Canaima: an experience
Arrival
Canaima is a place of towering ancient rock plateaus, rain, waterfalls, rivers, and infinite trees in the heart of the planet.
My family and I arrived at the airport and were received warmly by our Ucaima guides. We bought necklaces and crafts made by the natives. Our luggages were mounted on the 4x4 safari bus and we embarked on a short journey beside the Carrao River and its waterfalls. Our guide shared his knowledge. He painted pictures of the land’s history as we began to explore this special place.
We boarded a small boat used by the natives called a Curiara and navigated up the river. In a few minutes, we arrived at a remote paradise with views of giant ancient tepuis (plateaus). The Ucaima Lodge is a place where people take care of you, cook delicious food, welcome you into their culture, and share the beautiful surrounding lands with you. Our rooms were well-furnished and sat right on the river, with dreamlike views of mountains, tepuis (ancient giant rock plateaus), and the jungle.
We had a delicious wholesome meal of locally-seasoned chicken and rice waiting for us. After a buzzing lunch full of smiles and wonder, we rested on our hammocks and watched the iron-dense water tinged with red flow by. There were spots at the lodge with chairs and benches to sit on and take in the sights. Staircases guided us down for a swim in the Carrao River.
After resting, we were called to our first adventure. We boarded our river-ships and navigated down-river. After passing a variety of trees, we finally arrived at a location with many mighty waterfalls. What happened next was incredible. We docked the boat on a rocky entrance to a jungle trail. We climbed up natural stone stairs and were suddenly faced with the side of a waterfall. The waterfall was blocked by a very real curtain of water. Our guide turned around, smiled, and told us, “leave your phones here, vamos pa dentro” (We’re going in). He had a crazed look in his eye, like a pirate piloting his ship straight into a black storm. I took a few hesitant steps and saw my family disappear into the curtain one by one. I got a grip on myself and moved forward. The pure powerful water pounded on every fiber of my being and I passed this portal and entered another world.
The water was cleansing. There was moss all over the inside of the waterfall and very wet plants growing in the cavern, sprouting red tubular flowers. As we carefully walked across the stones, we came across two birds making love as the water cascaded above us, creating a shield from the outside world. All I could hear was the power of the water falling. Water created by the gods. The stones were slippery but our socks and our focus kept us safe. My heart was refreshed and my spirit felt strong. I felt a purified heightened awareness, as if the river were washing me with its strength and giving me clarity in my life. In a special area known by the guides to be safe, I bowed my head under more pounding water and felt the strength of the Waterfall of the Frog (”El Salto del Sapo”). Energy coursed through me. The pale yellow sunlight passing through the curtain of iron-tinged water illuminated this dreamscape. I took deep breaths of fresh air and drank from this enormous fountain. “This is nature,” I thought to myself. This is the way we ought to live, close to the systems that keep the blood of the planet alive and flowing. We stayed there for a time, in awe.
Later that day, we continued to navigate the surrounding lands and entered an even stronger and more perilous waterfall… with its own world inside of it, the Waterfall of the Axe (”El Salto del Acha”). A part of my family stayed behind. It was not easy. With excitement, focus, and calm navigation, we explored. On the other side of its immense pounding waters, we saw a rainbow. The actual place where the pot of gold is supposed to be was right at my feet. I had never seen a rainbow emerging from the ground in front of me. All I knew at that moment was that I had discovered gold.
Our guides belonged to the Pemon Camaracoto tribe. They shared with us that they believe in the spirits of the jungle, the rivers, and the mountains. After walking beneath those waterfalls and being more wet than I’ve ever been in my life, I can tell you that I believe in those spirits too. We returned to the bar at our hotel/camp reserve and there was a great dinner waiting for us. We talked, ate, and laughed, and kept saying “wow”. Because wow. What an intense, relaxing, and powerful dreamscape.
Kavac
The next day, we had a Venezuelan breakfast of arepas and eggs. We boarded our boats, sailed down the river, jumped on a couple of small planes, and took off, climbing above the clouds. From up in the sky you could see the millions of acres of forest composed of massive trees of every size and shape, the ancient plateaus (”tepuis”) in the distance, and rivers running like veins, dividing and connecting the jungle. The trees seemed to stretch out infinitely in every direction. That place is pure and sacred. It needs to be protected.
We arrived at a place called Kavac. Kavac is a native community beside a savannah area and a “tepui”, which is composed of a handful of huts and a small lodge. Guides native to Kavac received us. In the rivers and the forests of this area of the world, there are many native communities that live with the land with their own languages and cultures. The guides were cordial, kind, and very aware of the path that was to come.
