Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world. It is located in Canaima National Park, in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivar State in Venezuela. The waterfall is also known by its Spanish name Salto Angel, and by its native American names Churun Merú and Kerepakupai merú.
Angel Falls was named after American aviator James "Jimmie" Crawford Angel, who flew over them on 16 November 1933 while he was on an exploratory trip in search of mineral ore. Venezuelan explorer Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz saw it in 1912, but did nothing much to publicize his discovery. On 9 October, 1937, Jimmie Angel returned to the waterfall with his wife and two other companions. He tried to land his plane on the top of the flat-top mountain, called Auyantepui (translated to mean "devil's canyon"), but his plane was damaged in the process. The team had to climb down the tepui on foot. They took 11 days to trek back to civilization, but the story that they brought back about the waterfall eventually got it name after Angel.
For 33 years, Angel's plane remained at the top of the tepui. Eventually a helicopter airlifted it. Restored, it is displayed outside the airport at Ciudad Bolívar. On top of the tepui itself a replica is placed.
The first person to climb the Auyantepui was Latvian explorer Aleksandrs Laime. He accomplished the feat in 1955, 18 years after Angel's crash landing. Laime managed to reach Angel's plane. From his exploration, Laime name the river that feeds the fall after one of the most beautiful rivers in Latvia, the Gauja. It is also widely known by its native Pemon Indian name, the Kerep. The Churun river runs from the base of the fall. Laime cleared the trail that leads to the river. It is now named Mirador Laime, or Laime's Viewpoint in Spanish, in his honor, and is now a popular tourist trail to view the falls.
As Angel Falls is located deep in the jungle, tourists has to take a flight from Caracas or Ciudad Bolivar to reach Canaima camp, the starting point for river trips to the base of the waterfalls. One and two-day tours are available at US$240-US$300 per person.
On cloudy days, the falls can often disappear into the clouds. Tourist can make river trips to the base between June and December, when the rivers are deep enough for the canoes used by the native Pemon guides. During the dry season, between December and March, the falls are less spectacular, but it is more likely not to be clouded over.
Give Us Your Best Shot!
One of the fun things about this website is that you can showcase your best shots for everybody to see. We search Panoramio for the most beautiful photographs of this destination, and display the best that we can find. If your photo is as good or even better, upload it to Panoramio (www.panoramio.com) and send us the link. If we find it any good, we will display it here, with attribution and link-back to you. If you have your own website, we will also show your URL, as long as the photo is uploaded to Panoramio. Photos displayed according to Panoramio terms & condition. Every now and then, we revise this page to show new selection, but the best will always stay!
Have you visited this sight before? Tell us about it, show us your shots! WorldGreatestSites is keen to display the best photos taken by people around the world of the sights documented. To have your pictures considered, please upload them to Panoramio and send us the link. If you have travel tips to share, write to us, and if we include it, we will provide an acknowledgement on the page to you. You can reach WorldGreatestSites at the following address:
WorldGreatestSites is researched and written by Timothy Tye. The information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct. We disclaim responsible for its usage. Photographs appearing on this website are governed by licenses as captioned below them and can only be used under terms of the specific licensing terms. Photographs that do not bear any licensing terms belong to the author, are copyrighted material, and may not be reused unless you first obtain permission. Some photos are provided by Panoramio and are under the copyright of their owners. Click here for licensing terms of the author's photographs. The author is a Christian. Click here if you are interested to know more about his Christian beliefs. If you have any questions, contact us at the following email address:
Angel Falls, Venezuela
