HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The travel through the Canaima National Park
BUMMER OF THE DAY: Angel Falls are not that spectacular……
WORD OF THE DAY: Hammocks
We are off to Angel Falls today for what was going to be a highlight for me for Venezuela. It was another early start for the 5th day in a row as we had to be at the airport for around 7.30am as that’s when the flights to Canaima start departing. After a small hold up at the hotel ( a certain someone forgetting his passport and taking 15 minutes to locate it, Mark) we made it to the airport with some time to purchase some breakfast and then wait for our names to be called for the flights. There were 4 names to a ticket, no boarding passes; our names were just checked off a list before going through a rigorous security screen, just like an international flight before getting into the departure lounge. Never one to not check for Wi-Fi the airport had a free connection so while I was waiting I was able to check my messages. It is so nice to have messages from Z every time I login as I know how hard it is for him to get to an internet connection. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as it is for us, so I know how important each message is that I get from him which makes them that more special. Just another one of these things we take for granted.
As there were 13 of us, we had to leave in 3 different aircrafts as they were small single prop turbo Cessna planes. We were the last group to leave for the 1.15 minute flight that would get us t Canaima Airport which is the launch pad for the boats and scenic flights to Angel Falls. You always read about small light planes and all the accidents they have, you really put your faith in the pilot, but then you do that as well for a commercial flight so I guess there isn’t much difference, you just hope their safety stringent are up to scratch. So with our day packs tucked in the tail of the aircraft we proceeded to fold ourselves into the Cessna and hope on a wing and a prayer we make it safely. I have been in light plane twice before now on my trip, the first one was for the skydive that we did in Swakopmund in Namibia and the other one was the Nazca flight that we did over the Nazca lines, but it is still disconcerting to be in one for the 3rd time. This plane looked quite automated with the pilot’s dashboard all digital and lit up like a Christmas tree, I was assuming he knew what was what and I couldn’t stop looking at the fuel gauge the whole flight as I was sitting directly behind the pilot. The view was amazing and I did forget my panic as we slowly rose over the town of Ciudad Bolivar and through the clouds, it was beautiful up here. There were a lot of islands that we flew over and we were really in the wilds of Venezuela with not many houses or towns enroute. If we crashed out there we wouldn’t be found for weeks that is for sure. It was pure, untouched wilderness down there.
After the 1.15 minute flight we landed at Canaima Airport. Before we were allowed off the tarmac there was a booth where we had to pay the National Park fee of 150 BOLS which is like 15AUD and then we rejoined the rest of the group by bus to a hall where people could use the toilets, change into their bathers and then we were driven the 15 minutes to the port where our 2 motorized canoes were waiting for us. These ones were bigger than the ones in the Amazon, so I was satisfied that they were large enough for me not to panic (me and small boats don’t mix) and we would have a fairly uneventful ride. The only issue was we were expected to sit on the wooden benches for 4 hours and we weren’t allowed to sit on the lifejackets as they actually made us wear them, how rude, but we were soon to find out why and we were glad for the fact!
We had travelled approximately 20 minutes on the Caroni River before we pulled into shore and we had to walk 20 minutes up stream on an old car track as the rapids were too dangerous to be taking us up there, and then we were to rejoin our boats after they had negotiated the rapids without us in the boats. It is hot, the sun is high in the sky and when we got back to the boats there were cups and ice cold water waiting for us before getting back in the boats and heading to a spot along the river where we would stop again for a pre-packed lunch. Canaima National Park is the second largest park
Venezuela covering over 30,000 square kilometers. It is roughly the size of Belgium or Maryland to give you an idea on the size. As we travelled upstream one of the first things you notice is the table-top mountains, the park is famous for its table-top mountains. The scientific name for the tabletops is tepuis, and they are fairly rare throughout the world. The table-top mountains make for beautiful scenery and each one looks different and made for some breathtaking photos as we motored along.
30 minutes along and we stopped at some small waterfalls and small pool for our lunch called Hasbinus Pool. It was a pre-packed lunch of 2 sandwiches, some dry biscuits, 2 lollies and the guides doing the rounds with cold coke or water for us to drink. After lunch there was time for people to take a dip in the natural pool and to swim the 10m to the other side, climb out and stand under a pretty strong waterfall for a photo op. Some of the girls wearing bikinis nearly lost their knickers from the force of the waters. In saying that there were 4 Spanish speaking people that had also joined us and one of the older gentleman went swimming in his whitey tighties, that weren’t tight and looked like a nappy, and he lost his jocks and we all got to see his Mr Robinson which was not a pretty sight let me tell you! But kudos to him, he took it all in his stride and flashed us again on purpose which shows he was pretty easy going (and perverse) all at the same time. They were very loud and by the end of the day we were ready to kill 2 of the 4. He was like a foghorn, but louder if that is possible!
After lunch and back in the boats for the 3 hour journey we had left to get to camp and to get our first glance of Angel Falls. It certainly is a long way to come to see some waterfalls, but the actual boat ride was amazing and certainly part of the journey to getting to the falls themselves. Canaima National Park was established on 12 June 1962. It is the second largest park in the country, after Parima-Tapirapecó, and sixth biggest national park in the world. About 65% of the park is occupied by plateaus of rock called tepuis, which are a kind of plateau of millions of years old, with vertical walls and almost flat tops. These constitute a unique biological environment, also of a great geological interest. Its sheer cliffs and waterfalls (including the Angel Falls, which is the highest waterfall in the world, at 1,002 meters are spectacular landscapes. The most famous tepuis in the park are Mount Roraima, the tallest and easiest to climb, and Auyantepui, from which fall the Angel Falls. The tepuis are sandstone and date back to a time when South America and Africa were part of a super-continent.
