To Angel Falls from the Kamarata valley.

Sat 03 Aug. Today is a big day. It's the day we fly to the Kamarata valley. We took the option to overfly the falls and what a spectacular flight it was!!

 After a couple of heart stopping swoops around the falls the pilot set off across the top of Auyantepui table mountain and into the heartlands of the Kamaracoto Indians. Usually we land in Kavac or Kamarata, but on this occasion, since it's a special trip, we landed in Uruyen.

 Uruyen and Kavac are my favourite posadas (small hotels) and I describe them as having a 5 million star rating. On a clear night you'll see what I mean!!

 Sunday 04 Aug. Today we visited the canyon and its waterfall tucked deep inside the sheer narrow walls. It's always a thrilling experience!

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  The Kavac cave and waterfall is eerily similar to the Uruyen canyon but needs a lot less walking than this  one. The kids loved playing in the river. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

In the afternoon we crossed the Uruyen river by dugout canoe to visit Uruyen village and Pinatel Carballo, the village patriarch. He's rumoured to be 105 years old. He gave us some hot sauce and cassava bread, the staple diet of the Pemon Indians. 

 

 Monday 05 Aug. Another big day. Today we're going to start the boat expedition to Angel Falls. We're following in the exact footsteps of Ruth Robinson's 1949 expedition which was the first expedition to reach the base of Angel Falls. We set off across the savannah and walked for an hour to the village of Santa Marta. Here we crossed the Kavac river and Jose Alexander picked us up in the Kamarata village truck and took us to the village of Kamarata where I met up with old friends I hadn't seen for ages. Then we continued to the Akanan river. Here Balvino, Jose's dad, was waiting and we jumped aboard and zoomed off downriver to Iwana Meru.

• Our first night in hammocks. I gave the hammock demonstration: "God gave you two hands to open up the two sides (so you don't miss the hammock and end up on the floor and your friends won't stop laughing for days.) Then you lie crosswise (not lengthwise) and to "turn over" you simply swivel your legs from one side to the other".

 

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  Indian barbecued chicken for dinner. The best in the world!! Camped next to the raging rapids swinging in the hammock is Heaven. Peaceful easy feeling.

Tues 06: Today we get to play on big plane that crashed in the 1960's in a diamond mine. 

  
We leave the Akanan river and join the mighty Carrao. 

 Tonight's camp site, Arenal, is in front of the mysterious Wei Tepui and surrounded by jungle. 

 We followed a jungle trail to cut fishing poles and see what the deep jungle was like. Green tinge to the light, creepers tangled up in the tall trees, strange bugs, beautiful clear calls from invisible birds. Balvino shared some of his jungle lore with us.

Wed 07: THE DAY. Impatiently we piled into the canoes and zoomed down the Carrao to the mouth of the Churun river, it's dark waters pouring out from the Devil's canyon. The boatman adjusted the propeller, drew a deep breath and off we went. 

 There is a 50 m height difference from the mouth to the campsite upstream and the river is strewn with rocks and rapids and bends and adrenaline and rushing cold water followed by screams when inevitably a wave splashes into the occupants and cheers and applause when we pass a difficult, nigh on impossible, stretch of rocky river.

Finally we arrived at the campsite with a magnificent view of the falls a 50 meter walk through some wonderful jungle.

Usually we set off for the lookout point after lunch but since we're going to spend 2 nights here we lazed around camp, went swimming, the kids were fishing, and I took photographs.

Thurs 08. Today's activity is the hike up to Laime's Lookout. It takes about an hour, is along a fascinating jungle trail and the last section is quite steep.

From a big rock we have a clear view of the dizzying 990 meters of Angel Falls looming right above us. We had to share the lookout with some Japanese tourists, the first tourists we've seen so far, 

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and then we went down to the pool where we took an exhilarating swim in the cold refreshing torrent with the falls practically vertically above us.

Fri 09 Aug. Zoom down the raging Churun to the Carrao river and on to Canaima.

Here there is one more thrill in store in the shape of Sapo Falls. A thundering curtain of water hammers over a 60m drop and we walk behind it!!  

  We said goodbye to the boatmen, admired the beauty of Canaima lagoon surrounded by pink sand beaches and palm trees with 3 huge waterfallspouring over the rim of rocks to the south.

Sat 10 Aug. Today we took the Cessnas back to Cuidad Bolivar and the excursion ended. However on the Orinoco Delta tour the adventure continues to the Hot Plains, Venezuela's Pantanal where there are more thrills in store in the form of anacondas, pirhanas, capabari, aligators, giant river otters, dolphins and many many birds!!