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