepuy or massif appears from a distance to lie very
close to the island.
islaorquidea
by venezuelaexotica.com
appreciated more in the month of May |
|
EL Sapo (Toad) Falls
|
Starting from the beach of Cainama Lagoon
you crossed to reach the shores of main island in the lagoon
Anatoly Island, the trip takes half a day.
Located on the backside
of the small Island, on the north end of the lagoon a visit to Salto El
Sapo includes a 15-minute hike across the island, from the foot of Hacha
Falls to the base of Salto El Sapo.
Most exciting part of the trip is to walk behind the falls, hugging the
wet rocky wall. Exiting
the other side, visitors are
led to the smaller El Sapito Falls, and then (when the water
level permits) across the top.
The name of the waterfall is due to the affection of the people for the
small mineral toad whose brilliant black skin is splotched with yellow
spots, making it quite noticeable. |
|
Yuri Falls
|
Just a 10-minute
drive, a 15-minute boat ride downstream and a short trek will get
you to Yuri Falls. Following the short ride
across the savannah to Puerto Verde where traditional Indian canoes "Curiara"
take you on the Carrao River, with ample opportunity to enjoy the lush
vegetation along the riverbanks. The pink sand beach is nice if you want
to take a quick swim or simply enjoy the scenery.
|
|
Pemon Indians
|
|
Canaima is the homeland of one of the
largest Amerindian populations in the country. The indigenous
Pemon Indians, part of the Carib linguistic group, belonging to
the Arekuna, Taurepane and Kamaracoto families which have spread over such a large area
including the Caribbean islands.
The date of first occupation of the Gran Sabana is not known, while some
believe the Pemón immigrated into the region only some 200 years ago
(Thomas 1980), others say its much longer. There are archeological remains of human
settlements which date back 9000 years (Schubert and Huber 1989)Nearby,
west of the National Park live the Yekuana of Maquiritate Indians.
The Pemon view of the cosmos, their
relationships and perception of nature, as well as their system of
social organization, contains much learned wisdom and is well worth your
consideration.
The Pemón live mainly in the eastern
sector of the park in scattered communities of 40-100 individuals. Many
Pemón maintain traditional lifestyles of swidden agriculture, hunting
and gathering. They also trade artifacts. They now have access to
drinking water, electricity, schools and basic medical care.
Only about 50,000 people live in this
area the size of Belgium, the original Pemon call this area Wekta,
Land of Mountains and Tei Pun, the Great Plain
Conservation
Although mining is prohibited inside the park, it takes place all around
its borders. The sedimentary rock of the Shield here has eroded in such
a way to create huge massifs with vertical cliffs which rise out of the
plains and forests into the skies |
|
Plant Life
|
The jungles
and forests of Canaima National Park contain many heterogeneous
flowers, including innumerable orchids and bromelias. Canaima has over 500 species of orchid
alone. Many of the plants that grow on the top of the tepuys are found
nowhere else on the planet and many of them are endemic to some
particular tepuy. Among the more interesting flora are
carnivorous plants that trap insects to complement their dietary
nutrients.
One third of the species of plant life on Roraima evolved there
and is unique to the plateau. Roraima is one of the harshest
environments for life in the world. It rains almost every day of
the year.
The most important types of
vegetation are: savanna, moriche Mauritia groves,
shrublands, montane forests and pioneer vegetation on the
summits of the tepuis. Savannas can be divided into two types.
On poor sandy soils, extensive grass savannas dominated by
Trachypogon plumosus (IK) and Axonopus pruinosus (IK)
are found. On more localised damp, richer soils, herb savannas
consisting of Stegolepis ptaritepuiensis (IK), S.
guianensis (IK) and Brocchinia steyermarkii occur.
Forests are only found along rivers, in damp depressions and on
the lower slopes and gullies of the tepuis. Tepui vegetation is
characterized by endemic species and carnivorous plants, for
example Heliamphora spp., Drosera roraima (IK) and
Utricularia humboldtii (IK). The Canaima national park
contains an estimated 3000-5000 species of phanerogams and
ferns. The tepui system (comprising all the tepui formations and
known as Pantepui) contains a high proportion of endemic
taxa. For example, 900 species of higher plants have been
identified from Auyán-tepui, of which some 10% are endemic to
this massif. Canaima is also famous for its diversity of
orchids, with an estimated 500 species recorded in the park
(Government of Venezuela, 1993).
Orchid
Trek in Gran Sabana |
|
Tours
|
|
auyantepuyonline.com/canai_e.html
....Auyantepuy Travel Agency offers more than eighteen (18)
years of solid experience and excellent service, providing a
variety of Adventure Tours in one of the world most exciting new
travel destinations, Venezuela |
Angel Eco-tours
"begin your trip in either Kavak (to visit the canyon) or Kamarata. From
the latter, you take a dugout from three days, passing Angel
Falls, and ending in Canaima. This tour can be arranged through
Cacao Travel
and
Angel Eco-Tours. |
Bernal
Tours
worldwander.com/bernal/ Postal 593
Bolivar, Venezuela South America tel/fax: (086) 620443 or
(014) 884-0965 , run by the family of Tomás Bernal, a
veteran of the Sabana who pioneered the trail behind
Sabu Falls and died in 1998
can be contacted through Adan Adventures in Ciudad
Bolivar, Tel: +58 281 268-9839 (adanadventures at
cantv.net). |
|
www.canaima.net
Campamento Parakaupa. Mr. Richard Chung (+58-414-8522305;
e-mail: iwanameru@hotmail.com) and Mr. Pablo Guerra were awesome
guides! |
| Cacao
Travel can also organise the trek up
Auyan Tepuy, which takes a minimum of ten days from
Kavak |
| Canaima Tours tel:
(0286) 962-5560
www.canaimatours.com, the agents for the Horturvensa camp. |
|
http://www.condorjourneys-adventures.com/venezuela_canaimapark.asp
|
Eco Adventure
Ruben
Alberto Salazar, office at Ciudad Bolivar central bus station
Phone: 0058.414.893.13.18
trips to Rio Caura, Gran Sabana, Roraima, Delta del Orinoco and
Los Llanos |
etheron.net/usuarios/parakaupa/
Offices that operate directly in the camping in Canaima by
TeleFax (58) 0286-961.49.63
Email: parakaupa at etheron.net |
| Kamarakoto Tours
tel/fax in Puerto Ordatel: (0286) 27680 |
|
http://www.salto-angel.com/day-tours.htm
|
|
Tiuna Tours tel:
at Ciudad Bolívar airport (0285) 28697 |
|
