Beneath the Angel Falls – The Highest Waterfall in the World

                    

It’s been years since I first heard about the Angel Falls (Salto Angel in Spanish) – the highest waterfall in the world, surrounded by marvellous jungle in the southern part of Venezuela. I really wished to travel there but was always going to face one major obstacle – you can only reach the area where the falls are located by flying in a tiny aeroplane, and I don’t do aeroplanes (especially tiny ones). My desire to visit the Angel Falls dates back to 2007, when I travelled to Venezuela for the first time in order to visit a number of projects run by the Jesuit Refugee Service (the NGO I was working for at the time). The aim of my visit was to train local staff on advocacy techniques and international law.  

  

The rural landscape around the border area of El Nula

Trying to continue with life - Colombian refugees in Venezuela

The river dividing Colombia and Venezuela

There were (and sadly still are) several refugees from Colombia in Venezuela due to the long term conflict going on there. Apart from visiting colleagues in Caracas, I had also travelled to the border towns of El Nula and Guasdualito in the Apure State – which were considered to be rather dangerous due to their proximity with a conflict zone on the other side of the border. Indeed, irregular armed groups from Colombia often crossed the border, causing violence in Venezuela and causing refugees to flee once again - thus shattering their hopes for a peaceful life. The complexity and brutality of the Colombian internal conflict always surprised me and never stopped being a challenge even when, five years later, I worked directly on the issue for two years. El Nula had stuck me for its vast green open spaces and the rural way of life of those living there. It wasn’t easy for refugees to continue with their lives after being forcibly displaced from their homes in Colombia – but they somehow managed to cope and were generally accepted by the locals along the border area as they tried to rebuild their lives. 

A pump provides clean water for a refugee community

Seven years later, I found myself back in Venezuela. This time I’m taking a break of a few months from human rights work. I’ve never really taken such a long break since I started my career, always feeling guilty whenever I stopped fighting for this cause I strongly believe in. A few years ago, during the Libyan internal conflict, I hadn’t taken even one day of leave for about one year and a half (this was not a healthy decision but I had felt that there was no option at the time). Refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, desperately attempting to escape from the violence in Libya, needed assistance and I was working at the border of southern Europe to ensure that safety and shelter was provided to them – as it was being provided to thousands of other persons being evacuated from that conflict. I was sickened by the double standards I was witnessing at the time: all efforts were being made by the international community to evacuate citizens of countries that were in a position to take them back, whilst refugees who had been forced to escape from their countries and had cut their ties with their respective governments were left to face their own fates – and, at times, a brutal death.

Refugees living in the Hal Far Tent Village in Malta

Tragically, thousands of refugees drowned in the Mediterranean throughout those months of conflict and, by the end of it, I was quite an emotional and physical wreck. I learnt from that experience that it’s essential to stop from time to time and take a long breath. You can’t be fighting all the time. There are moments when you need to reload your energy to keep on fighting with the same strength as before. Another factor leading to my decision to undertake this long travel is the fact that, at the age of 36, I may not have too many more chances to just pack my bags and set off for an adventure of this magnitude and length. This love for adventure that I’ve always felt is not something I want to supress – it gives me a spark that allows me to dream, to keep on going, to discover new things. It has, no doubt, also played an essential part in my choice of career and the risks I have taken throughout the past few years in order to do my best for the persons I work for.  

Sofia (my girlfriend and travel-partner) and I left from the town of Santa Elena in the extreme south of Venezuela and spent the night on a bus headed towards Ciudad Bolivar. Along the way, we were stopped at several police roadblocks. Our boxing champion friend from Japan, Motoki Sasaki, was also on the same bus. At one point, in the middle of the night, the police asked him to get off the bus at one of these roadblocks. He never understood (surely due to language barriers) why he was singled out but, thankfully, he was let back on again sometime later. Sofia and I spent the next day limping around the charming historical town of Ciudad Bolivar (due to the muscle pains from the Roraima trek a couple of days before) and relaxing in the welcoming hostel we were staying at. 

