Mount roraima in venezuela. Tepui Table Mountains: "The Mysterious Houses of the Gods

The word "Tepui" in the language of the Indian tribe Pemon means "House of the gods." Tepui rise above the green massif tropical jungle majestic inaccessible cliffs, the height of some exceeds 2 thousand meters.

Striking landscapes with mesas are more like amazing scenery for some science fiction film than reality. Most scientists are convinced that Tepui with steep, almost steep slopes and "cut off" flat tops - ancient mountains in the world.

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Building and some history

Table mountains are "fragments" of a spacious mountain plateau, which in ancient times stretched from the Atlantic coast to the borders of the river basins (Spanish Río Amazonas), (Spanish Río Orinoco) and (Spanish Rio Negro). Plateau formed in place ancient lake about 200 million years ago, when Africa and South America were a single continent. The plateau, consisting of sandstone, was placed on a granite base; over the years, as a result of erosion, cut by streams of water, the plateau split into many separate cliffs.

Different layers of sandstone, as a rule, are destroyed at different speeds, as a result of which the rocks have taken on bizarre shapes. So from the durable rocks of the Precambrian sandstone or quartzite, Tepui were formed, scattered across the plateau. Their distinguishing feature is perfectly flat, like a table, tops - hence the name "table mountains". All Tepui are completely isolated from each other and from the vegetation below, because the bases of the mountains are separated from the peaks by a wall of dull stone. In many rocks there are grottoes washed by water, such as Abismo Guy Collet(Spanish: Abismo Guy Collet; depth 671 m) - the most deep cave V South America, as well as huge sinkholes(diameter up to 300 m), resulting from the collapse of the tunnel vaults of underground rivers.

An English traveler, a German by origin, Robert Schomburgk (German: Robert Hermann Schomburgk; 1804-1865) visited the area in 1835 on behalf of the London Geographic Society and was fascinated by the mesas. However, the explorer's attempts to climb one of the giants were unsuccessful. Only in December 1884 did the British expedition, led by the anthropologist Everard Im Thurn (eng. Sir Everard im Thurn), manage to climb to the top - Tepui (Spanish Roraima; 2810 m). However, it was the report of that Schomburgk expedition that inspired the English writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write the adventure novel The Lost World.

Fantastic view of Mount Roraima

Climate on Tepui

As in the lowlands that pass into the Guiana Highlands, Tepui has dry and rainy seasons. The climate is significantly affected by altitude, so, at the highest Tepuy, the temperature sometimes drops to 0 ° C. But usually the average temperatures on the flat tops range from +8°C to +20°C, depending on the height above sea level.

Canaima Park

In the southeast of Venezuela, in an area called Gran Sabana (Spanish: La Gran Sabana), is the most extensive natural reserve in Venezuela - (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima). The park is considered the oldest natural area on Earth. This amazing lost world has been preserved as it was many million years ago: more than 30 thousand km² of tropical jungle and savannah, separated by majestic mesas.

The national park, which covers most of the Guiana Highlands, was founded in 1962.

The village of Canaima (Spanish: Canaima), located at the northwestern edge of the protected area, on the banks of the picturesque lagoon of the same name (Spanish: Laguna de Canaima), is the base for excursions in the park. There is a small airport near the village, campsites and cottages are equipped in the village itself to accommodate tourists, because most often travelers spend several days in the park.

Here, visitors are offered the most interesting canoe excursions along the amazing lagoon, into which 4 waterfalls flow. Golondrina (Spanish: Salto Golondrina; 50 m) and Ukayma (Spanish: Salto Ucaima; 46 m) can be seen by vacationers by canoeing, and under the waterfalls Acha (Spanish: Salto Hacha; 40 m) and Sapo (Spanish: Salto Sapo; "Zhaba", 20 m) there is a walking path along which you can walk inside the waterfall, between the overflowing water stream and the rock.

In the center of the lagoon rises the island of Anatolia (Spanish Isla Anatoliy). Due to the presence of a significant amount of quartz, the water in the lagoon has a rich brown color, and the sand is pink.

But the most famous waterfall and one of the most spectacular sights of the reserve is the highest in the world (Spanish: Salto Angel; about 1000 m), excursions to which are carried out either by boat, or by small planes or helicopters. To admire it, streams of tourists flock to these parts from all over the world. The waters of Angel rush from one of the most majestic peaks of the plateau, Auyan-Tepui (Spanish: Auyantepui), from a height of about 1 thousand meters. In the dry season (December-March), when the local rivers become shallow, the waterfall can only be reached by air. Auyan-Tepui is considered the largest of the mesas, and the area of ​​​​the plateau of its summit is about 700 km².

On the southeastern edge of the park is Roraima (Spanish Roraima; 2810 m), the highest Tepui of the Venezuelan highlands. Its top, an almost perfectly flat plateau of 34 km², is completely covered with lush vegetation, bizarre-shaped stones, caves, lakes and small swamps. The local Indians call Mount Roraima the “Navel of the Earth” and firmly believe that the goddess Queen, the progenitor of the human race, lives on its top.

One of the most beautiful Tepuy, Mount Autana (Spanish Autana), rises above the jungle at 1300 m. Its peculiarity is that the mountain is pierced through and through by a cave, from one end to the other. The Autana plateau is decorated with dark gray rocks of the most bizarre shapes, surrounded by round depressions with water.

