Going through customs at the small airport, the agent confiscated my aerosol can of mosquito spray and a swiss army knife from another passenger, but then returned each respectively.
We went in this small plane to Canaima - a small town closer to Salto Angel.
The plane had room for 5 passengers, and our group included two friends, one of whom had visited the falls 2 times previously while it was to be the first for the other. The first woman asked the pilot if her friend could sit in the front, but he said no and that she should sit in the front. When she asked why, the pilot said the friend was skinnier. Upon hearing this, the first woman burst into runaway infections laughter, saying "so I'm fat, hey!"
This woman is a free spirit, slightly kooky, laughs wildly (Venezuelans have the best laughs), has incredible positive energy, and was in my tour group, making it that much more fun.
The pilot had braces and dimples, making him look even younger.
With beautiful views, we were up there for about an hour till our arrival in Canaima where our guide met us and took us to camp.
This is a map of the tepuy (flat table top mountain) we were to get closer to, where Salto Angel is found.
We stopped at a store to buy any last minute supplies. The owner was saying that he'd been unable to get flour and bread for the last 15 days and that it was difficult to do business this way.
By dugout canoe, we traversed along Rio Carrao and Rio Churan for about 4 hours with stunning views of tepuy and nature.
The 100% Venezuelan gang, and one fake Canadian. A great portion of the hiking and nature tours I've been going on have had more women than men on board.
We had to get out of the canoe at one point and walk to another section while it passed through a more dangerous section.
The river water is potable and its colouring reminded me of Coca Cola.
Swim/lunch spot at the Pozo de Felicidad
It's more beautiful when you're there in person.
Getting our first peek of Salto Angel:
The river water is quite shallow in many parts and skill is required avoiding rocks and navigating the rapid sections. Staying dry wasn't an option.
We spent a night in hammocks at a base camp near the falls and the next morning after breakfast we walked/hiked for about an hour to reach Salto Angel.
Salto Angel is the highest waterfall in the world, but I didn't have high expectations, thinking that a waterfall is a waterfall and that there can only be so much variation. Happily, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed both the dugout canoe and the falls. The water pouring down from the top varies according to the season, but when we went the top part was quiet airy mist with the lower section having more water and more consistent water movement.
Seeing the contrast in the sections of the falls up close is recommended over photos ;)
From that viewpoint, we walked to a section of the falls where there was a pool for swimming. We swam, perched on the rock cliff under the falls for a massage from Mother Nature, and drank the water when thirst struck.
One woman and I encountered this snake near the river.
She began to approach it and it suddenly stood up and watched her with full attention. Even though it wasn't huge, it's intimidating to see a snake stand up with speed and precision.
I later described the snake to another guide and he said that it wasn't poisonous but that they are very fast and bite when threatened.
The return hike, lunch, and then we said bye to Salto Angel - or, until next time.
The canoe trip back was more eventful than the arrival as the boat got stuck on rocks in one part and was splashed with a generous supply of river water at another point.
It also began to pour in the afternoon. Needless to say, we spent a good amount of time being wet for one reason or another.
By late afternoon we were back in Canaima where we walked along the beach and went for a swim in the lagoon.
Doing dishes at the beach:
A series of crashing waterfalls by our camp and the lagoon.
The next morning we went by boat to see the waterfalls in Canaima. Dressed in bathing suits and socks (the latter to help with slippery rocks), we walked behind the loud curtain of Salto Sapo. Appropriately, the path to get there had little frogs.
Views from the top of the waterfall:
We also walked behind Salto Hacha before heading back to camp and the airport. Hacha had more water and it was louder. You have to be careful when standing under the fall directly if you're wearing a bikini and want it to stay on your body.
Someone had the idea for us to stand behind the water curtain, make a toast-esque statement and then scream together as a group after each one.
The inevitable time to leave came. It was great to be in relaxing nature after the chaos of a big city.
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