The historical city centre in Ciudad Bolivar

I had finally made up my mind to visit the Angel Falls after all, despite the plane rides that it involved. I decided to face my fear of flying and finally see this famous waterfall after so many years of wishing to do so. Despite the overland nature of this South American travel, I felt that a little detour by plane to an otherwise unreachable location could sneak into the plan – especially at the very affordable prices in Venezuela due to the economic crisis afflicting the country. I had vowed not to fly at all during this travel, but knew that it would be now or never to see the falls. Sofia and I arranged with Francisco Alvarez, the same person who had organised the Roraima trek, to visit the Angel Falls for 18500 Bolivares (the equivalent of just over 200 USD) including one free night in a hostel in Ciudad Bolivar, a return-flight on a tiny plane to the national park of Canaima and two days (all expenses included) to visit the Angel Falls and the other amazing waterfalls in the same area. 

 

Colonial houses in the old city centre

We ended up spending two pleasant days in Ciudad Bolivar instead of one due to a malfunction of the tiny aeroplane that we were meant to fly on. Given my fear of flying, I freaked out when I heard about this malfunction but I was glad that the problems were detected before we got on the plane! Whilst waiting for another flight the following day, we got an extra free night at the hostel. We therefore managed to visit a number of fascinating (and free) museums in the town and ate delicious fish next to the Orinoco River.

Sunset over the Orinoco River

At one of the museums, I was delighted to discover the creativity of Venezuela’s top artist, Jesus Soto – who used lines and shapes to create a number of different effects. I was also fascinated to learn a bit more about Venezuela’s history in the many little historical museums around the old town centre. Moreover, eating was so cheap that Sofia and I treated ourselves well during these two days without needing to worry about budget constraints. We found the locals to be very friendly and generous, in spite of the fact that they initially look very stern and intimidating. Once we got to know people, we realised how good they actually were, beyond their scowling faces. I suppose the economic crisis was taking a toll on their smiles.

Fascinating shapes in the Jesus Soto Museum

A historical hazienda where Simon Bolivar lived for a while

The morning finally arrived when we went to the airport and into the tiniest plane imaginable: a four-seater with only Sofia, the pilot and myself on board. I sat right next to the pilot but didn’t know how I’d react to the flight given my long-time terror of being up in the air. I generally do end up keeping calm during any flight I’m on, but I had never been on such a small plane! To get myself into a good mood and stay detached from the reality of the flight, I started to play the theme tune of Indiana Jones in my head – since he always flew on this type of plane in the movies.

Not the best thing to see when you have a fear of flying

At take-off, something amazing happened. Not only did I not feel scared most of the time, but I was actually extremely thrilled to be up there – which put into serious doubt my conviction that I really hate flying. Ok – I did feel very uneasy when the tiny plane flew into a rain cloud and started shaking like jelly, but the theme tune of Indiana Jones kept on playing in my head all throughout and kept me going. The views from the plane of the savannah, lakes and eventually kilometres of thick jungle were the best entertainment possible during the one hour flight. It was also obvious why the area isn’t accessible overland – too many lakes and too much jungle to easily build a road passing through there. We eventually arrived to an area of tepuis (flat-top mountains) and waterfalls, which is when the plane started to descend. The descent in such a small plane seems very abrupt but the landing was exceptionally smooth.

