A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Canaima National Park is truly one of the world’s most beautiful places.
Nestled in the south eastern area of Venezuela, it is home to many of
the country’s most famous national treasures and is one of the main
destinations for tourists from all over. In fact, if you find yourself traveling to Venezuela, Canaima National Park is a must-see on your
itinerary.
At 30,000 square kilometers, Canaima National Park is the second largest
park in Venezuela (after Parima-Tapirapeco). The park sits on the border
with both Guyana and Brazil, though it lies wholly within the borders of
Venezuela. The park was established in 1962 and quickly became widely
known throughout the world as a place of extreme natural beauty. To this
day, transportation within the park is very primitive and usually
involves small aircraft, hiking, or canoeing. In 1994, Canaima National
Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its natural wonders.
To show how rare this designation is, throughout the entire world there
are still just over 150 sites that are designated World Heritage Sites
because of their natural features.
As far as inhabitants go, the main residents within the park’s borders
are all members of the Pemon Indian tribe. The Pemon are members of the
Carib linguistic group and believe that the famous table-top mountains
in the region, known as tepuis, are home to the mawari spirits.
Angel Falls - the world's highest waterfall
Angel Falls is famous as the world’s tallest waterfall. From the top
where it starts to spill over the edge to the water down below is 3,212
feet. The waterfall includes a continuous
uninterrupted drop of 2,648
feet which is also tallest in the world. An interesting fact about the
water flowing over Angel Falls is that the drop is so far that before it
hits the bottom the winds hitting it turn it to mist. Although Angel
Falls remains a popular destination to those visiting Venezuela, it is
not an easy trip by any means. It involves a flight to a nearby village
and then either a trip upstream by boat or an aerial fly-by on a day
which will hopefully not be clouded over.
The amount of different attractions makes Canaima National Park a great
destination for any modern day adventurer, especially one who loves the
outdoors. One visit and you’ll see why Canaima National Park is as
widely renowned as it is for it’s pure natural beauty.
The Tepui Mountains
The features of Canaima National Park that are most widely known are the
tepuis (or table-top) mountains and Angel Falls.
The tepuis mountains of Canaima National Park are table-top mountains
made primarily of sandstone. The mountains are not only beautiful, but
are also a popular destination for mountain and rock climbers from both
inside and outside of Venezuela. Tepuis mountains are usually not part
of a mountain range and tend to sit by themselves amongst the landscape.
The name comes from the word “tepui” which when translated from the
Pemon Indian language means “house of the gods”. Unique plants and
animals, including some
species as yet found or well researched, make
the table-top mountains their home. Mount Roraima is the most famous of
all the tepuis mountains. Mount Roraima is extremely popular with both
rock and mountain climbers. The largest of the tepuis mountains is
Auyantepui which has a surface area of just over 700 square kilometers
on its top side. Auyantepui is also home to the world famous Angel
Falls.
