There are many beautiful and amazing places on our planet. One of the most unique phenomena can be called a waterfall. In the ranking of the highest waterfalls in the world, the leader is Angel, located in Venezuela, in the Canaima National Park, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
General Description
Angel Falls has a total height of 979 meters, some experts say that 1054 meters. The continuous and free flow of water is 807 meters.
The waterfall is located on Mount Auyan Tepui, which is one of the highest in Venezuela. There is constant dampness in the area, and fog over the water due to such a huge height of the water flow.
The discoverer and how the name came about
In the Pemonian language, Angel Falls is called Kerepakupai vena, which means "Waterfall of the deepest place." The name S alto Ángel is present in Spanish, and it got its name in honor of the pilot James Angel.
In 1933, a pilot flew over a waterfall. The purpose of the flight was to search for ore deposits, although, according to somedata, a search for diamonds was carried out. After all, local natives very often spoke about the stone, which is abundant here. In fact, there is a lot of quartz in this area, which became known a little later.
In 1937, James and his team returned to Angel Falls and tried to land a plane on Mount Tepuya, as a result, the plane was damaged, and the researchers had to descend the mountain with their own feet. The plane remained on top of Auyan Tepui for 33 years. Then it was removed from the mountain with the help of a helicopter, restored, and now it is a museum piece and is installed near the Ciudad Bolivar airport.
Climbing the mountain and trying to rename the waterfall
In 1949, the National Geographic Society of America sent an entire expedition to the waterfall, as a result of which the height was determined and a whole book was written.
In 1994, this natural site as part of Canaima Park is listed by UNESCO.
In 2005, four daredevils from around the world set out on the mountain to make the first ascent of the walls of the waterfall using the so-called free climbing method.
In 2009, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez decides to return Angel Falls to its old local name. There were other options, but the president spoke harshly, motivating the renaming by the fact that the waterfall is the property of his country and cannot bear the name of an American pilot, especially since this unique place appeared much earlier than the birth of Angel.
NationalCanaima Park
The largest natural park in Venezuela - Canaima, founded in 1962. It is believed that this place was formed 2 million years ago, and for a long time no human foot set foot on these lands. Today, millions of tourists come here to see the unique table mountains and the rarest species of flora and fauna.
It is on the territory of this park that you can see carnivorous plants, mountain slopes entwined with vines, meadows with orchids and bromeliads. There are a lot of birds in the park, you can meet monkeys and jaguars, huge ants.
Aborigines and a valley of quartz crystals
In the park you can learn how the natives live - the settlement of the Pemon Indians in the north of the park. This is a unique opportunity to see how these people live without changing their way of life for centuries, to learn local legends and traditions of the people.
There is even a valley in Canaima Park that is completely strewn with quartz crystals. According to tourists, this is one of the most unique sights. In no case should stones be taken away with you; a patrol is assigned to the valley, which carefully inspects visitors. For smuggling quartz crystals, a rather large fine is provided - more than 1 thousand US dollars.
Mount Auyan-Tepui
This is the largest tepui in the world. The total area of the mountain is 700 square kilometers, and the height is 2450 meters. The mountain is inferior in height to Roraima and a number of others located in Canaima Park. By the way, in the local languageIndians name Roraime sounds like "the navel of the earth."
Tepui, or canteens, are truncated mountains with a flat top. Usually formed from sedimentary rocks, and the slopes are almost sheer. Most of all tepui is located on the Guiana Plateau in South America. Such mountains are characteristic of the landscape of the planets Mars, Eris and Io. Translated from the Pemon language (Gran Sabana Indians), the word tepui means "house of the gods."
It is believed that millions of years ago, in the place where the highest waterfall in the world, Angel, is now located, all tepui were united into one huge mountain. It was then that West Africa and South America were a single continent. During the period when the continents split, huge sandstone ravines appeared. Over the millennia, wind and sand, erosion processes have done their job, and the mountains appeared in the form in which they exist now.
Many tepuis have sinkholes up to 300 meters in diameter. Most likely, they were formed as a result of the collapse of the tunnels of underground rivers and caves eroded by water. One of the most famous and largest sinkholes in the entire park on Mount Abismo Gui Collet, its depth reaches 672 meters.
Auyan-Tepui also has funnels, but they are small in size, inside of which there is clean water.
Interesting facts about the waterfall and the park
In which country is Angel Falls? Venezuela, southeast of the country, Gran Sabana region. Near Canaima National Park with a total area of 3 million hectares. It is the sixth largest such park in the world.
Mountains of it, including Auyan-Tepua, havepinkish tint, like the sand on the beaches in the area. It is on the territory of the national park that fruit-eating plants grow and a frog that cannot jump lives. You can only see this unique animal and plant in Venezuela.
It is believed that Arthur Conan Doyle, in his book The Lost World, described a scientific expedition to Mount Roraima.
The country's authorities have not taken any measures to somehow develop the region and attract even more tourists. The park itself and the mountains are still inaccessible, and nature remains untouched, there are practically no roads, only small runways that only small-sized aircraft can take. On the other hand, perhaps such a decision is correct, as one of the few islands of living and untouched nature remains on the planet.
The best time to visit the park is from May to November, the rest of the time the dry season sets in and everything looks not so attractive. Although from December to April there is a much better chance of seeing a waterfall that is not shrouded in clouds and fog.
In the movie "Point Break" (2015), the heroes of the tape jump from the Angel Falls, having previously climbed the mountain. And in the cartoon "Up" the waterfall is the prototype of Paradise Falls.
Tourism
To get a photo of Angel Falls, you can't just come to Venezuela and walk or drive to this place. You can get to it only by plane or by boat, canoe. As a rule, complex tours to Canaima National Park are sold. You can fly from Caracas, Cuadad Bolívar, Porlamar, PuertoOrdaz and Santa Elena.
Venezuela travel companies offer many interesting excursion programs, including a visit to the place where Angel Falls is located. The waterfall can be viewed from a boat, canoe or plane. You can get inside the grotto by two paths called Sapo and Acha. If you view the waterfall from a boat, you can still see Orchid Island.
Estimating the height of Angel Falls is easiest from the window of an airplane. Almost all flights of the country pass near this unique place, but if this is not an excursion program, then it is often impossible to consider this unique place due to the fact that the waterfall is constantly in fog, especially during the rainy season.
If you can get to it by canoe, the journey will take about 5 hours. Then you will have to walk for about 1 hour, although the road will seem short, as the paths run through the most beautiful places in the park. If you are lucky and the water flow is moderate, you can even swim in a niche at the foot of the waterfall itself.
On average, an airplane tour takes about 24 hours. Flights are carried out only by private companies, but if possible, it is recommended to gather a group of travelers, then the tour will be cheaper. The average price per passenger is US$100.
Angel Falls coordinates: latitude - 5°58’12.4"N, longitude - 62°32’10.4"W.
If possible, this place should definitely be visited, it is a unique and untouched by human hands corner of nature, where there are many obstacles and unique plants and animals. But the daredevils will be rewarded - the mosthighest waterfall in the world.
