Canaima, Venezuela

Ciudad Bolivar and Angel Falls

July 17, 2008

- Jack Johnson

Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world and 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 2008 there has been 37% inflation in Venezuela so just about everything except the government subsidized gasoline, which costs 12 cents a gallon, is rather costly. Six to eight months ago the "official" black market exchange rate, yes there is actually a published official black market exchange rate, was 5.5 Bolivars to the dollar and now it is less than 3.5, so it makes a huge difference. For example a Big Mac meal at McDonalds now costs $9.50 if you are using the official exchange rate. Since I was nearing the end of my trip and I still had the money 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 to this point during my trip I was actually forced to fly. If I had to break the streak of land transport the way to do it was certainly in a tiny four seat Cessna, that´s three seats for passengers and one for the pilot. The views from the plane were great as we were only flying at an elevation of 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 to Angel Falls.

Luckily the weather was relatively clear and we had a dry ride upriver. It is currently the rainy season so the river was swollen with water and had no discernible riverbank, just semi-submerged trees and foliage. The scenery was 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 on the boat we reached a point of the river where we could 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 eerie 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 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 leaving for 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, featuring a pounding waterfall and a trail leading behind the falls underneath a rock ledge. The wind currents sweep the water from the falls and the resulting spray back onto the trail and you get completely soaked. 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. The return trip was in a slightly larger plane with eight seats. There were a lot more clouds this time so we flew at an elevation of around 8,500 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 at which point the city becomes dangerously quiet and deserted. Luckily it seemed early enough in the day to leave for some of the beaches on the coast so after picking up my bag I headed right for the bus station for more overland transport.