Chasing Waterfalls: A Journey to the Majestic Angel Falls
Standing before the world’s tallest waterfall had been a lifelong dream. I grew up watching documentaries about it on the Travel Channel and reading articles about it in magazines. That dream finally became a reality the summer before my final semester of graduate school. My friend and I had saved up and planned a trip to Angel Falls (also known as Salto Ángel or Kerepakupai Merú). We flew from Caracas and then onward to Ciudad Guayana, where we stayed at one of the swankiest 5-star hotels in the city, Eurobuilding. We did not have a high budget, but due to Venezuela’s economic situation, it was only 12 USD per night. The room was luxurious and we always had the swimming pool to ourselves. The breakfast buffet was a feast – fresh tropical fruits, warm pastries, mini arepas, and rich locally sourced coffee.
After a couple of restful nights, we took a small plane into Canaima National Park. I looked down at the infinite green expanse below. It was even more remote than I had expected. When the plane touched down, there was nothing in sight but a narrow landing strip and a modest building that blended seamlessly into the jungle. As soon as we disembarked, we were greeted by our local Pemon guides and the other members of our group. At that moment, it no longer felt like the Venezuela we had been in for the last few weeks. We had arrived at a place virtually untouched by modern life, where the dense rainforest hummed with the sounds of chirping birds and distant rushing water.
Our guide gave us a brief overview of the tour and we boarded a truck that brought us into the woods, where we transferred to small wooden boats at the top of a waterfall. We spent the next 5 hours speeding upstream along the Carrao, Churún, and Kerepakupai-Merú Rivers and the landscapes were nothing short of breathtaking. As the hours passed, we conversed with our travel companions from Denmark, Venezuela, the United States, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Iran. We were all seasoned travelers, and we shared stories of our adventures.
We took a small detour to a hidden gem known as Pozo de la Felicidad (The Happiness Well). We dove into the water and swam for about 25 minutes. The water was a deep copper-red hue, giving it an almost mystical appearance. It was frigid, but we barely noticed, because of the intense heat and suffocating humidity. We had an absolute blast swimming under the falls and taking photos of each other.
We reached a section of the river that was too dangerous to navigate because of the rapids. Our guides had us disembark and walk along the shore for about 30 minutes, passing a small native village, until we finally reached a calmer section of the river. Our skillful boat captains were there waiting for us, and we continued upstream.
Before long, the landscape changed. As we entered the Cañón del Diablo (Devil’s Canyon), majestic tepuis (tabletop mountains) appeared all around us. The steep cliffs had waterfalls shooting off the sides from great heights. The scenery felt otherworldly, like a scene from a film. Soon, the Auyantepui plateau with its legendary waterfall came into view. We all recognized it immediately, as it stood out from all the others. Our faces lit up, and we excitedly pointed at it. On the opposite shore, we walked inland to a small pavilion with picnic tables and hammocks. This was where we would be spending the night.
Before it got dark, our new friends accompanied us on a short walk into the jungle along the shore. We had a fantastic meal and a few drinks before heading off to bed, after playing cards and sharing stories under the starry sky.
The next day, we woke up bright and early because the light was shining directly into our eyes. We had breakfast, crossed the river, and began our hike into the jungle toward the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, standing at 979 meters (3,212 ft)!
We climbed the hill to an overlook of the falls. The clouds set in, obscuring the falls but cleared after a few minutes, revealing the magnificent site. We snapped an endless stream of photos, trying to preserve every detail of that surreal moment.
As usual, my friend and I got too wrapped up in taking pictures and did not realize that our group had left us behind. Before we knew it, we were alone, unable to find the trail back to the boat. A surge of panic coursed through us as we shouted, but the thick jungle smothered our voices. We waited at the overlook, and eventually, our guides returned to find us. Unfortunately, we missed our opportunity to swim in the lake at the base of the waterfall. We returned to camp, packed our bags, thanked everybody, and began our return trip to the landing strip. Along the way, the weather took a turn for the worse, and the conditions on the river became quite intense. We were moving downstream and, although we were already soaked, the rain made the return journey even more enjoyable. I did not mind getting drenched, though I clutched my DSLR camera for dear life.
When we arrived at the top of the waterfall near the landing strip, we got off the boat and took some time to explore. The powerful falls had carved out a cave behind it, creating a natural passage that we walked through to get from one side of the falls to the other. The sheer power of the water was mesmerizing, and the roar of the water was deafening. We walked carefully, as the algae growing in the cave made the floor slippery and the cool mist made it difficult to see at times. As we reached the other end of the waterfall, a beautiful view unfolded before us. We marveled at the sight of the immense cascade up close while relaxing in a cool natural pool.
We made our way back behind the waterfall and into a tiny village. Savoring our last moments together, we had lunch at a tiny restaurant and chatted. Drained from our weekend of boat rides and hiking, we spent one more night in the national park before flying back to Ciudad Guayana the following morning for a couple more nights in Eurobuilding.
