Canaima National Park
Canaima is a national park of Venezuela located in the state of Bolivar. Kanaima is truly an outstanding park. Its area is more than 30,000 km2, which makes it the 6th largest nature reserve in the world. Venezuela is also among the 20 countries with the richest flora, fauna, unique terrain, unique plants and animals. You can only walk through most of the park's jungles with a well-sharpened machete, but the views from the mountains are worth all the effort.
Throughout the Kanaima Park, large table hills rise among the jungle like giant humanoid ships, descending with steep stone walls to the jungle. The unique table mountains of Canaima end in large plateaus. The mountains were formed due to the erosion of the earth and rocks. Locals call these plateaus tepui. There are more than 50 tepuis in the park, but among the others, the Tepuis are particularly famous: Auyang Tepui, Roraima, Sierra Neblina. There are so many flat mountains on Earth nowhere else to be found. The most famous mountain is Auyang Tepui with the great Salto Angel waterfall located at an altitude of 979 meters. The waterfall was first discovered by pilot Jimmy Angel in 1936, who, looking for gold, landed a light aircraft on top of the mountain from which the waterfall fell. The waterfall was named after him. It is also worth noting the Sapo waterfall, which is 20 meters high, but at the same time stretches 120 meters in length. There is a footpath under the waterfall at a height of one and a half meters, along which you can walk without fear for your health. Tourists can also fly by plane over Tepui and waterfalls, or land by helicopter on the Roraima Plateau. It can take about 2 days to climb this mountain on foot, but the views from the mountain will not be forgotten for a long time. In 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle participated in an expedition to these places. Influenced by fantastic landscapes, he wrote one of his most famous books, The Lost World.
In addition to the impressive ancient landscapes, Canaima has an extremely rich flora and fauna. Kanaima National Park is one of the best places for ecotourism. The forests and valleys of the park are home to more than 900 species of plants, 500 species of birds such as: eagle, falcon, parrot, the smallest bird is a hummingbird, toucan. There are 70 species of reptiles and about 50 amphibians. There are many mammals: jaguar, puma, tapir, ocelot, anteater, agouti, otter. During the rainy season, the rivers and waterfalls of the park are the most beautiful. There are many amazing and rare animals and plants in Canaima: orchids that eat small insects, carnivorous ants, the largest spiders and dragonflies, and many varieties of ferns grow on Tepui.
Kanaima National Park is one of the best places for ecotourism, as it contains the oldest landscapes on Earth. There are about 900 species of plants in the tropical forests and savannas of the park, including more than 500 species of orchids, over 500 species of birds (eagles, falcons, parrots, toucans, hummingbirds), 72 species of reptiles and about 50 species of amphibians, 150 species of mammals (jaguars, cougars, tapirs, ocelots, peccaries, anteaters, agoutis, monkeys, giant otters). The park is best visited from April to November, when the rainy season is over and the rivers with waterfalls are gaining full force.
The park has had a wonderful infrastructure for decades. In the city of Kanaima, located on the shores of the lake of the same name, you can get to know the park better at the tourist center. The tour center offers all kinds of attractions and ways to get to them: hiking to the peaks of Tepui, jeep safaris, kayaking, swimming in waterfalls, or maybe even someone wants to fly a light aircraft over Angel Falls.
