Salto El Sapo (Frog Falls)
DURATION OF EXCURSION: HALF A DAY

Departure point for visitors is at the beach by the camps at Canaima lagoon. After a brief journey to the opposite shore of the lagoon, the curiara takes its passengers to Anatoliy's Island. After a short walk through the savannah, visitors will enter a gallery forest. Here, the silence is only interrupted by the singing of birds, the sound of footsteps on fallen leaves, and the soothing murmur of the cataract which grows louder as we approach. On our way, we can find the sapo minero (miner frog. Dendrobates Leucomelas), whose skin, with its brilliant black calor dotted with yel­low, is very eye catching.

Salto El Sapo suddenly comes into view at one side. This waterfall is at its best during the rainy season. After care­fully listening to the guide's direction, visitors begin walk­ing along a narrow, irregular passageway in the rock wall behind the amazing water screen. A green or tan colored vegetal carpet covers the rocks. These plants are similar to moss or marine grasses which are perfectly adapted to hold on against strong currents. At midpoint, the flow of water increases, making whirling clouds of mist. Turbulence is so great it takes your breath away. The violent and inexhaustible energy can be felt in this formidable liquid mass plunging at a dizzying speed from a height of 20 meters.

Upon reaching the other side, you are rewarded with a frontal view of the cataract, whose surging waters adopt whimsical silvery forms. Looking at this enormous aquatic flow, it's easy to understand why this region is considered the one with the biggest hydroelectric potential In Venezuela. Visitors take an ascending path to reach the upper part of the falls. From this privileged point, a captivating land­scape can be seen: in the foreground, the undulating grass-covered savannah, a thick outcropping of moriche palms, known as a morichal, contrasting with the emeralde green of the surroundings, an indigenous hut with palm roof and, in the distance, the bluish silhouette of Nonoi-tepui. This excursion includes a visit to Salto Sapito, which is as spectacular as its neighbor, if smaller. Afterwards, visitors make the return trip to their lodging.

Saltos del Yuri (the waterfalls of Yuri)
DURATION OF THE EXCURSION: HALF A DAY

Tour departs from camp area at Canaima Lagoon, going through a morichal-dotted savannah. The importance attributed to this palm-tree by indigenous people lies on the fact that it is used to obtain fruit. sap and shoots for food; the leaves are used to cover their home roofs; and the fiber is used to weave baskets.

When visiting the morichales, it is not unusual to see noisy. brilliantly colored macaws, as well as parrots, which also feed on the fruit of these trees. After a ride of 20 minutes, the vehicles arrive at a loca­tion called Puerto Verde, where visitors are to take the and start navigating down the river. Once at the port of Yuri, a short walk takes sightseers through the woods bordering the Carrao River. These forests have unparal­leled conditions to support wildlife, since their vegetal vault makes a sort of microclimate, less harsh than that of the savannah, converting it into an authentic winter pas­ture.

Among the mamals are found diverse species of paca, agouti, peccary, and monkeys. Also present are tapir (Tapirus terrestris), porcupine (Sphiggurus insidio­sus), and cuchi-cuchi (Potus flavus) - the last two arboreal. Bird population is more varied and numerous: the bell bird (Procnias alba), screaming piha (Lipaugus vocifernas), tou­cans (Ramphastos spp.), and a multitude of humming­birds of the most brilliant and varied colors. The walk through the woods takes visitors to the rapids of Yuri. The waterfalls at this point are produced by the remarkable difference in the heights of two sections of the river.

The excursion culminates with the descent to the banks of the Carrao where, at the bend of the river, in the dry season, a beautiful beach is formed at Yuri. The pink­ish-white sands contrast with the brilliant reddish-yellow tone of the river's waters, that get black at the deepest parts. During the return trip to the camp area, if it hap­pens to be the rainy season, it's possible to enjoy a trip to another charming place: Yuri-Lu Falls.

