Salto Angel
Angel Falls is located in the Guayana highlands, and it is just one of the five great adventure regions in Venezuela (I would say the Adventure of all times). The water comes in a free fall of 979 meters from the Churum river hovering of the edge of the “Auyantepuy” Table mountain, this the largest Tepuy (table mountain) in Canaima Venezuela. This height makes it the highest waterfall in the world.
Angel Falls is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls with its total of approximately 52 meters.
This fall is named for Jimmy Angel, an adventurous pilot from Missouri, United States, who flew to the air circus Lindberg. James Crawford Angel (Jimmy Angel) is a modern legend. He saw the waterfall for the first time in 1933 with his partner while searching for the legendary McCracken River of Gold, or the Golden City.
James returned again in 1937 with his wife and his friend Gustavo Henry Gardener where they had an emergency landing on top of the Auyantepuy. The aircraft was able to reach safely to the top of the Tepuy and stayed there for 33 years until it was taken down by a helicopter.
Jimmy Angel and his three companions managed to descend from Tepuy and return to the civilization walking through the jungle for 11 days. Angel’s plane is currently in the Aviation Museum in Maracay, and nowadays on top of the Auyantepuy you will find a replica of Jimmys airplane.
The fascinating world of Canaima National Park is a perfect combination of magic and reality, shaped by breathtaking mountains called Tepuys, countless rivers, lakes, waterfalls, forests and savannahs spread like a green sea, this environment calls for a visit at least once in life.
In this gift of God to the nature you will find interesting plants and animals, sometimes endemic (unique in the world), also the Native Pemón, people with a culture, art, folklore and ancient cuisine.
This mosaic nature is a living testimony to the geographic history of our planet.
Canaima National Park is located in the south west of Venezuela, south of the Orinoco River in the municipality Gran Sabana of Bolivar State, was declared a national park on 12 June 1962 by the National Executive, in order to protect its attractions and conserve virgin for the rest of the world.
The park has 3 million hectares, making it the second largest protected area Venezuuela and sixth in the world. The real highest waterfall in the world is not permanent and is next to the Angel Falls it is called: La Catira..
The park is divided into two parts: West and East.
The western part is simply called Canaima and it can be reached by flights from Caracas, Margarita, Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolivar and Santa Elena.
It is worth mentioning that only since 1990 the first travelers could visit Angel Falls staying in the Boulton Camp (today called Campamento Canaima), making Angel Falls a true virgin destination in the world.