Angel Falls

Angel Falls (Salto Ángel) plunges 979 meters from the edge of Auyán-tepui, a table-top mountain in Canaima National Park, Venezuela. The fall’s uninterrupted drop of 807 meters makes it the tallest waterfall in the world. Mist drifts for kilometers as water from the Churún River plunges into the jungle below. Pilot Jimmy Angel introduced the falls to the global public in 1937 after landing his plane atop the tepui, though Indigenous Pemón communities already knew the site as Kerepakupai Merú, meaning “waterfall of the deepest place.”

Angel Falls lies within a landscape of tepuis: sandstone mesas with sheer cliffs, unique plants, and isolated ecosystems. Rain and clouds feed hanging gardens filled with carnivorous bromeliads, orchids, and endemic frogs. Canaima National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so rangers patrol rivers, monitor visitor numbers, and work with Pemón guides to share traditional stories. Access usually involves flying to Canaima village and then traveling by dugout canoe and hiking through rainforest trails.

During the rainy season, the waterfall roars with chocolate-brown water, while in the dry season the stream may thin into a windblown spray that sometimes evaporates before reaching the pool. Photographers capture rainbows arcing through the mist, and scientists study how constant moisture shapes the tepui cliffs. Geologists examine sandstone layers that are among Earth’s oldest exposed rocks, while biologists document species that adapted to nutrient-poor soils on the plateau.

Tourism provides income for Pemón communities through guiding, lodging, and handicrafts made of seeds, fibers, and natural dyes. Visitors camp under palm shelters, swim in the river, and learn about traditional foods such as cassava bread and mañoco flour. Educational programs encourage travelers to avoid litter, respect sacred sites, and support community-led conservation.

Challenges include illegal mining, bushfires, and climate shifts that alter rainfall in the Guiana Highlands. Environmental groups collaborate with park authorities to improve firefighting, promote sustainable livelihoods, and monitor gold dredging upstream. By valuing cultural knowledge, scientific research, and responsible tourism, Venezuela seeks to protect Angel Falls for future generations.