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In the western section of Canaima National Park in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela is the world’s tallest waterfall, Angels Falls. Forming in the rainforest jungles of the Guiana Highlands the river starts it fall from Auyan-tepuy, a Tepuy is a high flat mountain top ending with sheer vertical walls, Angel Falls drops from Auyan-tepuy almost a total of 3,200feet to the jungles below, with the largest uninterrupted drop being 2,647 feet. Angel Falls water feeds the Rio Gauya which in turn flows into the Churun River, a major tributary of the Carrao River
Angel Falls Photo by Rhett A Butler. Angel Falls are one of the top destinations for adventure travelers in Venezuela, yet one of the most difficult to experience. To reach Canaime Camp to start the river trip to the base of Angel Falls one must first fly from Caracas, Margarita or Ciudad Boliviar. The closest city is Ciudad Boliviar at 375 miles.
During the rainy season from June to December the river is usually deep enough for river trips conducted by Pemon Indian guides using wooden curiaras, the river trips take about 3 ½ hours to navigate the Carrao River concluding with a one hour walk through the jungle to the base of Angel Falls. The dry season from December to March will find cloudless skies yet less water in the river making the journey un navigable.
Fly by trips in small planes are also available for travelers that would like to view Angel Falls, yet would like to forgo the river trip and the trek through the jungle.
Angel Falls, surely known to the Pemon Indians for centuries, only became known to the rest of the world by accident in 1937, a bush pilot from Missouri named Jimmie Angel, while flying in the area of the Auyan-tepuy searching for ore bed in 1933 happened upon the falls by luck. Jimmie Angel returned in 1937 with his mono plane (El Rio Caroni) and two companions, one being his wife, tried to land the plane atop of the Auyan-tepuy, where upon making the landing the plane became stuck in the soft and moist ground. The next 11 days were spent trekking back to civilization where hearing of Jimmie Angels adventure and the waterfalls, were named in his honor. Jimmie Angels plane sat atop the Auyantepuy until 1970 when it was pulled out by helicopter and taken to the airport in Cuidad Boliviar where it is on display.
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