View from the aeroplane

Imminent landing - waterfalls to the left and tiny runway to the right

Sofia and I were picked up from the tiny airport and put together with a group of young people. I suppose that this is one of the main problems with going to a place like Angel Falls – you’re placed with a bunch of random people and can only hope to get lucky with the company. Unfortunately, there’s no other way to see the Angel Falls from beneath unless you’re rich enough to pay for your own guide and boat. I’m not really used to doing the ‘group excursion’ thing with my rough and improvised style of travelling and I actually quite dread this kind of thing. Thankfully, the rest of the people turned out to be very charming and we got the chance to have long conversations with all over the following two days. I particularly enjoyed chatting to two young men from northern England – who had decided to give up a mundane life back home (both did manual work there) in order to explore the world and follow their dreams. I found the two Venezuelan girls in the group made to be rather amusing – one of them was very chubby but loved to do a ‘model-style’ pose in every location she went to, racing ahead to be photographed in all her graceless glory. My first impression was that she was worthy of her own sketch on the satirical TV show ‘Little Britain’, but she actually turned out to be a thoughtful, politically-opinionated, moderately intelligent girl as well as a brilliant singer. She was also a mother taking a brief vacation from her family.

The jungle beach next to Canaima

On the first day in Canaima, we went on a boat-ride to a number of waterfalls in the lake next to the village. The highlight of this experience is to get behind one of the waterfalls (and get drenched in the process). It feels like standing right behind a giant wall of water, with light and plenty of water drops filling the chilly cave. At one point, I put my head and shoulders under the powerful gush of water - somewhat afraid of getting knocked to the ground - but it actually felt like a very strong massage. The chubby Venezuelan girl kept on exhibiting her awkward poses in front of every waterfall she saw. Whilst this was initially irritating, over time it actually became (more or less) endearing. 

Waterfalls around Canaima

A wall of water

Talk of the town in Canaima was that a big movie starring Gerard Butler (the lead actor in the blockbuster ‘300’) was being filmed in the area and especially over the Angel Falls. Everyone was hoping to have a beer with the famous star, which didn’t seem too unlikely given the tiny size of the indigenous village which is now full of tourist lodges. That night, Sofia and I went to the local riverside disco for a beer and a dance but Gerard Butler didn’t turn up.

River and rainbow next to Canaima

 

The following morning, we got up very early since we had a five hour boat ride against the raging current in order to reach the Angel Falls. I hadn’t realised that they were so far off from Canaima and hard to reach. The small motorised canoe had to face the strong flow of the river and its passengers often got splashed all over. Getting wet is something you cannot avoid when going up this river. As the Angel Falls approached, the rapids along the river increased. Looking at a map, it had seemed that the Angel Falls should be accessible by river from the north, but rivers on maps don’t include rapids and now it was obvious to me why bigger boats cannot reach this area from further away. At one point, we had to get off the boat and walk for about 30 minutes as the boat bounced its way through the most intense part of the rapids. This five hour boat ride up the river is a spectacle in itself even if there wasn’t one of the most impressive waterfalls at the end of it. The river banks are lined up with jungle vegetation and you can see several tepuis in the distance. As the journey upriver progresses, the tepuis increase, as does the proximity of the river to them. A few small (but very high) waterfalls drop from the cliffs of some of the tepuis, though I suspect  they don’t have enough volume of water to classify as true waterfalls – otherwise they would probably also be some of highest waterfalls in the world.

The motorised canoe used to reach the Angel Falls

Facing the rapids up the river

Indigenous huts and tepuis on the way to the Angel Falls

The first glimpse of the Angel Falls from afar is a spectacle. Dropping from the top of the very high Auyantepui, you can sense the force of that water plunging down an incredible height (979m / 3,212 ft). We noticed helicopters flying around the top of the waterfall, so high above us that they looked like mere specks. Apparently, the helicopters were part of the film being made (though I’m not sure if the helicopters were being used to shoot the film or if they were part of the film itself). Someone on the boat told us that they heard the film being shot is a sequel to Point Break, one of my favourite action movies when I was a teenager. That film was about extreme sports – but mainly about surfing. I’m not sure what high waterfalls have to do with surfing, unless someone was trying to surf down the falls!