The park is relatively remote, with only a few roads connecting towns. Most transport within the park is done by light plane from the airstrips built by various Capuchin missions, or by foot and canoe. Pemons have developed some basic and luxurious camps, which are mainly visited by tourists from across the world. In 1994, the Canaima National Park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as a natural reserve that has abrupt relief special and unique around the world, the tepuis. The tepuies, are plateaus which are unique features, among which are its vertical and nearly flat tops. Geologically are remnants of a sedimentary cover composed of very ancient sandstone that is superimposed on a base of igneous rocks (mainly granite) that is even older (nearly 3000 million years). These have a geological formations ranging between 1500 and 2000 million years, which makes them one of the oldest formations in the world. The best known tepuies are: the Auyantepuy (where it follows the Angel Falls), the Roraima, the Kukenan and the Chimantá among many others.
The journey on the river was relaxing in most parts and even though we walked around the largest rapid we were to cross there were still plenty more that we had to go through, and as we were heading upstream, in some places the boat driver really had to work the engine and the flow of the water to get us through. The boats were made of think wood, so it didn’t worry me when we scraped in the shallower parts of the river and the rapids. It also didn’t matter that there was a fine spray 40% of the time from the wind blowing the water off the bow of the boat as we motored on. The water is a brown colour, but it is not dirty. It must have something to do with the mineral content, as it is clear as a bell and when the light shines through it, it gives it a beautiful red and yellow glow to it. I was snapping madly away with my camera that was around my neck in a plastic bag to protect it from the water, the splashes through the rapids and the mist when the wind blew. The remaining 3 hours seemed to go quick, but if you ask my arse I think it may have something else to say about that.
We arrived to a gorgeous white beach just after 4pm and the walk to camp was only 5 minutes away. We had made it. The camp was surprisingly good. They had 4 flushing toilets and a couple of showers, a sleeping area where the hammocks were to hang and a roofed eating area with 2 long tables and bench seats. Considering we are in the middle of nowhere, it was a really great set up and they had a kitchen where they were to prepare our 2 meals, which they bought everything they needed with them and everything will be taken back with us when we leave. We were sleeping in hammocks tonight, which is a first for me and a bit of a novelty for me, but the guys slept in hammocks on the ferry for 7 nights and are a little over them. I am worried that my hammock won’t hold my weight or the ropes will come undone, but I have been reassured that this is not the case, so with blind faith I will be sleeping in one tonight. So with our bags dropped off and our hammocks claimed we walked for our first view of Angel Falls which was only a 5 minute walk away.
Now to be honest when I saw them I was quite disappointed. I had heard that they are not the most spectacular in the world but I think my expectations were higher than what I saw. In saying that I am glad I came, glad I went to the effort to see them as they are ‘Angel Falls’ after all and in this instance I can definitely say that it was about the journey getting here and not so much the destination in regards to the wow factor. I think we have been spoiled in regards to falls, compared to Iguassu, Iguazzu, Niagara and some of the smaller unknown falls this doesn’t really rate, but I am wondering if I am being a little critical. Either way I am standing looking over the Charum River at the tallest waterfalls in the world. It is good to be here.
One of the most interesting Angel Falls facts is how these falls were discovered. The falls received their name because of an American bush pilot who was named Jimmy Angel. Angel crashed near the top of the falls in the year 1937, and then alerted the world to what he had found. There are three ways that you can explore the Angel Falls location. You can hike the falls on foot, but if this is the case be prepared for a hard climb. This allows you to see everything and enjoy all of the scenic vistas. The falls can also be toured by boat, if you do not want to make the climb, or you can take a helicopter tour and see all of the beauty from the air instead. The falls reach more than twenty six hundred feet up, and they are roughly fifteen times as high as Niagara Falls. The longest continuous drop in the falls is over eight hundred meters. During the rainy season the falls may divide into two separate waterfalls. When the water level is high it is possible to feel the spray from these falls up to a mile away.
So after taking a gazillion photos we headed back to camp to chill out till dinner was served at 7pm. We were fed rice, coleslaw and roasted chicken that had be literally BBQ’ed on massive spears next to a pretty specky fire. Besides Gray’s roasted chicken we had in Salta it has to be the best chicken I have ever eaten. The generator was turned on just before dinner and it was kept on till just after 10pm, when we were all tucked up in our hammocks for the night. I got some tips from Kate in regards to how to sleep in one. If you lay straight you are in a half moon shape and your back feels it a little after a while, so you try and lie across the bend in the hammock which keeps you straighter and in turns gives you a more comfortable sleep for the night. Getting into the hammock was okay but getting out of the sucker was another issue all together, I probably looked hilarious as I wriggled and wormed my way into a sitting position to then try and roll myself out, there must be a better way, but I get there in the end, it just looks a little awkward!!!!
So it’s goodnight from the wilds of Venezuela, literally. Angel Falls has now been visited and seen and I am glad that I came but it just may have fallen short of expectations in regards to the falls themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment