Angel Falls

What is it? ..................Plunge Waterfall
How to get there: .......Fly to Caracas or Ciudad Bolivar. Daily flights via Puerto Ordaz to Canaima. From here go by plane or boat.
When to go: ................Best in the wet season, June to October. In dry season the river level can become low, reducing the waterfall to a dribble.
Nearest town: .............Canaima 50 km

The "Salto Angel" (Angel Falls) on the Rio Churun, is the world's highest waterfall, 16 times the height of Niagara, three times the size of the Eiffel Tower.

The waterfall was not known to the Western world until it was visited in 1935 by the American aviator, James Crawford Angel, on a flight whilst searching for a valuable ore bed. In 1936, he returned and landed his plane at the top of the waterfall. The falls are currently named "Angel Falls" after him. The waterfall drops from the plateau of Auyan-Tepui (means "Roaring Mountain") from the top of Auyan tepui freefalling 807 m (2,648 ft) into the impenetrable jungle of the Canon del Diablo (Devils Canyon), which is located in the highland area known as La Gran Sabana. The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is buffeted by the strong winds and turned into mist. The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep river (alternately known as the Rio Gauya) which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River. In the indigenous Pemon language Angel Falls is called Kerepakupai merú meaning "waterfall of the deepest place". The region in which Angel Falls is located is covered with mesas, tropical rain forests, and grasslands. The fall is 979 meters high (3212 ft.), and is the higher waterfall in the world.