First glimpse of the Angel Falls from afar

Totally drenched to the bone, we finally arrived at a part of the river where the boat could stop and drop us off. The aim was to cross through a small stretch of jungle to a view point from where the Angel Falls can be observed in all their glory. We initially walked through the jungle, crossing a river barefooted along the way, and then started to climb. The climb was mild next to the Roraima trek and, thankfully, my muscles had finally recovered from that experience. Nevertheless, there were a lot of tree roots jutting out along the path and I recalled the Russian woman who had injured herself by twisting her ankle on a root whilst descending Mt. Roraima. I therefore proceeded with a small dose of caution whilst speeding ahead to get to the viewpoint. I wanted to get there before the Venezuelan girl arrived and started posing, thus making the waterfall seem more like the backdrop to a farce. Thankfully, she took her good time to arrive.

The Angel Falls in all her glory

Unless you hire a plane and fly over them or somehow manage to climb to the top, the Angel Falls are seen from beneath – a giant mass of water dropping from a cliff. The tiny helicopters buzzing around on the top put its massive size into perspective. I wasn’t sure if Gerard Butler was dangling over the cliff next to the waterfall as I stood there and admired the intense beauty of this natural wonder. I was definitely glad that I was not dangling from the top of the waterfall myself. It’s not easy to photograph the waterfall since the spray caused by the water hitting the bottom wets the camera lens in a matter of seconds. At times, a change in wind direction gave a short break within which to shoot – but my camera did get soaked anyway. My poor lens had already been battered whilst climbing Roraima and stopped functioning automatically, making the photography even more complicated.

Under pressure - the water crashes to the bottom of its massive plunge

The making of the Point Break remake

We must have stopped at the viewpoint to admire the falls for a long time, but no time ever seems long enough when admiring such beauty. As the sun was setting, we needed to head back to the boat and find our camping spot for the night. Just before darkness wrapped itself around the jungle, we managed to arrive to the camping area – a large space at the other side of the river covered by a wooden roof from which we could hang up our hammocks. The camp was rather organised, with a kitchen area and toilets. I spent the evening talking about English football with the two English guys in our group. It had been ages since I could chat about the beautiful game with people who love it as much as I do. 

Sofia on her hammock for the night

The following day, we got up before dawn and began to travel down the river on the canoe – this time taking much less time given that we were going in the same direction as the strong current. By mid-morning, we were back at Canaima and proceeded to the little airport to catch our flight back to Ciudad Bolivar. By a twist of fate, we ended up on a six-seater plane with Motoki, who was not in our same group this time since he was hoping to find a cheaper price than that offered by Francisco Alvarez (he didn’t and ended up paying more then us). The approach to the airport of Ciudad Bolivar was an exciting last minute turn and quick descent onto the runway, as if the little plane were a car calmly going into a garage. The police at the airport somehow recognised Motoki as a famous boxer so they took photos of him next to the plane. It was time to really say goodbye to Motoki at this point, since he was heading north to Caracas on a cheap flight whilst Sofia and I were heading back south towards Santa Elena on a night bus. Our bus was delayed by a few hours, so Sofia and I just sat around the bus station whilst Sofia cooked up some melodrama to keep the evening ‘interesting’!

Back in Canaima

We arrived in Santa Elena the following morning and hopped onto a shared taxi going to the border with Brazil. The immigration formalities were quicker this time but just as simple. I was given 60 days to stay within Brazil – even though I actually only needed one. The following day, I wanted to cross into Guyana to begin what promised to be the most complicated part of this long travel. Despite sharing a border with Venezuela, there’s no border-crossing between Guyana and Venezuela, meaning that one has to get to Brazil before entering into Guyana. And this is just the beginning of the hassle of crossing Guyana!

