This is it. Onto the last leg towards Angel Falls. We have about five hours in one of these dugout canoes to take us up the river. So excited!
Along the river we would be stopping a few times for some food and see some sights. Also at a few sections of the river we would have to get off the boat, as these parts are too rough and water too low to carry everyone in the boat. So we hiked overland. During the dry season this trip can take over 12 hours to hike between some many dry sections and the boat has to be carried between sections! Although the walking was a nice break from the hours sitting on a hard wooden plank in the canoe.
Along the river we passed amazing untouched jungle as we skimmed along on the clear waters. Through the trees and along the banks small Indian villages could be seen where natives of the area still carry on life much as they have done for centuries. It was amazing to just sit and watch it all go by. Above the rainforest you can see the towering tepuis, the iconic table top mountains that jut out into the clouds, AWESOME!
We stopped and had a walk and swim at a small set of beautiful falls which ran down into the river. Great pit stop to stretch the legs have a snack and get some blood flow into the backside.
The river winds on and on and the scenery never gets tiring. Each of the tepui’s had at least a couple of their own magnificent waterfalls, tumbling down their soaring cliffs. As we passed so many other falls that heights looked dizzying enough we wondered if Angel Falls really would tower above them and live up to the hype?
This journey in and of itself was certainly worth it. The seat was not comfortable but the grandeur of the forest and the tepuis more than made up for it.
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We were heading straight to the falls! The boat had landed and we were on our way. We had a two hour hike through the rainforest to get to the great falls. Since Nadi’s early sighting from the canoe we couldn’t see it from the where we landed and the dense forest was not going to let us have a peek either. So the hike is the ultimate building of excitement and anticipation as you slowly wander closer and closer. Your ears are pricked for the slightest sound of running water, the smallest break in the canopy hoping to catch a glimpse. But Angel Falls is still kept hidden. But the pay off on arrival is unforgettable…
To be concluded…