Laguna de Canaima (Canaima Lagoon)
DURATION OF THE EXC URSION: 30 MINUTES

Tourists board curiaras, typical indigenous boats, on lagoon's beach, in front of the camp area. This lagoon an enormous pool made by the turbulent waters ( Carrao River at the base of the cataracts, before continuing its path toward the Caroni. The first thing which attracts one's attention while navigating is the foam which adorns the surface of the lagoon and the peculiar color of its waters: black in the de parts, and yellowish-red near the banks.

This singular coloring is due to the concentration of fulvous and acids, a product of the vegetal decomposition in headwaters. The foam which forms in the water comes from saponin, a substance derived from decomposition of vegetal material. The curiara follows a course toward the falls of Golondrina, and Hacha, whose foamy whirlpool fine mist are visible from the shore. As the boat near point where it breaks through the dense liquid cu one is overwhelmed with the sensation of its furious inexhaustible energy. in the distance tepuys Kurun, Venado, and Kura work as the backdrop for this magnificent amphitheater.

Isla La Orquiclea (Orchid Island)
DURATION OF EXCURSION: HALF A DAY

Curiaras are boarded in the landing of Ucaima, on the Carrao River. While navigating along this river, to the left, the tepuys of Kurun, Venado, and Kuravaina can be rec­ognized, their silhouettes surrounded by the glimmering reddish color of the sunrise reflected in the dark waters of the river. These and other geological formations which so draw the attention of visitors, are a monumental example of the action of the elements over the course of millions of years on one of the oldest strata on the planet.

Further on, an outcropping of rocks suddenly breaks the tranquil flow of the river. The water begins to twirl about, effervescent between the whirlpools and foam. These are the rapids of Mayupa. For security reasons, travelers are requested to step out the curiara at that point and contin­ue on foot or in specially equipped vehicles. Once past this obstacle, the boat is boarded once again to continue navigating up the river. Little by little Auyan-tepui begins to come into view.

Like a medieval fortress of gigantic dimensions, the wall of this mesa of 700 square kilometers winds across the country­side, topped with bastions, battlements, and towers, fre­quently covered by clouds. For the Pemo Indians, the word Auyan-tepui means the mountain of health according to their mythology, a cohort of evil marawiton lives on the top, together with higher spirit called Traman-chita. With the Auyan-tepui as a background, the curiara arrives at its destination: an island in the Carrao called orquidea because it was formerly the habitat of divel this coveted flower. Currently, a joint of Orchidology Society of Miranda State, INP National Parks Institute), the La Salle Foundation, Canaima Foundation are seeking to repopulated with the most representative species of the region

Kavac
DURATION OF THE EXCURSION: 3 DAYS

The Kavac tour can be taken from Canaima Camp well as from Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolivar, Maiquetia Margarita Island, with the possibility of staying over night at Kavac Camp. The following description is based on the trip starting from Canaima Lagoon. The plane takes off for an over-flight of Carrao in its way to Kavac. Soon, Auyan-tepui shows up with its peculiar shape.

During the rainy season, countless small cascades fall from slits and crevices which are really part ( astonishing natural drainage system of this enorme mesa. After a few minutes of flying, the Valley of kamarata comes into view. The hills named Los Testigo witnesses) that shelter Aparaman-tepui show their outline in the horizon.

The eastern walls of Auyan-tepui are not completely verti­ cal. Their bases are actually a succession of terraces with a more or less pronounced slope. These foothills have been formed by the accumulation of sediment called alluvions: rock fragments of every size which have fallen from the mountain walls.

The plane lands near the village of Kavac, a grouping of indigenous cabins at the base of one of these terraces. Visitors leave the camp for the walk to the caves of Kavac, in the tepuy. The Kavac River, with refreshing amber-col­ored waters, spews forth from a deep gorge, that narrows up until the path disappears. At some point, the ravine widens, forming a pool, its high walls covered with moss and ferns. Water shimmers beneath filtered sunlight. To penetrate further and reach the cascade of Kavac, visi­tors have to swim across the lagoon.