As a postscript to this story, once I was back in Ciudad Bolivar with an internet connection, I went to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) to check what movies Gerard Butler is currently working on and to verify if they are really making a Point Break sequel. In actual fact, they are currently making a Point Break remake (which sounds like a dumb idea  - Point Less rather than Point Break given that the star of the original, Keanu Reeves, is still a big star and the director, Katherine Bigalow, recently won an Oscar for best director for ‘The Hurt Locker’). This Point Break remake doesn’t seem to have any big stars in it – not even Gerard Butler – who apparently has nothing to do with this film. Interestingly, there is a certain Jaymes (yes – he spells it that way!) Butler on the cast list. Could it be that everyone got confused by the similar names? Or that this Jaymes Butler is telling everyone that he is the more famous actor to benefit from his popularity? … Though poor Gerard mustn’t be that popular since nobody in Canaima seemed to have noticed that this unknown actor isn’t the real thing!

There is only ONE Point Break!

The Quest to reach the Lost World

  

The small Venezuelan town of Santa Elena, in the south of the country, seems worlds apart from the dangerous capital of Caracas and the political turmoil that is plaguing the major cities of the country. Nevertheless, there are signs of local politics along some walls in the form of graffiti slogans – and if talk with a local turns to politics, you’ll notice the polarising effect Chavez and his policies had (and still have despite his death) on the nation – some love him whilst others hate him. Nobody seems to be indifferent. There are probably two explanations for the relative tranquillity of Santa Elena: its remote location at the south of the country, close to the Brazilian border, and the fact that the indigenous population in the area have a lot of autonomy which has allowed them to prevent trouble from escalating. For example, they managed to kick out corrupt policemen when things started to get rough. Some locals do say that Santa Elena was even quieter in the past and that symptoms of the national economic troubles are being felt here too.

The park in Santa Elena

Political slogan on the wall of an indigenous home

An indigenous village in the Venezuelan Gran Sabana

As a traveller, there’s a very important thing to keep in mind when planning a visit to Venezuela. Due to the political and economic troubles in the country, the informal (or black) market for changing US Dollars into the local currency (Bolivares) is incredibly much more convenient than exchanging the same amount of money at a bank at the official rates. Taking US Dollars with you in cash to Venezuela can give about one-third more value to your money than if you withdraw money from an ATM. The informal money exchangers in the street prefer larger bills (50 and 100 USD bills) rather than 10s and 20s and pay you a higher price for these big bills. The price paid for US Dollars on this informal market fluctuates continuously. We got offered between 75 and 90 Bolivares for a US Dollar on different days by different people (withdrawing from an ATM would give you a fixed rate of approximately 6.3 Bolivares per Dollar). Brazilian Reais can also give you a good exchange rate in Santa Elena but not as good as the US Dollar. The best thing to do is shop around and ask locals if they know who offers the best exchange rates on the informal market. If you do manage to exchange US Dollars on the informal market at a good price, everything is really cheap and good value for money in Venezuela – including accommodation, food and excursions.

Indigenous houses in the Gran Sabana

Our main reason for coming to Venezuela was to climb Mount Roraima, the mysterious inspiration for the classic novel ‘The Lost World’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (and more recently also the main location for the wonderful cartoon ‘Up’). This part of the world has grabbed the fascination of European explorers, scientists and writers for the past few centuries and, before their arrival, it was already considered a mystical place for the local indigenous communities. It’s a six day trek within a natural reserve to get to the flat top of the mountain (such flat-topped mountains are called ‘tepuis’ in this part of the world – meaning ‘house of the gods’ in the Pemon indigenous language) and back. We found the best price for such a trek with a cooperative formed by guides, headed by a fellow called Francisco Alvarez. The cooperative has a little office at the Santa Elena bus terminal. We were provided with a guide, two other helpers and the promise of three meals per day for the 6-day trek for 16,800 Bolivares each. If you calculate the exchange rate at 85 Bolivares per dollar, that works out at a total of less than 200 USD for the whole trek - less than 33 USD per day. 

