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Canaima National Park

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Overview

Canaima National Park is in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela, in the southern Bolivar State. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Facts

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

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From Wikipedia1,231 words

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Navigating the Tepui Labyrinth

The park's sheer sandstone mesas demand a different kind of itinerary than a conventional road trip. Most visitors start from the gateway town of Puerto Ordaz, taking a chartered flight to the small airstrip at Canaima. From there, riverboats become the primary transport, threading through the Carrao and Churún rivers. The real adventure lies in hiring local Pemon guides who know the seasonal flood marks and the safest river crossings. Their expertise also unlocks lesser‑known foothill trails that skirt the base of the tepuis, offering sunrise panoramas without the crowds that flock to the iconic viewpoints. Because the terrain is rugged and the weather unpredictable, a flexible schedule and a willingness to camp on riverbanks are essential to fully experience the park’s vertical landscape.

Beyond Angel Falls: Waterfall Ecology

While Angel Falls draws the headlines, the park hosts a network of smaller cascades that support micro‑habitats unique to the Guiana Shield. The mist zones host epiphytic orchids and bromeliads that never appear elsewhere in the lowlands. If you time your visit for the early rainy season, the waterfalls swell, creating temporary pools where endemic fish, such as the dwarf glass catfish, breed. Local conservation groups run brief walks that explain these ecological links, often from the modest visitor centre at Campamento Canaima. Participating in one of these tours provides insight into how the park’s water regime sustains both the towering cliffs and the surrounding savannah, an angle rarely covered by mainstream guidebooks.

Cultural Currents Along the Rivers

The waterways of Canaima are not just natural corridors but cultural arteries for the indigenous Pemon people. Villages such as Kamarakate sit on the banks of the Carrao, where daily life revolves around fishing, craft, and storytelling. Visiting these communities requires respectful engagement: arrange a visit through a reputable tour operator, bring small gifts like locally sourced coffee, and be prepared to listen to oral histories that describe the tepuis as sacred entities. Unlike the spectacle of the waterfalls, these encounters reveal how the park’s geography has shaped a resilient way of life that persists despite external pressures, offering a nuanced perspective on conservation that balances nature and heritage.

Introduction

National park in Venezuela Canaima National ParkIUCN category II (national park)Wadakapiapué-tepui and Yuruaní-tepui in Canaima National ParkLocation of Angel Falls in the Canaima National ParkLocationBolívar State, VenezuelaCoordinates6°10′N 62°30′W / 6.167°N 62.500°W / 6.167; -62.500Area30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi)EstablishedJune 12, 1962 (1962-06-12)UNESCO World Heritage SiteTypeNaturalCriteriavii, viii, ix, xDesignated1994 (18th session)Reference no.701RegionLatin America and the Caribbean Canaima, Venezuela Angel Falls is the highest waterfall in the world. Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima) is a 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guyana. The park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

History

[edit] Canaima National Park was established on 12 June 1962. As early as 1990, the countries that participate in the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty had recommended expanding the Canaima National Park southward to connect it with Monte Roraima National Park in Brazil, with coordinated management of tourism, research and conservation. In 1994, the Canaima National Park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The International Union for Conservation of Nature performed a conservation assessment in 2017, which listed Canaima National Park as an area of significant concern, citing ineffective protection and management.

Location

[edit] This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Canaima National Park" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Canaima National Park is the second largest park in Venezuela, after Parima-Tapirapecó, and sixth biggest national park in the world. It is roughly the same size as Belgium or Maryland. The park protects part of the Guayanan Highlands moist forests ecoregion. About 65% of the park is occupied by plateaus of rock called tepuis, which are a kind of table-top mountain millions of years old, with vertical walls and almost flat tops. These constitute a unique biological environment and are also of great geological interest. Their sheer cliffs and waterfalls including Angel Falls, which is the highest waterfall in the world, at 979 metres (3,212 ft). The most famous tepuis in the park are Mount Roraima, the tallest and easiest to climb, and Auyantepui, the site of Angel Falls. The tepuis are sandstone and date back to a time when South America and Africa were part of a super-continent. The park is home to indigenous Pemon Indians, part of the Carib linguistic group. The Pemon have an intimate relationship with the tepuis, and believe they are the home of the 'Mawari' spirits. The park is relatively remote, with only a few roads connecting towns. Most transport within the park is done by light plane from the airstrips built by various Capuchin missions, or by foot and canoe.

