Exploring Angel Falls in Venezuela | An Adventure in the Latin American Rainforest

This is Venezuela's most famous landmark. It's locked away in one of its most inaccessible locations. Angel Falls, the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall. Getting here isn't easy or cheap, but for those who can come, it's an unforgettable experience. Join me now on a visit to one of the world's great natural wonders. The vast jungle of the Canaima National Park in the east of Venezuela. Impressive from the air, even more so once on the ground. After flying in from the capital Caracas, I join a group led by an indigenous guide to see the first of many spectacular sights. The Canaima Lagoon and its waterfalls, El Sapo and El Zapito. Well this view, it just takes your breath away. It's a series of cascading falls leading into a fantastic huge lagoon. And beyond the falls, the rising shoulders of the majestic Tepoys, the flat-topped mountains that dominate the Canaima landscape. And these aren't even the waterfalls I've come to see, these are just the entree. Few people visit Venezuela and even fewer get to Canaima. Visitors have to book a package with an organized tour group like I did and most cater for high-end travelers. The five-day trip begins with a boat ride to these smaller waterfalls and for a walk beneath their tremendous cascades. Huge volumes of rainwater flow here from the tabletop mountains, the water stained by sediment. Our guides tell us where it's safe to walk even while getting saturated. You could leave Canaima happy after this excursion alone. But an even more incredible experience awaits the next day, Salto Angel, Angel Falls. 4 30 in the morning, time to set off for our big adventure to Salto Angel. Starting in darkness, we set off in longboats, tracing the wild river for more than 70 kilometers as it twists deep into the folds of this mountain formation. Sometimes the water is too low to pass and we have to get out and walk. The boatmen watch for rocks and go with the flow. After half a day on the river, we turn a bend to catch our first glimpse of Angel Falls. But the dark cliff face is still hiding its treasure from full view. To see it up close, we have to leave the boats and go on foot. It's a four kilometer uphill hike but you don't have to be a mountain climber to manage it. And then suddenly it appears through the shrubs. Salto Angel, Angel Falls. Its main sheer drop measures more than 800 meters and the connected cascades make it almost one kilometer from top to bottom. That makes it the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. For Venezuelans, this is an emotional moment, viewing a national treasure. Its name comes not from its heavenly qualities but from its first western visitor, the US aviator Jimmy Angel, who spotted it from his plane in the 1930s while searching riverbeds to mine for gold. But the indigenous Pamon people have long used a different name, as local guide Ernesto Flores told me. Ernesto tells me he hopes the falls will one day be known internationally as Skerepacupai Benar, but the brand of Angel Falls will be hard to replace. We climb higher and get even nearer to the cliff face, right beneath the vaporizing water flow. Up this close, I'm getting wet from the spray that's misting off these majestic falls. And the view in the other direction is also impressive. The indigenous Pamon people believe the water from the falls has healing and protective powers. At the base of the falls, a swimming hole offers us a chance to soak in the water, whether magic or just majestic. The falls loom overhead the base camp where we'll spend the night. One of my fellow travelers is Mariam Habach, who was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2015. At night, a pack of UNO cards brings the group together, and my new friends teach me how some Latino Americans drink their shots. We spend the night sleeping in hammocks, with the roar of the nearby falls carrying us away. The next day after our return, I take some time to walk around the village of Canaimu. The settlement is home to several thousand residents, many of them from indigenous groups. These children are taking part in Venezuela's musical education program. Every child in every school here gets the chance to learn how to play a musical instrument. At night, the children display their traditional songs and dances. For these children, tourism is one of the main career opportunities in the village. The expensive lodges here employ a community of locals. My five-day visit here cost over US$1,200 for domestic flights, accommodation, food, and a visit to the falls. It was the cheapest I could find at the time. While in the village, I came across some cheaper options, but even this basic guest house charges around US$700 for a five-day tour. The price partly reflects the remoteness. There are no roads to Canaimu. Everything is flown in by plane, even gasoline. This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth, at least one of the most beautiful that I've ever seen. But this experience does come at a price, and unfortunately, it's one that most Venezuelans can't afford, which is really a shame because Angel Falls, Salto Angel, Canaimu, these areas are some of the most treasured national icons of Venezuela. But they're places that most Venezuelans will only ever be able to see in photos and videos. Most of the Venezuelans in my tour group live and work outside of the country and we're returning on holidays like Rafael Jamana, a dentist now living in the United States. Well, back in those days when I used to live in Venezuela, it wasn't easy for people to come here. First of all, because the access wasn't the way that it is right now, and also because we couldn't afford to come here. I think it's part of our identity as Venezuelans, the fact that Angel Falls is the tallest fall in the world, and also because it's something that we grew up seeing as something that belongs to us. After five days in Canaimu, it's time to leave. The plain banks to offer a sweeping view of the lagoon and the mountains guarding the Querepacupai Bena, Angel Falls. It disappears from sight, but not from memory. This incredible journey to one of the world's greatest and least visited landmarks leaves a lasting impression. And it's inspired me to seek out even more of the natural wonders here in Venezuela.