The tepuis Mt. Roraima (on the right) and Mt. Kokenan

The day before leaving for the actual trek, we went around the area called the ‘Gran Sabana’ on a jeep, visiting amazing waterfalls, rivers and natural pools in this stunning natural area. Despite being rather green, the land is not so fertile here and consequently there’s no forest or jungle – just a few clusters of trees in some places and a lot of grassland. Spielberg filmed a few scenes of Jurassic Park around here – in particular, the scene where a herd of fast dinosaurs (Gallimimus) runs towards the protagonists (“They’re flocking over here!”). We passed by several small indigenous villages along the way and noticed that they have adapted to a rather modern way of life. As mentioned previously, the indigenous people in the area are granted much autonomy in this part of the country, and the Pemon language (a local indigenous language) is taught in some schools. Throughout the day, we could often see Mount Roraima rising grandly in the distance, knowing we’d have to climb her soon enough. 

One of the many stunning waterfalls in the Gran Sabana

Rivers, waterfalls and tepuis in the background

The following morning, we were all set to take off for the six day trek. We were put in a team with Motoki Sasaki, a former Japanese and Asian boxing champion (who challenged for the world title in 2011 but lost on points to Mexico’s Humberto Soto) and an older Brazilian couple. Apparently, Motoki is quite well-known in Japan, both for his boxing skills and his artistic flair. It was an honour to have such a high-profile sportsman on our team. I got on very well with him and we had several fascinating conversations during our long trek to the top of Mt. Roraima and back. The most important team members were, of course, the local indigenous guide, Gabriel, and his two assistants, Junior and David. Sofia, Motoki and I carried our own backpacks (leaving anything that was unnecessary for the trek stuffed in plastic bags in a hotel in Santa Elena, where we had spent the previous night). Catia, Xavi and the Brazilians paid extra for the guides to carry their things. I must have had about eight kilos on my back, fearing that it may be very heavy for such a long trek with much climbing to do. Nevertheless, the guides and porters always carry over 20 kilos - and sometimes much more - so I had little to complain about except my lack of training. I think one porter contracted by another group was carrying about 40 kilos! 

Ready to go: Sofia, Motoki, Catia and Xavi

The first day of the trek passed soon enough and was only an approximately four hour walk (or slightly less) to the first camping site, located near a little river with freezing water where we could wash, swim and refill our water-bottles. We crossed paths with a group of young Brazilians who were on the last day of their own trek, heading back to Santa Elena. They were all walking in a funny way, seemingly due to pain, and weren’t talking much. I reckoned that my group would be like them in five days’ time. 

Rivers and streams provide water along the way

The second day also proved to be rather simple, though we did walk for a few hours – sometimes uphill. The most complicated thing about this part of the trek was crossing the second of two rivers, hopping over smallish rocks with our backpacks and trying to keep balance. A wrong move or losing your balance would mean soaking everything you’ve got (and destroying your camera in the process). The second day of the trek ends at the foot of Mt. Roraima, giving you a chance to admire the huge tepui and probably dread the climb you must face the following day.

A river to cross

Trekking through the open savannah

Camping at the foot of Mt. Roraima

The first two days of the trek involve crossing through an open savannah and the heat can really get to you throughout the day. Thankfully, there are a few rivers and natural springs along the way where you can refill your water-bottle with fresh cold water. It’s important to make sure the water you collect for drinking is flowing in order to avoid having stomach problems. Apart from the challenging heat, there is something memorably painful about the first two days of the trek: the puri puri, a tiny insect that flies around and takes bites at you, making you itch and sometimes bleed. Puri puris don’t sting like mosquitos and don’t carry diseases. Nevertheless, despite not being dangerous in anyway, they are possibly the most obnoxious little buggers that you’ll ever come across. Repellent doesn’t really work to keep them away (mainly because you’ll be sweating most of the time, thus losing your repellent). You just have to live with the fact that you’ll be eaten by puri puris!

