Venezuela: An Adventure on the Real Paradise Falls!
by Alicia Harney
Arguably Venezuela may not have the historic draw of Peru or the
adventurous walks and treks of Patagonia but the country lets itself down
with its lack of touristic invitation. The country has not had any form of
tourist campaign in over 20 years! It’s a shame! For this country holds some
of the most “out of this world” places on the planet. I was lucky enough to
hike up one of those.
The sacred Roraima has recently been used by Disney/Pixar for their new
children’s movie "Up!" and once you make it to the top it is not hard to
imagine why. The fictional name in the movie is Paradise Falls and as I
looked out from the top of the table mountain it is clear how they came up
with the name. In fact it is quite unimaginative as this could easily be
paradise and the falls that topple off the surrounding mountain tops are as
beautiful as any snow capped peak.
In addition to this,
Roraima is where Arthur Conan Doyle, when he wasn't writing about Sherlock
Holmes, placed his 1912 story "The Lost World," about scientists attacked by
dinosaurs and ape men in a land cut off from the rest of the world. This
flat-topped mountain, 9,200 feet tall, is encircled by cliffs that shoot
straight up 1,300 feet or more. In Doyle's book, nothing can climb to the
top, and nothing can climb down (obviously he didn´t have Marisol as a
guide).
After three grueling days
to get to the top the reward was immediate: a strange, misshapen, eerie
world. After only one night’s rest we are taking a walk across the maze of
rocks and barren land to find some of the treasures that are hidden in this
unique landscape. The trek to the top runs along a fairly well cut and
marked path but once you clamber over the final ridge the landscape becomes
something like no other and for that reason all visitors must have an
experienced guide.
The group set off at
8am with a minimum of a 9 hour walk ahead. The walk was fast paced and we
are clambering over boulders and jumping from rock to rock. It's quite fun
and exciting but very very tiring – not a trip for the unfit! After only
about an hour I was shattered! We saw the famous rock formations; legend has
it that only those who have gone crazy from the isolation at the top can see
them. I must be a poco loco as everything from the boot - to the heart - to
the camel, I saw clearly!
In addition to this the
isolation has created an abundance of plants and animals found nowhere else
in the world. Our first encounter was a
tiny black frog so
primitive that it hasn't yet learned to hop but, when threatened, baffles
its enemies by turning itself into a ball and rolling off the rocks.
There are also flowers that can't get enough nourishment from the thin soil
so they entice insects to sip their nectar, then trap and devour them. With
hindsight, I realize that the word "awesome" is no cliché.
As I continued on the journey to the other side of the mountain I was
struck by how much blackness there was – black earth, black bogs, and of
course the wee black frogs! There was even a black hole – of silence.
Our destination is Triple Point, and like the name suggests it is the border
point between the three countries of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. The group
overcame our first main obstacle together, jumping across the black swamp in
the Roraima Valley. A harder crossing was through the Peñus Valley (yes the
penis valley!). Here the immature types (including myself) had to have
pictures of varying rudeness taken as we admired the crystal heads!
We finally made it to
the midpoint in the Crystal Valley to have lunch. The valley is incredible,
more crystal than I have ever seen! The quartz is everywhere...scattered
about like it rained from the sky. In some areas there are high
concentrations giving the impression of a crystal river! There is limited
amount left on the mountain because about ten years ago the Chinese were
allowed to mine it. It's a shame, but at least now the tourists are warned
not to remove it. In fact spot checks are carried out at the control points
as you leave the mountain. After my salad, which I ate on a crystal throne,
I had a snoozle on a crystal bed. Perfect!
We carried on for about
another hour or so before we reached Triple Point. It's really just a small
pyramid marker in the rocks to mark the border. The Guyana border is
disputed and the Venezuelans took the plaque that acknowledges it.
On the way back we
stopped at a large hole in the rock, filled with the water from the water
fall. Jokingly I asked if this was where we were to swim: yep!! So we
changed and I plucked up the courage to take the plunge! The water was
so cold but refreshing and when standing under the waterfall you could feel
the heat that had been gathered while flowing over the rocks. The problem
now was getting out! We had to swim through a cave and then scramble over
treacherous rocks. The jumping in was the easy part!!
For the walk home we
went with Ellius, the porter, at porter speed! It felt like we ran the whole
way back to camp! We arrived back about an hour sooner than everyone else,
allowing us time to go to the edge of the mountain to look over the cliff.
It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! I arrived at
the edge just as a cloud blew in, the rock just disappears in front of you,
and so I lay down and looked into the rolling fog. Imagine looking into a
witches cauldron, not knowing how deep it is, or what's brewing down below.
The sight was out of this world!!