Further on, the river flows through a narrow passage (no more than two meters wide) with high walls. After a while, walls take dis­tance once again, so the 25 meter-high falls are visible. Being there is to bear witness to what tectonic activity and water have done in the course of millions of years: gigan­tic fractures made from the final collapse of big rocks pre­cariously suspended between the walls. That's how ero­sion has rippled Auyan-tepui with an array of canyons and crevices, from which waters leap out into the basement. After their encounter with the falls, visitors return to camp to be greeted with a good lunch. Afterwards, the plane will take them back to their original point of departure.

Salto Angel (Angel Falls)
DURATION OF THE EXCURSION. ONE OR TWO DAYS

Indians call Angel Falls Kerepa­kupai-meru, which means "falls from the deepest place" in Pe­món language. Nevertheless, it was named after the American pilot and goldigger Jimmy Angel, who in 1937 dared -and managed- to land his small air­plane on top of the mountain. However, the aircraft got stuck in the muddy terrain and couldnot take off. After a very difficult descent on foot that took him eleven days, Angel and his companion arrived exhausted to the valley of Kamarata. Even though is credited for having discovered the falls, the belongs actually to Ernesto Sanchez, a retired officer of the Venezuelan Navy who found them during al ration of the area in 1910. Testimonies of his deed are the maps he left in the Casa Blohm, in Ciudad Bolívar. The excursion starts at the port of Ucaima to navigate up the Carrao river aboard a curiara.

A transfer is made in the Mayupa island to reach Orchid island, where visitor stop to have breakfast (see details of the excursion to island). After breakfast, the trip is resumed. At the left is Wei-tepui, looking like a huge isolate saddle place in middle of the jungle. The currara leaves the Carrao to follow one of its many tributaries, the narrow Churún. Boatmen will find rapids at certain point.

Visitors face one of the wonders of Creation, the high and Impressive walls of the Auyán-tepui that shelter the river from both sides. The boat has got inside the mysterious Devil's Canyon, an enourmous gorge that nearly divides the mesa. Its rugged top is only visible whenever the blanket of clouds lift up. Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, appear its majesty when the boat approaches Isla Ratoncio (Little Mouse island).

The long, 980 meters-high silver braid seems to fall down from the sky. Angel Falls are indeed one of the wonders of the planet. Once tourists have reached the camp, other four to six hours on the boat await the explorers who at one point have to walk toward the Laime lookout point. Prior to it, visitors must walk through the forest growing on the mountain slopes, a particularly enriching experience for botany amateurs. Each one of these enormous trees, has a lesson to deliver in the matter of biological complex­ity; even non-experts find astonishing the way these trees develop buttresses to keep their colossal trunks erect, since their roots are superficial to be able to extract the nutrients from the soil. The trunks and branches accom­modate epiphytic species, such as bromeliads and orchids.

On the ground, amidst fallen leaves, small palms, helico­nia, moss, lichens, mushrooms and ferns grow up, thanks to a high level of humidity. Lianas with their thin, long trunks, are also epiphytic plants, whose foliage mixes up with that of the tallest trees, in search for sunlight they need so badly. Visitors are rewarded for their effort in the jungle including a short climb in the mountain with one of the most breathtaking views in the world. Having finally reached the Laime point, the group gets to the very foot of the cascade, its mist falling dreamily all over the place. Angel Falls are actually a series of small torrents jetting out the mountain's crevices, that mix up in the air. A rainbow shows up every once in a while. Behind the liquid screen the Auyán-tepui exhibits a fantastically eroded concave rock wall of reddish tones. The group then return to Ratoncito camp for lunch, and can go swimming in the Churun river after a good rest. Those ones that chose the one-day excursion start trip back to Canaima camp, while the rest will have the additional opportunity to spend the night in the place and -if weather allows- enjoy the sight of the Auyán-tepui outlined against a limpid, starry sky.