Climb that! The side of Mt. Roraima

Catia and Xavi raced ahead during the trek and always arrived to the finishing points very long before anyone else. Motoki, Sofia and myself arrived in rather average times from what we were told, whilst the Brazilian couple lagged behind despite not carrying backpacks. Along the same path was a large group of Russians of various levels of fitness. One chubby guy didn’t seem to be in a particularly good physical shape but thankfully he wasn’t carrying any backpack. He slowly advanced along the trek, always arriving last and cursing in Russian that nobody from his group ever waited for him. 

The trek at the side of Mt. Roraima

 

The third day of the trek was the day when we had to climb to the top. I was quite intimidated by the thought of climbing what seemed to be some very steep parts on the way to the top. I was mainly worried that my bothersome fear of heights may kick in at some point – but it surprisingly never did. My girlfriend, Sofia, was also worried that she may not make it to the top and, at one point, she actually considered not even trying to undertake the challenge. A few parts of the climb required both hands and feet to be used but it never required any rock-climbing skills. No ropes were needed and I didn’t feel too scared whilst going up, despite my vertigo. The two main challenging parts of the third day were the beginning of the day with two steepish climbs, and towards the end, when we had to pass under a high but thankfully not so powerful waterfall (called ‘The Tear’) which made the rocks rather slippery and loose. We were lucky that it didn’t rain in the area during the previous two days since the climb becomes much more slippery and complicated when it rains.

Something to cry about: The 'Tear' falls over our heads

As we climbed the tepui, the views became more impressive and I started to get excited about the amazing landscape we were about to see at the top. I had heard that the rock formations up there are astonishing and that it looks so different from anything else in the area. After the excitement of passing under the ‘Tear’ and negotiating our way up a section of loose rocks, we saw that the end of the climb was rather near. Any doubts that we wouldn’t make it to the top started to fizzle away. The worst was surely over. Sofia and I had trained for a few weeks before setting off on the travel, running in the local park and sprinting up various flights of stairs. I still don’t think we were entirely ready for this climb, but we were very close to successfully reaching the top in a rather acceptable time. In the end, we just needed the morning to slowly climb up to the top at 2810 metres above sea level. It was barely 1pm when we arrived. Xavi, Catia and Motoki were already there, waiting for us. I could see dark rocks behind them and I hurried forward to see what the top of Mount Roriama really looked like. 

We made it! At the top of Mt. Roraima

The first sight of the new landscape took my breath away. I’m not sure what to compare it to. The top of the tepui is flat and the plateau is actually quite big (31 km²), requiring several hours to walk across – through what seems like a maze of strange rock formations. The rock formations up here are some of the oldest in the world and possibly date back to a time before complex life-forms appeared on earth (some are estimated to be about two billion years old). Often, clouds float through these dark rocks, making them seem enigmatic and foreboding. It looks like another planet! I recalled the cartoon ‘Up’, where an old man dreams of living on the top of Mt. Roraima so he attaches balloons to the roof of his house and flies there. I hadn’t realised why the cartoon imagery had become so dark and creepy when he finally got there – but now I did finally understand. That is exactly how the landscape really is! Nevertheless, now that I had the actual landscape in front of me, it didn’t feel frightening but just struck me as seeming like an alien planet! Once the whole group eventually reached the top (the Brazilians took a long while to arrive), we went up to camp in a cave – just above a small dark lake. Gabriel decided that the Brazilians should descend the following day, in order for them to have two full days to climb down and face the long walk back. The rest of us would spend the whole of the next day and night on the top of Mt. Roraima.

It looks like another planet!

Sofia and Gabiel amongst the clouds

A pool of water amongst the rock formations

We spent our time at the top roaming around the wonderful rock formations, observing crystals lying around and jutting out of rocks, swimming in natural pools of water, exploring caves and seeing the stunning views from the edges of the tepui. The best view is of the Guyanese jungle on the other side of Mt. Roraima (if you are lucky enough, as we were, to be up there on a clear day). It’s surprising to see how the landscape radically changes right after the tepui, from dry savannah to dense jungle. Indeed, the top of Mt. Roraima includes a three-way border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, with Venezuela the only country from where you can reach the top of the tepui without actually rock-climbing and risking your life.