As quickly as the cloud came in the weather shifted. Someone didn't want
me to leave without experiencing the thrill of looking the 2000ft down to
the ground. With just the blink of an eye the clarity of everything took my
breath away, and the sheer height kept me pinned to the floor. The
peacefulness of the rolling countryside mixed with the nothingness of
Roraima herself proves this is the ultimate of extremes.
Back at camp we tucked
ourselves up in our tents for our last night. The darkness here falls by
6:30pm and with only sharp rocks for a seat and with no fire to sit around -
there's no wood in sight - it is easy to see how the slight rustling sound
caused by the wind becomes indistinguishable from what a huge curved beak
might sound like as it searches for an appetizer of frog legs and an entree
of human flesh. We were not turned into a banquet for an undiscovered
monster but there is a feast at Roraima. A feast of the imagination!
In addition to this,
Roraima is where Arthur Conan Doyle, when he wasn't writing about Sherlock
Holmes, placed his 1912 story "The Lost World," about scientists attacked by
dinosaurs and ape men in a land cut off from the rest of the world. This
flat-topped mountain, 9,200 feet tall, is encircled by cliffs that shoot
straight up 1,300 feet or more. In Doyle's book, nothing can climb to the
top, and nothing can climb down (obviously he didn´t have Marisol as a
guide).
After three grueling days
to get to the top the reward was immediate: a strange, misshapen, eerie
world. After only one night’s rest we are taking a walk across the maze of
rocks and barren land to find some of the treasures that are hidden in this
unique landscape. The trek to the top runs along a fairly well cut and
marked path but once you clamber over the final ridge the landscape becomes
something like no other and for that reason all visitors must have an
experienced guide. 
The group set off at
8am with a minimum of a 9 hour walk ahead. The walk was fast paced and we
are clambering over boulders and jumping from rock to rock. It's quite fun
and exciting but very very tiring – not a trip for the unfit! After only
about an hour I was shattered! We saw the famous rock formations; legend has
it that only those who have gone crazy from the isolation at the top can see
them. I must be a poco loco as everything from the boot - to the heart - to
the camel, I saw clearly!
In addition to this the
isolation has created an abundance of plants and animals found nowhere else
in the world. Our first encounter was a
tiny black frog so
primitive that it hasn't yet learned to hop but, when threatened, baffles
its enemies by turning itself into a ball and rolling off the rocks.
There are also flowers that can't get enough nourishment from the thin soil
so they entice insects to sip their nectar, then trap and devour them. With
hindsight, I realize that the word "awesome" is no cliché. 
We finally made it to
the midpoint in the Crystal Valley to have lunch. The valley is incredible,
more crystal than I have ever seen! The quartz is everywhere...scattered
about like it rained from the sky. In some areas there are high
concentrations giving the impression of a crystal river! There is limited
amount left on the mountain because about ten years ago the Chinese were
allowed to mine it. It's a shame, but at least now the tourists are warned
not to remove it. In fact spot checks are carried out at the control points
as you leave the mountain. After my salad, which I ate on a crystal throne,
I had a snoozle on a crystal bed. Perfect!
We carried on for about
another hour or so before we reached Triple Point. It's really just a small
pyramid marker in the rocks to mark the border. The Guyana border is
disputed and the Venezuelans took the plaque that acknowledges it. 
On the way back we
stopped at a large hole in the rock, filled with the water from the water
fall. Jokingly I asked if this was where we were to swim: yep!! So we
changed and I plucked up the courage to take the plunge! The water was
so cold but refreshing and when standing under the waterfall you could feel
the heat that had been gathered while flowing over the rocks. The problem
now was getting out! We had to swim through a cave and then scramble over
treacherous rocks. The jumping in was the easy part!!
For the walk home we
went with Ellius, the porter, at porter speed! It felt like we ran the whole
way back to camp! We arrived back about an hour sooner than everyone else,
allowing us time to go to the edge of the mountain to look over the cliff.
It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life! I arrived at
the edge just as a cloud blew in, the rock just disappears in front of you,
and so I lay down and looked into the rolling fog. Imagine looking into a
witches cauldron, not knowing how deep it is, or what's brewing down below.
The sight was out of this world!!
Back at camp we tucked
ourselves up in our tents for our last night. The darkness here falls by
6:30pm and with only sharp rocks for a seat and with no fire to sit around -
there's no wood in sight - it is easy to see how the slight rustling sound
caused by the wind becomes indistinguishable from what a huge curved beak
might sound like as it searches for an appetizer of frog legs and an entree
of human flesh. We were not turned into a banquet for an undiscovered
monster but there is a feast at Roraima. A feast of the imagination! 