Angel Falls drops 979 metres off the wall of the Auyantepui, in Canaima National Park, Bolívar state, Venezuela. It is the highest waterfall in the world, and in Spanish it is Salto Ángel. The Pemón, who have lived in the region since long before either of those names existed, call it Kerepakupai Merú.
Where the name comes from
It comes from Jimmie Angel — also written Jimmy — the American pilot who flew over the area in October 1933 and came back on 19 November of the same year. His logbook reads: «Flew over the great falls – 1 mile». Years later his plane was stranded on top of the Auyantepui by a mechanical failure, and the episode fixed his surname to the waterfall for good.
One qualification is worth making: the falls were not «discovered» in 1933. The Pemón knew them and had named them long before. What happened that year is that they became known outside Venezuela.
What you actually see
- 979 metres of total height, with a free-fall section that produces the recognisable image: the water breaks into mist before it reaches the bottom.
- The Auyantepui, the plateau it falls from. Tepuis are formations of very old rock, with vertical walls and flat tops.
- The cloud. For much of the year the wall sits inside it and the falls appear and disappear.
Getting there
There is no road. Access has been the same for decades and comes in two stages:
- Fly to Canaima. A light aircraft takes you to the Canaima camp, inside the park.
- Upriver by curiara. From there you travel by boat along the Carrao and Churún rivers to the viewpoint that faces the falls. The route normally involves a night out.
There is also the overflight, which gives you the aerial view but not the final walk to the viewpoint.
When to go
This is the decision that changes the trip most. The flow depends on rain: in the dry season the falls can come down to a thread, and in the wet season they run hard but river navigation and visibility both get complicated. There is no single right answer — check the state of the river with your operator before fixing dates.
Where you sleep
Accommodation is around the Canaima lagoon, in camps that work as the base for the excursions. Among those operating in the area: Waku Lodge, Tapuy Lodge and the camps beside the lagoon. Most work on packages that include transfers and the trip to the falls.
Around the falls
Angel Falls is not on its own: it is the most famous point of something much bigger. La Gran Sabana is the plateau that connects the tepuis, and Roraima is the one you climb on foot. The wider frame is in Canaima National Park and in the rest of the national parks of Venezuela.