Rugged, remote and insanely beautiful Canaima National Park stretches over three million hectares in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. Comparable in size to Belgium, this area is the sixth biggest national park in the world. It was established in 1962 and in just over a decade its protected areas more than doubled whilst being championed by scientists, geologists and historians. The small settlement of Canaima is a mixture of native village and tourist hub. It’s the jumping off point for Angel Falls, undeniably the highlight of any visit to the area, being the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall at an enormous 979 metres but many will be surprised, as we were, to find that Canaima has plenty of attractions in its own right to offer tourists. Here’s our top 6 reasons why Canaima is worthy of spending an extra day or two exploring.
Tag Archives: Canaima National Park
Angel Falls – Cascade from the Sky
10 Dec
Flying through uncharted Venezuelan territory in 1934 while looking for gold, American bush pilot Jimmie Angel nearly crashed his 4-seater plane upon noticing a waterfall nearly one kilometre high freely flowing from the top of towering Auyantepui, one of the area’s biggest table mountains. Little did Jimmy know he had discovered what would become known as ‘Angel Falls’, by far and away the highest single drop waterfall in the world, which cascades a massive 979 metres, more than double the height of the Empire State Building and 16 times the height of Niagara Falls.