Fauna

[edit] Canaima has a varied fauna, which is distributed throughout the park according to multiple environmental factors such as altitude and vegetation type. Among the species found are: Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Cougar (Puma concolor) Jaguar (Panthera onca) Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) White-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia) Brown-backed bearded saki (Chiropotes israelita) Roraima mouse (Podoxymys roraimae) Tyleria mouse opossum (Marmosa tyleriana) Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) Red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) Dusky parrot (Pionus fuscus) Yellow-banded poison dart frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) Map showing the location and extension of the Canaima National Park. 2: Bolivar State, 1: Canaima National ParkGreen iguana (Iguana iguana) Hummingbirds (Trochilinae) Toucans (Ramphastidae) South American bushmaster (Lachesis muta) Green acouchi (Myoprocta pratti) Bush dog (Speothos venaticus) Canaima National Park is among one of several dozen regions in Venezuela that has been identified as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBAs) by BirdLife International, a global cooperative of non-governmental organizations focused on the conservation of the world’s birds and their natural habitats.

Flora

[edit] There are over 300 botanical species endemic only to La Gran Sabana. Some endemic plant species are categorized as "carnivorous", which are thus the food supply (mainly insects) that are so scarce in the mountains. Endemic flora includes Achnopogon, Adenanthe, Chimantaea, Mallophyton, Quelchia, Tepuia. Endemic carnivorous plants include the Heliamphora (South American pitcher plants) and Brocchinia (a type of bromeliad), as well as several local species of Drosera (sundews), Genlisea (corkscrew plants) and Utricularia (bladderworts).

Land forms

[edit] Devil's Canyon in the Canaima National Park The only land form are the tepuis, that are plateaus which are unique features, among which are its vertical and nearly flat tops, although there are several tepuis that do not meet these rules. Geologically they are remnants of a sedimentary cover composed of very ancient sandstone that is superimposed on a base of igneous rocks (mainly granite) that is even older (nearly three billion years). Their summits are home to a substantial amount of specific endemic species, both plant and animal. These have a geological formations ranging between 1.5 and 2 billion years, which makes them one of the oldest formations in the world.

Tourist attractions

[edit] Western Sector[edit] Lagoon of Canaima El Sapo and El Sapito Falls Yuri Falls Mayupa Rapids Pozo de la Felicidad (Pit of the Happiness) (Saró Marú) Orquídea Island Ratón Island Angel Falls or Korepakupai Vená Ayan-tepui Kavac Indian village Cave Uruyén Kamarata Indian village Wareipa Indian community El Encanto Falls Avak Indian community Roberto Beach Kanwaripa Indian community Caroní River La Maloca Indian village Kukenán Falls (in the Tepui Kukenán or Matawí) Eastern Sector[edit] La Piedra de La Virgen (The rock of the virgin) El Danto Falls La Arenaria Monumento al Soldado Pionero Aponwao I River Tarotá Baths Toroncito Ravine Toron merú Falls Karuay Falls Chinak merú Falls (Aponwao falls) Parupa Anotén Chivatón Falls Mission of Kavanayen Kamoirán Rapids Kama merú Falls Arapán merú (Pacheco Ravine) Soruapa River or Woimeri San Francisco de Yuruaní (Kumaracapai) Indian Community Jasper Creek (Kako Parú or Jaspe Ravine) Urué merú Kukenán Bridge River Paraitepui Indian Community of Roraima Wonkén Indian Community Mount Roraima. As of 1993, Canaima National Park was reported to receive approximately 100,000 tourists every year, with 90% visiting its plateaus. Only a select few of its tepuis are accessible to visitors, with those including Roraima and Auyán-tepui. Angel Falls is also a popular tourist spot, where visitors can canoe through the park’s vast rainforest.

Gallery

[edit] from left: Kurun tepui, Kusari tepui and Kuravaina tepui Kukenán-tepui view from base Rio Churun devils canyon and Angel Falls Uei-tepui and Chirimata Falls Mount Roraima Yuruaní River and Yuruaní-tepui Ilú-tepui Wadakapiapué-tepui and Ilú–tepui Yuruaní-tepui and Wadakapiapué-tepui Jasper Creek Kukenán-tepui La Gran Sabana Kamá Falls Waterfalls of Canaima Kukenan Tepui Pozo Azul River in the Gran Sabana Churun River Salto Angel aerial view Angel Falls as seen from base Canaima Lake and Ucaima Waterfalls Kavac caves El Hacha falls El Hacha and Ucaima falls. Carrao river and Canaima Lagoon