We trekked through a path of hot plains and then entered a jungle area that sloped upwards. The path ran parallel to a small river. Water gurgled down boulders and rocks. We saw a boa curled up shyly in a branch high up in a tree, fire ants carrying leaves, and many species of plants. We were entering one of the tepuis (a giant ancient rock plateau) through a ravine that would allow us to explore its interior. On both sides, the ravine was covered in moss, grasses, vines, trees, and rocks of turquoise, mars-reds, pale yellows, and browns. You could see the layers of sediment stacked atop each other in beautiful patterns. My aunt said they looked like graffiti. At the bottom of the ravine (the opening in the plateau) flowed the river that we were walking parallel to. We stopped, put down our bags, and jumped into the river. The river met us with a cold, fresh embrace. It was invigorating. The water was so pure, we could have drank from it.
We continued our passage through the ravine into the tepui (a ‘tepui’ is a giant rock plateau upon which it rains infinitely during the rainy season, creating massive waterfalls). Things got slippery. We took our shoes off and placed our socked feet, step-by-step, on large wet mossy rocks. You need socks here for grip and balance. This is no place for children. This adventure takes coordination, focus, and a keen ability to listen to your guides. Suddenly, the water got deep. Our guides instructed us to take off our backpacks and leave our electronics behind. We jumped into the water, fighting the current with a rope that guided our swim upwards to the heart of the tepui. The water again had cleansing properties, you could feel its power. You could hear the roar of the waterfall somewhere ahead. The towering multicolored ravine was etched with ancient geological processes and lined with bushes, vines, and moss. The river became a pool that we relaxed in. We climbed a flat area of rock and then the river suddenly became as narrow as the length of a large jaguar.
We swam carefully. The sharp dark rocks on both sides made it difficult to see the depth and easy to hit our heads. The current was against us. The water became icy. Guided by ropes and the desire to see more, to experience more, we paddled and took deep breaths against the shadowy current. We emerged at the end of the ravine, in an expansive cavern. The waterfall met us down there with great roaring strength. It was high, seemingly coming from somewhere up in the sky. It was difficult to understand where so much water came from. We emerged from the narrow river on its right side, away from the current, and carefully stepped up a shore of sharp rocks and entered the pool upon which the waterfall fell. We closed our eyes and took it all in. I just stood there. Experiencing. It’s like when I draw and I don’t think about anything else except what’s in front of me. This was like that, but more immense and rejuvenating.
I began to swim deeper into this pool and to the right where the water splashed against the sharp walls of the cave, and I suddenly heard my name being yelled frantically, “Mattias, Mattias, no!!”. I stopped in my tracks and looked back at my family and the guides with confusion written all over my face. They said, “you may not swim there, the waterfall will take you, smash you against the rocks and then suck you underneath it.” I paused. I was shocked. Such was the structure of this place. Waterfalls are dangerous. Slippery rocks are dangerous. But they are beautiful and full of life. Invigorating and cleansing. We sat there in the cold water and meditated on the fact that this planet is beautiful.
We retraced our steps to Kavac to eat chicken cooked inside of native plants. It was delicious. We were so well taken care of and served. We bought crafts created by the natives, left them coloring books for the kids, and boarded our planes again. What came next was difficult to put into words. You need to see it for yourself.
Aerial Masterpiece
It was time for our pilots to give us their own tour. One that in ancient times was reserved for falcons. We took off above the jungle and floated above the clouds en route to the largest tepuis in the land.
Since these tepuis form great plateaus above the ground that span for millions of square kilometers, and since there are infinite cycles of rain supplying them with water from above, the tepuis act as basins that carry enormous quantities of water. All that water all has to come out somewhere.
The clouds cleared and we saw the giant natural fountain atop the rocks supplying the planet with fresh water. “El Salto Angel”, or "Kerepakupai-Merú” (in the language of the native Pemón Camaracoto tribe”), is the tallest waterfall in the world. It rose a great 979m from the ground. The water appeared to move in slow motion. This towering, cobbled flow of water coming from the orange, brown, turquoise heavens above has been there since the beginning of the creation of land. These land masses are theorized to be the first that emerged from the oceans of primordial Earth. El Salto Angel cascaded onto the giant rocks below and the jungle, supplying them with water and eventually creating more water for rivers.
The moment passed. Time is finite. We turned around and did several loops around it, capturing several images. We continued our journey beside this great tepui (plateau), attempting to process its immensity. There were waterfalls, like small intricate veins criss-crossing bushes, moss, flowers, and cliff-trees, supplying the universe with more pure water. The rocks were rose sandstone-colored, turquoise, brown, and yellow. It is a land of alien brilliance, with sedimentary layers of rock and giant families of trees. It is a land of infinite immensity.
I was in awe, grateful for this experience, and amazed by the geological mysteries and the strength that exists on this planet. Our planet.