Rock formations on the top of the tepui

The strange landscape on Mt. Roraima

The jungle of Guyana down below

Crystals formed over several milleniums

Both of the two days on the top ended with gorgeous sunsets and a quick walk back to the cave we were camping in before it got too dark to find our way around. The nights on the top can get very chilly but thankfully there are no puri puris there, so our bite-infested bodies could recovery until we returned to the bottom (to be eaten alive once again). The sudden darkness and the cold meant that we did not linger around much after dark and went to our tents shortly after supper. If the night sky is clear, though, it is worth resisting the cold to watch the stars shine above you without any light pollution. 

Man on the edge: Xavi enjoys the stunning views from Mt. Roraima

One night, before heading to our tents, Motoki told me how tough it was for him to retire from professional boxing. He had been boxing for about two decades and now felt a huge void in his life. He was trying to fill this void by travelling around the world, but it wasn’t enough. As a solution, he was thinking of becoming a boxing trainer when he eventually gets back to Japan. His love for boxing is too great to abandon the sport for good. Despite reaching the highest levels of his sport, boxing did not make him rich or famous as happens to professionals of some other sports. Nevertheless, this old and noble sport was his life and gave him a happiness that goes beyond fame and fortune.

Boxing champion Motoki and I at the edge of the tepui

Our guide, Gabriel, warned us that the fifth day of the trek would be the toughest, which seems strange given that it’s all downhill. Nevertheless, downhill climbs are tough on the knees and, in just one day, we had to cover the same distance that we had covered in two when climbing up. Indeed, the fifth day was brutal and we finally reached the camping site at about 4pm – requiring several stops along the way to rest. One Russian woman twisted her ankle on the way down, apparently getting her foot stuck in a root as she was climbing down. Four porters had to carry and stretcher her down the tepui and all the way to the camping site. Sofia and I survived with aches and pains. When we finally arrived to our camp for the night, we were greeted by the loving puri puris! A swim in the freezing river helped to sooth the muscle pains but was not enough. And we still had another morning of walking the following day.

Stretchered off - a group of porters carry an injured woman

The sixth (and final) day was an odyssey of painful muscles. I had to side-step down slopes due to the muscle aches and a pain in my right knee. I thankfully managed to dump off my heavy backpack with Xavi (using a boyish challenge to “see if he had the balls to carry my backpack for one day”) and just carried Sofia’s much lighter backpack (I was carrying most of her stuff myself to keep her from nagging too much). But the damage had already been done on the previous day and I just wanted to reach the finishing point and sit down for a few days! Motoki massaged my damaged right knee (I had a ligament injury when I was younger) to sooth the pain and gave me words of encouragement. Sofia and I finally limped to the small indigenous village where a jeep was meant to pick us up and take us back to Santa Elena. We got there well before the jeep arrived so, in the end, we actually managed to complete the trek in good time despite the aches and pains.

This wasn’t just the end of the Roraima trek but also that of my travel with Xavi. We had been travelling together for more than a month and a half, starting off chasing whales in the Pacific Ocean and then crossing the Amazon River by boat. From that evening, it was going to be just Sofia and myself, whilst Xavi and Catia headed down to the Brazilian border to catch a flight for the centre of the country. They would eventually have to return to Europe soon due to Catia’s work commitment in Switzerland. Xavi was also about to face a new life in Switzerland after several years of living in Malta. On the other hand, Sofia and I were about to head further north that night, towards the Venezuelan city of Ciudad Bolivar from where we hoped to get to the Angel Falls (the highest waterfall in the world). There was one final surprise to the whole Roraima trek – Xavi broke the news to us that he had proposed to Catia at the top of Mt. Roraima and she accepted. So ends a great travel partnership and begins a new adventure for both!

A final group photo before parting ways