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Content accurate at time of publication
01 Jul 2011
Shrouded in cottony mist amid towering cliffs carpeted with lush vegetation, Venezuela’s Angel Falls is something of an enigma. Despite being the world’s highest waterfall – plunging close to 980m to the ground from the summit of Auyantepui mountain – it is also the world’s most remote. The nearest city, Ciudad Bolivar, lies some 600km to the north and the area around the waterfalls is uninhabited, save for small tribes of indigenous Pemon people.
Located within the 30,000 sq km Canaima National Park (half the size of France), a UNESCO World Heritage site in the country’s south-east region, the waterfall was discovered by American aviator Jimmy Angel in 1933 when he flew his plane over the tepui (flat-topped mountain) in search of precious metal ore beds. In 1937, he returned and tried to land there, but his plane was damaged in the process. With his wife and two other companions, Angel was forced to trek back to civilisation on foot. It took them 11 days. News of their adventure spread and the waterfall was named Angel Falls in his honour.
Canaima National Park is well known for its tepuis, meaning “house of the gods” in the native Pemon language, of which Auyantepui is the largest. These towering structures rise from the earth in blocks with almost vertical cliffs, creating a spectacular landscape, especially when seen from the air. As they host a large number of unique plant and animal species, scientists consider them important biodiversity centres.
PHOTO PHOTOLIBRARY
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