
Canaima Park contains one of the World’s “great” waterfalls and some world-class eroded landscape – the isolated mesas locally called “Tepuis”.
Given the number of magnificent waterfalls around the World it is perhaps surprising that the WHS list only inscribes 2 by name (Iguassu and Victoria). However a number of other significant examples are situated within the boundaries of larger nominations – including the 2 falls generally considered to be the “tallest” in the World. Those who care will probably know where the second tallest are (and those who don’t know probably don’t care – so I won’t bother to name them, but treat it as a trivia question if you wish!) - but the “tallest”, both in terms of overall and single drop, are Angel Falls situated within the boundaries of Canaima National Park. (Worldwide “waterfall comparison” is rather difficult! How to allow for differences of width, volume of water (average per annum or maximum?), height overall and “single drop”, slope and “scenic grandeur”? And then there are all the different “types” of falls - those interested in such matters apparently identify 10 different “forms”! Have a look at http://www.world-waterfalls.com/ ).
We “visited” Angel Falls in 1990 and remember it as a great trip. I put “visited” in quotes because WHS collectors will have each have their own criteria for what constitutes a satisfactory “visit” and some might consider ours not fully “kosher” since we only saw the Falls, which drop 3212 ft/979 metres from Auyan-Tepui, from the air. It is possible to reach them (or rather their foot) by a mixture of boat and trail from Canaima but the flight by small prop plane is probably the method used by the majority of tourists. Those with time would probably benefit from visiting by both land and air but certainly do NOT miss the flight. It is very spectacular and provides a good feeling for the height and grandeur of the falls themselves as well as of the unique “Tepui” scenery in which they are situated. You also get a chance to see the “top of a tepui”!
At the time, those crossing the Atlantic on VIASA got a free return ticket from Caracas to any internal destination served by them and we took advantage of that to reduce the cost of the trip by starting our prop plane excursion at Cuidad Bolivar (they also fly from Porlamar on Isla Margarita). VIASA unfortunately is no more so the “least cost” route may be different now.
Our trip included several Angel Falls “fly pasts” on the outward flight in the morning followed by a landing at what the tourist literature calls the “isolated dirt strip at the Pemon Indian outpost of Kavac”. This is not really a cultural experience but rather a means of providing a bit of R+R with a lunch, “canyon walk” and swim - anyway this landing took us inside the “Park” and thus satisfied a stricter definition of “visit” (though the falls are not visible from Kavac)! Unfortunately one aspect of the Park’s “uniqueness”, the biotic specialisms up on the Tepuis, seem inaccessible to ordinary tourists whether they visit by air or land and we didn’t see any on this walk. Our walk guide was a Pemon (wearing a "uniform" in the form of a "Tarzan loincloth" as I remember it!!) but we saw nothing really of their life or culture either. So little did the Venezuelan government care about the Pemon Indians that the entire submission process for the Park was carried out without any “consultation” with the Indians (10000 of whom live within the boundaries) – much to the chagrin of UNESCO! Indeed the documentation shows that IUCN (the review body) were not very happy with the boundaries of the inscription either, since these contain significant “human dominated landscape” which did not meet World Heritage “Universal Values”. It suggested that Venezuela alter the site boundaries to concentrate on the world-unique Tepui area. It appears that the inscription took place on the understanding that this would happen – but, 12 years later, it hasn’t.
Our visit was at Easter. This is outside the rainy season and the falls had less water than at other times apparently – but still enough to show them in their full height (photo). At least we were able to see them quite clearly – in the rainy season this is quite often not possible (and the company we used, Aerotuy, states that “fly pasts” are subject to weather conditions). In the afternoon we flew back past the falls again with several more “fly-bys” and experienced a glorious lowering sun over the tepui landscape. On our return to Cuidad Bolivar we saw Jimmy Angel’s original plane sitting wingless in a hangar at the airport, having been removed from the top of the Auyan-Tepui where it had landed and got bogged down in 1935 (It was his “discovery” of the falls which led to them being named after him. I wasn’t aware at the time and didn’t see it but, apparently a replica plane was placed on the tepui top). Later, after renovation, the plane was placed on show outside the airport but I understand that it is now in the Aviation Museum at Maracay.
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