Venezuela

Angel Falls, (remote)

Angel Falls has the distinction of being the highest waterfall in the world.  Nobody (in the western world) knew about it until American pilot Jimmy Angel landed on top of the falls in 1937 and took eleven days to walk out of the Guayana highlands area of the Venezuelan jungle. The falls plunge off the edge of a table-top mountain and free fall 2,648 feet in a single drop and 3,212 feet overall to the river below, making it 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.  When I saw the falls in the early 1970’s I took an ancient DC-3 propeller airplane from Caracas and flew south across the Oronoco River for a “flyby” of the falls.  There was nowhere to land so we flew four times back and forth in front of the falls to get a sense of its grandeur and magnitude.  It was truly unbelievable.   While still in a very remote area, nowadays it is possible to take a several day tour to the vicinity of the falls and stay at a nearby “resort” (using the term loosely).  For true waterfall freaks, this ranks with Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Yosemite, Bridalveil, Nevada, and Vernal falls in Yosemite National Park as the ultimate in falling waters.