This is probably the most remote location I've taken a trip to and it was worth it. Starting out in Ciudad Bolivar we took a small plane to the village of Canaima. Our tour group consisted of 20 people and our local tour guide spoke both spanish and english. We stayed one night in the small village and took a tour of two waterfalls at the lagoon. That itself was an amazing of its own accord. The next day we packed up two small wooden boats with 10 people per boat and made our way up the river. It took us close to 4 hours to get up river. When we arrived at the Falls we had another 30-40 min hike unto the jungle. The site was amazing and we even got to swim at the base of the falls. That night our group slept in some hammocks across the river from the falls. The whole experience is absolutely amazing if you can handle sitting in a cramped boat for a few hours. As long as you don't have any problems walking or climbing stairs you should be able to make the hike up to the falls.
We are just getting back from Canaima. The National park is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It's so untouched and its views are so breathtaking that if you ever doubted there's a god you will be convinced there's a major power somewhere by the time you leave Canaima. The Angel Falls trip is definitely worth doing. I recommend it for active people and prepare to spend a little too much time on a ¨curiara¨ a native boat but if you are already there it is criminal not to go to angle falls and make it to the top! Go, enjoy and take to many pictures
Is there a place to stay at the falls or do we need to bring camping gear? Or do we get all that with an organized tour? Any recommendations?
I have to start by saying that i am a big man, over 20st, with much less than average fitness levels, so no excuses, Angel Falls is for everyone and should be at the top of all bucket lists.Yes its not easy to get there...a flight from Caracas to Puerto Ordaz, a 2nd flight to Canaima National Park, a 4 hour motorized canoe trip up river and a 90 minute trek...but its worth it!!the boat trip is a bit backside numbing but the sights and sounds on route are spectacular and the journey through the rapids is exhilarating. Top marks to our boat man and our guide Jose.the 1st section of the trek through the jungle is easy, the 2nd part is harder but if you have plenty of water and take your time, even the less than fit traveler can make it. the falls themselves are spectacular and i cant describe them any better than the previous reviews. i must say that i loved the night in a hammock with just a sheet iron roof overhead, no light, only the occasional flash of lightning and no sounds other than the cracks of thunder and the jungle chorus......brilliant!! At the lagoon in Canaima, there are several spectacular waterfalls and a walk behind 1 of them is a "must do"......this entire area around the lagoon is nowhere near as famous as its might neighbor but just as impressive in its own way.We stayed at Tapuy Lodge in Canaima on our 2nd night, i cant fault it, its clean, food is nice and staff are friendly.if i had to pick 1 fault it would be that we hadn't enough time at Angel Falls itself. the trip there is long and darkness falls early.Tips:make sure you bring torches, insect repellent, sunscreen and light rain gear.......Don't expect to buy this kind of stuff in Canaima.Top tip: Don't let anything put you off.......Go Now!!
We did Angel Falls in Canaima National Park and it was an absolutely breathtaking experience. It is as good as it seems in videos and pictures. I would highly recommend the fly over and the treking experience both.
Amazing, awesome.... Can't compare, travel to Venezuela and stayed at campamento uruyen in canaima national park. Only way to get there is by plane. All private and very bell set up, great excursions offer every day. Angels falls must see, words can't describe .....!!!!
What a lifetime experience stunning falls and wonderful 2 days up the Orinoco river.staying overnight in a jungle camp,kiaking on the Orinoco ,Caymen hunting at night under the sky of a million stars ,piraña fishing with a late supper with what we caught.amazing once in a lifetime experience.Loved every minute of this wonderful adventure.recomend this to everyone that likes adventure.
We arrived to Canaima by a small airplane from Ciudad Bolivar..The flight was amazing and the view unforgettable.We walk all over Canaima sleeping in 3 different places.We pass 3 days in a fantastic nature.Salto Angel was the best fall.
(I'm posting this same review under Roraima, since it covers both Roraima and Angels Falls.)Our family of four used Hike Venezuela (hike-venezuela.com) to make all the arrangements for a 12-day trip that included a six-day Roraima trek, a three-day Angel Falls excursion, and many logistics to get us from place to place. We began arranging the trip by email with Evelyn, who had excellent English. When Evelyn left the company and we started communicating with the owner Tino, whose English leaves something to be desired, we got a little nervous. We shouldn't have. Tino's arrangements were flawless and so was our trip, in a country where it's surely easy for things to go awry.Tino arranged absolutely everything from start to finish: an "escort" on arrival in Caracas who helped us change money and made sure we were squared away for our domestic flight, the domestic flights themselves, all hotels, private transfers varying from 1/8 mile at the Puerto Ordaz airport to eight hours to and from Santa Elena, the all-inclusive Roraima trek and Angel Falls excursions, and invaluable advice such as how much cash to exchange and to look out for unannounced gate changes in the domestic airports. He even worked miracles to reposition our extra luggage while we were trekking, and with a final long layover in Caracas he arranged a spur of the moment excursion. He provided a local phone for the duration of our trip; the only time we called him was when one pick-up was uncharacteristically 10 minutes late. In a country known for its crime, we were taken care of everywhere that could be sketchy, and we always felt comfortable.The Roraima trek was both more crowded and a bit more challenging than we expected. The challenge may have been primarily due to the weather -- we had a LOT of rain. But our Guyanese English-speaking guide Ricky was just excellent, the porters were friendly and prompt, the equipment and meals were easily up to par, and the summit plateau of Roraima is just incredible, rain or shine. While we could have lived without all the mud and six days of wet feet (despite waterproof boots), we have no regrets about doing the trek: it's a must for people who enjoy full-service trekking and want to see a fantastic and unique area. Although Tino arranged our overall trip, it appeared that the trek was subcontracted to Backpacker Tours, the main trekking operation out of Santa Elena.The Angel Falls excursion was more mainstream but no less enjoyable. It's a finely-tuned operation that includes flights in and out of Canaima, an afternoon boat and hiking tour of the Canaima lagoon area, and the next day a four-hour boat ride upriver to a one-hour jungle hike to a terrific viewpoint of the falls. The overnight near the falls is traditionally in hammocks, but the level of luxury may vary. We had a very pleasant "camp" with dining and real toilets on one level, plenty of hammocks on the second level, and excellent food. Our Angel Falls excursion was operated by Tapuy Lodge in Canaima, where we spent our first night. We were worried about a large group experience, but we were paired with a nice Venezuelan family and our guide was accommodating and friendly. We had a few hours to spare on our last day in Canaima, so Tino suggested if we were feeling extravagant we might splurge on an overflight of the falls. At $50 per person we decided to go for it, and we had no regrets -- it was a perfect add-on to the river/hiking way of seeing the falls, and a highlight of the trip.All of the miscellaneous places we stayed were fine; we especially enjoyed Posada Los Pinos in Santa Elena and Casa Grande in Puerto Ordaz. Some of our shorter transfers were in small cars, but our longer drives were in large, comfortable SUVs.Hike Venezuela offered a variety of price points. Opting for private transfers, mid-level hotels, and especially a private Roraima trek raised the overall price of our trip, but it was still extremely reasonable for all of our activities and the excellent service at every stop.I believe Tino has a new helper in the office whose English is a little smoother, but regardless, Hike Venezuela is a terrific operation with all details attended to. Highly recommended.
WELL want can you say , we went in december and weather was nice ,buy nothing i have seen in the natural world ,( and i have seen a lot ), compares to this place wow magic and a must see to believe the most beautiful place in the world i was in ore and speechless at the views fro on top of a tepuis. went with LTA