Angel Falls is the highest on Earth. The place where waters are thrown from heaven from a height of almost a kilometer is inaccessible and shrouded in secrets and legends, but thousands of tourists still come here every year. Our article will tell you where Angel is located (in which country) and how to get here for ordinary tourists. Let's get to the virgin forests of South America!
Where is Angel located?
The country of Venezuela is a territory of spacious river lowlands and high plateaus. In the south-east of the country is the Guiana Plateau, the height of which reaches a kilometer above sea level only in average, and the maximum points reach almost 3000 meters. Here, within one of the largest Venezuelan states of Bolivar, is the Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its area is more than 30,000 km², and it was here that Angel Falls was hidden for a long time from the sight of Europeans.
The country where Canaima Park is located, in a battle for land, is losing the battle to nature. The jungle here is still stronger than human civilization - it’s easier and safer to get to many places in Canaima by plane than along impassable paths through rainforests. Almost the entire territory of the park is occupied by tepui, as local Indians from the Pemon tribe call mountains with flat peaks. In translation, this means “houses of the gods” - the fact that the first European expeditions of the 19th century did not even manage to get to the heights of tepui only confirms the accuracy of this name. Tepuy most often stand alone, towering an immense hulk over the surrounding jungle. In total there are 115 such mountains. At the top of each of them are separate islands of unique natural landscapes: the inhabitants of these mountains seem to live in nature reserves that nature itself naturally created. Initial reports of the area inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write The Lost World.
Kilometer of free fall
The largest and largest of the flat-top objects in Kanaima Park is Mount Auyan-tepui, which occupies 700 km² - the territory on which a rather large city would fit. The Churun ​​River flows along the flat peak of Auyantepui - it is it that gives rise to the highest Angel Falls in the world. Where are its origins located? Somewhere in the south of the Guiana Plateau. In the rainy season, the river boils and fills with life - and then the waterfall appears in all its glory. But when the rainy half-year gives way to dry - a thin stream remains from the waterfall, often disappointing tourists.
The waters of the river fall down from a height of 979 meters in almost a single stream. At an altitude of 172 meters above the ground, the waterfall stumbles on a ledge, which is why even streams of water break into numerous splashes. After such a long fall, drops of water repeatedly decrease and hover above the ground in a fog that swirls around the waterfall even several kilometers before it, as if enveloping a secret in the place where Angel is located.
The story of the opening of Angel Falls
“Angelic” waterfall got its name not in honor of divine creatures - just the pilot who flew over this natural phenomenon in 1933 was lucky with a colorful name. American James Angel became one of the significant people for the history of Venezuela thanks to several of his expeditions to this lost area of ​​the Guiana Plateau. His last name in Spanish is read as Angel, hence the name. And in Spanish, Angel Falls generally sounds like “Salt Angel”.
Until now, the area where Angel is located on the map has been lost among the jungle and is impassable for a walking traveler - tourist groups get there by plane or swim. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 1933 almost no one knew about the waterfall. Almost because Angel Angel was not the first to reach the waterfall. As far back as the beginning of the 20th century, another Venezuelan researcher, Ernesto Sanchez la Cruz, discovered a waterfall, but did not publish his discovery to the masses.
Lieutenant angel
But according to the history of Jimmy Angel, you can shoot an adventure thriller. In 1933, the pilot worked for an American exploration company and, on a regular assignment, flew over the canyon of the Churun ​​River. Rumor has it that Angel was actually looking for the legendary gold of Eldorado. Whatever it was, he discovered not gold, but an extraordinary phenomenon of nature. It was raining, and the pilot did not plant the car. But in 1937, an entire expedition set off here in the person of Jimmy, his wife Mary and three other companions. Researchers managed to land on the top of Auyang-tepui, but the plane crashed - the chassis was completely stuck in a quagmire. Travelers had to go down the mountain for eleven days. But then the media attention was riveted for a long time to the returning expedition.
Legacy of Lieutenant Angel
Interestingly, Angel’s plane, “El Rio Caroni,” stood on the top of the mountain for 33 years. Then it was finally transported by helicopter. After restoration, the aircraft was installed as a monument at the airport of the state capital, Ciudad Bolivar. Angel himself wanted the plane to remain on the mountain as a reminder of what he had done. Moreover, in the will, the pilot indicated to dispel his ashes in the sky above Angel, which was done.
Legends of Angel
The local Native American tribe calls the Kerepakupai-Meru Falls, which means “the deep place waterfall” or the Parakupa-Vienna - “fall from the highest point”. And the Indians call the canyon of the Churun ​​River “the Devil's place”, and the very name of the mountain Auyan-tepui from the language Pemon translates as “The House of the Devil”. Locals believed that on the top of the mountain, under the very clouds, there was a terrifying demon Mawari, stealing the souls of people. Therefore, for a long time, none of the indigenous tribes ventured to climb the summit of Auyantepui.
Tourist trips
The nearest major city to the place on the map where Angel is located is Ciudad Bolivar. However, the “nearest” one is rather arbitrary: up to this city as much as 600 km to the north. And from the village of Kanaimy to the waterfall, only 50 km. They get to it by private tourist planes - from the capital of Caracas, Ciudad Bolivar, Porlamar, Puerto Ordaz and Santa Elena.
How is the excursion to Angel?
Two or three days - usually excursions to the place where Angel is located lasts so long. First, the group is taken by plane to Canaima. Most often, tourists spend the first day and evening in Canaima itself, getting acquainted with the life of local Indians and admiring the beauties of the village - only there are as many as three waterfalls nearby. The next morning, the journey begins to the place where Angel is located. The river route from Canaima to the waterfall can be reached in five hours by boat in the rainy season. During a drought, rafting along the river can drag on and become twice as long. All visitors to Angel in this way recommend taking a raincoat with them - spray during the rafting will fly in all directions.
From the final stop on the river route, you still have an hour's walk to the foot of the waterfall. The road through the jungle is not easy - if you are going to visit the forest, then you definitely need to put on good tracking boots and take something from insects. But the opportunity to plunge under the jets of Angel at the end of the route makes you forget about all the difficulties. Then comes the descent down and overnight in the camp.
People come here from all over the world. Back in geography classes, we first learn about Angel - where is it located, on what continent and what is its height. And what a miracle it becomes to witness firsthand one of the most magnificent acts of nature.