Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world and supposedly one of Venezuela´s highlights. Like everything else in Venezuela, the trip is now very expensive, actually the single most expensive thing so far on my entire trip. Since the beginning of the year they have had 37% inflation in Venezuela so just about everything except the gasoline, which costs 12 cents a gallon, is rather costly. Back six to eight months ago the "official" black market exchange rate, yes there is actually an official published black market exchange rate, was 5.5 Bolivars to the dollar and now it is less than 3.5, so it is a huge difference. For example a Big Mac meal at McDonalds costs $9.50 if you are using the official exchange rate. But as this is nearing the end of my trip and I still had the money so I decided to go anyways.

To get to Canaima, the gateway to Angel Falls you need to fly as there is no land transport. So after some 891 hours of bus, boat, and train transportation during my trip so far I was actually forced to fly.  And if  I had to break the streak of land transport this was certainly a good way to do it, in a tiny four seat Cessna, that´s three seats for passengers and one for the pilot. The views from the plane were good as we were only flying at about 4,000 feet or so and as we reached Canaima we could see some tepuys and the waterfalls around the Canaima Lagoon. After landing a person from the tour operator met us at the tiny airport and we headed to their camp in the town to get ready for the boat trip up to Angel Falls. Luckily the weather looked good and so we had a dry ride upriver. It is currently the rainy season so the river was totally swollen with water with no discernible river bank just semi-submerged trees and foliage. The scenery was really amazing as the river wound its way near the base of Auyan Tepuy, from which Angel Falls cascades. The rock face of the tepuy rose straight up out of the dense jungle with patches of jungle clinging to any non-vertical surface. After 3-4 hours we reached a point of the river where we could clearly see Angel Falls since the weather was still clear. Here we got out of the boat for the one hour hike to the viewing point for the falls. The river was a bright red color from the roots and plant particles that make their way into the water, a very eery sight. Unfortunately the weather only managed to hold out for 15 more minutes before it started to rain. At first it just sprinkled but then it became a full on downpour for the rest of the afternoon and by the time we arrived at the mirador we were all completely soaked, but at least Angel Falls wasn´t shrouded in clouds. From the mirador the rain was pouring down and winds from the tepuy were sweeping the water from the falls down on us at 30-40 miles per hour. Amidst the soaking and high winds I managed to get one picture without ruining my camera before we descended back towards the boat and to our camp for the night.

The next morning we took the boat back down the river to Canaima, a much quicker trip than fighting the current and moving upriver. We had a few hours to rest up and have lunch before we headed out to see the waterfalls in the Canaima Lagoon. A short boat ride took us across the lagoon and in front of some of the waterfalls which were lit up by the mid-afternoon sun. The highlight of the waterfalls was Salto Sapo or Frog Falls which a pounding waterfalls where there is a trail behind the falls underneath a rock ledge. The wind sweeps the water from the falls and the spray back onto the trail and you get completely soaked while the mist and amount of water washing onto you makes it difficult to even see at times. After crossing under the falls you can make your way to the top of the falls for panoramic and mist filled views of the entire lagoon area.

We stayed the night at the camp in Canaima and had the following morning free to go to the lagoon and walk around before the flight back to Ciudad Bolivar after lunch. This time it was a little bigger plane, with eight seats and there were a lot more clouds so we were flying up at about 8500 feet to get above the weather, but the flight was just as smooth. I wasn´t looking forward to spending another night in Ciudad Bolivar because there is absolutely nothing to do there and everything shuts down around 7pm and things become dangerously quiet and deserted. Luckily it seemed early enough to get up to some of the beaches on the coast before it go too late so after picking up my bag I headed right for the bus station for more overland transport.

Hello All,

Today I woke up and headed for Adrenaline Tours a block away from my Posada. I got there at 7:30am, and met the others in the tour group over a nice little breakfast. They were Jules & Jules (Julian & Julia??), newlyweds from the UK, Anna & Philipp from Switzerland, and Tania & Kate from Australia, and all spoke English very well.

I decided to leave my computer with the good folks at the office, and packed much lighter for the journey. Tania, Kate, Jules & Jules got their taxi to the airport, and shortly after Anna, Philipp and I left as well. The Ford Fairmont we took was the biggest wreck of a vehicle I had taken yet, but it got us there in short order.

J&J were still at the airport waiting when we arrived, and the five of us were to fully occupy the next flight to Canaima. We casually threw our bags into an x-ray machine, and walked through a metal detector that alarmed for all of us. Then we boarded a six-seat Cessna for the trip, and me being the only solo person got the seat next to the pilot.

While I was growing up both my father and grandfather were private pilots, so I love to fly. The smaller the plane the better as far as I’m concerned. And commercially they don’t get much smaller than this. I thoroughly enjoyed the view, but not the leg room, from the co-pilot seat for the 65 minute trip. As we approached Canaima the view was stunning.

Canaima is a Pimon Indian settlement of about 1,500 people that cannot be reached by road. It is the main staging area for trips to Angel Falls, and part of Canaima National Park. The town itself is spread over the south end of a lagoon that is indescribable in its beauty. The waters are iced-tea brown and surrounded by tall waving palm trees. There are long sandy stretches of white sand beach, and rustic typical dwellings abound.

But the thing that brings it all together is the seven gorgeous waterfalls that spread out over the west side of the lagoon. It is here that the Rio Carrao splits into four different branches and spills over a substantial ridge into the Canaima Lagoon. Breathtaking is not even close enough to convey the beauty and majesty of the sight.

We were met at the airport and taken to our camp, the Tiuna Lodge. From the large hammock deck we had a view of the lagoon and one of the waterfalls, and could faintly hear its rushing, crashing waters. There were six hammocks slung over beams , and each had a blanket in case the overnight temperature warranted it.

Back at the office, when I was told that everyone else in the group was sleeping in hammocks for both night I acquiesced and agreed to do so also. Now there were four people in the group we asking where their beds were, with J&J being the only hammock aficionados in the gang. I claimed one and tried it out. I deemed it comfortable enough for the night and kept my mouth shut.

After a tasty lunch, we met our guide Pedro, and left for our first trip. We cruised around the lagoon before disembarking and taking a 30 minute walk to the Salto El Sapo waterfall. We wrapped our cameras in plastic, or dumped then into ziplock bags and took the walkway behind the falls. It was a great experience, and it certainly was wet. Tania was very smart to have purchased a waterproof camera, and she was taking full advantage with an under-falls photo shoot.

When then took another short hike to the smaller Salto El Sapito, and climbed to the top to play in the water above. We then walked back to El Sapo and did the same. The tannic acid colored water was cool and refreshing, and begged to be played in. We then walked back to the lagoon and trekked over to Salta Hacha.

Hacha was a much larger falls, with a great deal more water flow, but we were going behind it as well. This trail was a bit better than the other one, and even set back a bit more, but the volume of water guaranteed a wet experience for all. Another falls, another fabulous view, and my plastic wrapped digital camera seemed none the worse for wear when I removed it from its ziplock bag.

After returning to the camp, we had dinner (another tasty meal), and set up for bed. The setting was very nice, and the day’s experiences ran through my head as I drifted off to sleep. Can tomorrow possibly match up? Stay Tuned…

Later, Phil

Bussed into Ciudad Bolivar which is a bit like Kwekwe but not as happening and then booked our excursion to the Angel Falls out of there. The falls take some getting to... 1 hour in a Cessna followed by 4 1/2 hours in a small dugout upstream and then a 1 hour trek through the jungle. They are not gonna be over run with tourists in too much of a rush which is brilliant. The park is fantastic, loads of tepuis (flat topped mountains) with black rivers (from the tannic acid of the tree roots in the area) and very remote. You can do a 17 day hike to the falls - the application for was turned down by management. Also we would have missed Ants weding.

We also spent a day swimmin gin the lagoons and looking at some other falls in the area on the canaima river. Brilliant place, just a shame about our guide who couldnt find it a way of telling the truth all through the 3 days!

At a total height of 979m and a uninterrupted drop of 807m, Salto Angel is the highest waterfall in the world.  The water rushes off of Auyantepui, which is one of the largest tepuis (flap top mountain) in the area.  It was amazing to follow a wave of water blasting off of the top waiting so long for it to reach the bottom.  However it is difficult to really grasp the size of the falls even being their in person at the viewpoint.  I personally found Iguazu much more impressive. 

I was never planning on going but the street exchange rate made it too cheap to miss one of the world´s most famous sites.  We looked into going to the angel falls from Santa Elena but the price was very high because of the longer flight required to Canaima.   We decided to take the $7 10 hour bus to Cididad Bolivar to cut the price nearly in half and got a four day all-in package for $160.  Getting to Canaima required a 3 hour van ride and a 30 minute flight.  From there we got took a long canoe with a 50 on the back upstream for a couple hours to our hammock lodge.  The boat the next morning was much more adventurous and was sort of like white water rafting upstream.  The boat was overloaded and the water rushed over the sides seemingly more often than not.

The walk up to viewpoint is less than an hour along a root covered trail through a beautiful mosquito free rainforest.  The lack of physical work required to get there eliminates the sense of accomplishment that was so enjoyable on such treks as Roraima and Lares.  We spent a few hours splashing around in the pools down from the base of the main falls.  On the way back from salto angel we stopped at a couple of much smaller ones where we could walk behind.

Frosty, Frenchie and I elected to take the optional free extra night stay in Canaima.  After chillin on the beach for the better part of our last day we went out to find a place to eat that was no too expensive in the resort village.  Along the way I challenged the self proclaimed chess master of the town to a game.  This turned out to be a good decision.  Not only did he leave the table with his tail between his legs, we also shared a bottle of run and his wife fed us all for a very reasonable price.  The other old guy who was also playing invited us to his son´s 19th Bday party which we happily accepted.  The was in a typical open doored concrete dwelling with lots of close dancing.  Frosty did what frost does and suddenly the vibe came sketchy so the three amigos decided to move to the beach for a moonlit swim.  It took 2 hours for our rum drenched brains to navigate the 10 minute walk back to our hostel.

Back in Cididad Bolivar we went to see the voting taking place on the second. The Si con Chavez graffiti covered most buildings.  This made it difficult to do simple thing such as eat because almost everything was shut down the day before and the day of the election.  Frosty and I did manage to find a place that was illegally selling beers the day before the election and slurped back about a dozen of the funny little bottles for about 40 cents a pop.

    Today was spent mostly in transit. We got up & had breakfast of pancakes (and yet more scrambled eggs!) - we rode to the airstrip in a battered old Toyota. The airstrip was tiny, with dogs sleeping on the runway. We had to wait ages for our flight to Puerto Ordaz.

4 of us shared a Cessna, giving us the chance to get a fantastic view of the lagoon and the falls from the air. We were flung about by turbulence throughout the flight which made getting some shuteye impossible! We landed in Puerto Ordaz and had to wait for out guide's plane to get in - we made our connection but he didn't. It was a bit worrying sitting on the plane without him, but fortunately he got on the next flight, landing an hour after us.

After we were all safely off and had recovered our luggage we set off in the minibus towards Chichirivichi de la Costa. The road was very interesting, with stretches of tarmac scattered seemingly at random between stretches of dirt track. At one point the road was only half finished, with treacherous steel bars sticking out to catch the unwary's tyres! We were a bit concerned about where we were going until we saw a white beach with crystal clear water.

After checking in we went straight down for a swim while it was still light. It was lovely and warm - a complete contrast to the mountain streams, especially with the salt! We met up with the Explore boss for Venezuela at the hotel. We had Dorado for dinner with sauteed potatoes which was lovely. We spent the evening until about 10 o'clock chatting among the group and with other people in the hotel.

One of the most beautiful places in Venezuela is Canaima lagoon and its surroundings. The lagoon is fed by several small water falls: Hacha, Wadaima, Golondrina and Ucaima. On the back you can see 3 "tepuy", those flat top mountains, that distinguish this region, they are called Nonoy-Tepuy ("Zamuro" or Vulture), Kuravaina-Tepuy ("Venado" or Deer) and Topochi-Tepuy ("Cerbatana" or Blowpipe).

In the western part of Canaima National Park, is the Auyantepuy, one of the largest and better known "tepuy" (A flat top mountain ending with vertical walls). From this tepuy is where the Angel falls are formed. The fall is 979 meters high (around 3000 ft.), and is the higher waterfall in the world.

Due to  our late arrival yesterday, we got to go on an extra excursion today before heading into the jungle. We went for a nice little walk to reach a huge waterfall, Salto Sapo. Here we got to walk behind the waterfall! I didn´t venture very far but Simon and Leo went all the way along behind it and said that it was so loud and water was spraying from every possible angle!

We joined the intended trip after lunch and with 7 Germans (!) we went off in our little dug out canoe along the river, stopping at waterfalls to walk up the bank and get another boat and then on along the river.                                                                                                                                                      

We had to walk across an  island at one point where the rapids were too high and strong for a boat full of passengers. This island can only be called Sand Fly Island. Our legs were bitten a million times by the little invisible bastards in the 20 minutes it took to walk across.

Back in the boat, we continued along the beautiful river for a few hours until we reached the jungle lodge and home for the next 2 nights. The lodge is quite basic, open sided with mud floors and a tin roof. Here we were shown to our hammocks and we settled in. We had a lovely dinner and later when we were comfy and cosy in our hammocks, the rain began to fall and it hammered against the tin roof all night! It was lovely!

We had a gorgeous puppy for company and fun at the lodge, who liked to chew things particularly feet, arms and toes. He took a liking to people´s shoes too. And trousers.