Sarisariñama is interesting - Tepui (Spanish: Sarisariñama; 2300 m), known for its perfectly round funnels (about 350 m in diameter) of unknown origin, the bottom of which is covered with unique plants. These mysterious holes on the surface of the earth were discovered relatively recently, in 1974. Such funnels with the purest water at the bottom are found on many Tepui.

A number of other lesser-known but also delightful dining hills can be found in the vast Canaima Park.

Ecological reserve, protecting on its territory truly priceless natural resources, in 1994 was included in the register world heritage UNESCO.

Flora and fauna

65% of the vast territory of the park is occupied by Tepui, which rise above the jungle with rocks of various sizes, standing at a distance from each other. In addition to the majestic table mountains, picturesquely hung with seething waterfalls, on the territory nature reserve you can see rare representatives of flora and fauna that are found exclusively in this region. The plateaus of the table mountains are completely isolated from the jungle thickets at the foot, which makes the highlands "ecological islands" on which many endemic representatives of flora and fauna have been preserved, developing for thousands of years in conditions of complete isolation. For example, carnivorous plants that lure insects into their beautiful fragrant traps. The slopes of the mountains, surrounded by fluffy clouds, are covered with exquisite bromeliads (lat. Bromelia; a genus of plants growing in the tropical regions of South America) and delicate orchids.

The peaks of Tepui are covered with a dense carpet of herbs and shrubs. In tropical forests and savannas, over which rocks rise, there are about 9 thousand varieties of plants, among which there are more than 500 species of orchids alone.

The fauna of the reserve park is amazingly rich and diverse, 150 species of mammals live here, including all kinds of monkeys, jaguars, cougars, tapirs, giant otters, ocelots, anteaters, peccaries, giant ants and grasshoppers (up to 15 cm), as well as many small animals . But the community of birds (more than 500 species) that are found in abundance on this fertile land is distinguished by the greatest species diversity: falcons, eagles, toucans, parrots, hummingbirds.

A land full of mysteries

Tepui is actually the only place on the planet where no human foot has set foot. People have visited only some Tepui, most of table mountains are completely unexplored to this day.

That's why unusual mountains become a source of legends, beliefs, mystical stories, as well as an inspiration for artists and science fiction writers. The local lands are densely shrouded in a halo of secrets and mysteries, which are told not only by age-old legends, but also by reports of exploratory expeditions. The last official major expedition to these parts, namely to Roraima, was undertaken in 1965 by the son of Juan Angel (Spanish: Juan Pablo Angel Arango), the discoverer famous waterfall named after the Venezuelan pilot.

The expedition diary describes an outlandish world where the flat top of Tepui is covered with bizarre rocks that look like mushrooms, and besides known to science animals there, a strange creature was discovered, called "Cadborosaurus" (lat. Cadborosaurus willsi). The previously unseen beast had the body of a snake with a series of humps on its back and the head of a horse. Giant ants (more than 5 cm long) were also found, capable of easily biting small branches with their strong teeth; frogs that incubate eggs like birds; insects are bloodsuckers, which were not affected by any, even the most powerful chemical means of protection.

The most significant discovery for scientists was the found remains of ancient animals that recently lived in this area and died, according to some hypotheses, as a result of space alien experiments. Such a bold assumption of scientists was prompted by the expedition members found a large, as if scorched, round area, completely devoid of vegetation and all strewn with silvery powder of unknown origin. Moreover, laboratory studies of the powder showed that it is an alloy of very rare metals, the creation of which under terrestrial conditions is unrealistic.

Researchers found in the caves many rock paintings, depicting mythical animals and fantastic creatures resembling people. Also, members of the expedition came across several crypts, inside which an unusually thick fog hung and a sweet smell hovered. Several team members, breathing in an unusual aroma, fell into a coma for several days, and when they came to their senses, they told their comrades about incredible visions and movements to other worlds.

After that incident, it was decided to immediately return back, but a new surprise awaited the researchers: they could not find a way out of the ancient enchanted world, as if some mystical forces prevented this in every possible way.

Only after a few months, the exhausted travelers managed to return home. According to them, some kind of supernatural force intervened again, picking up people and slowly lowering them to central square nearest Indian settlement.

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In the southeast of Venezuela (South America) there are unusual mountains with truncated, flat tops - tepui, which in the language of the indigenous Pemon Indians means "house of the gods". These mountains are some of the most ancient formations on Earth with an age of about 2 billion years of the Precambrian period and are the remnants of a vast plateau that once stretched from the Atlantic coast to the borders of the Amazon, Orinoco and Rio Negro river basins. They resemble huge tables and mostly stand isolated from each other, towering over the jungle with hard-to-reach cliffs.

Roraima is the highest table mountain in Venezuela, reaching a height of 2810 meters. It is located at the junction of Brazil (Roraima State), Venezuela (Canaima National Park) and Guyana. The surface area of ​​the plateau of the "big blue-green mountain", as it is also called, is about 34 km². Local Indians call it the "navel of the earth", believing that the goddess Queen lives on the very top of the mountain - the progenitor of all people.

A large cloud constantly hangs over Roraima, it rains almost every day, the weather changes quickly and often. Water covers about a fifth of the plateau: peat bogs, bright pink puddles, crystal clear clear lakes, fast-flowing rivers, the channels of which are dotted with rock crystals for several hundred meters. Due to the abundance of precipitation, a huge amount of water falls from Roraima, and at its foot the Amazon, Orinoco and Essequibo rivers originate.

Mysterious Tepui

Tepui is the only place on Earth where no human has set foot. What animals live on Tepui, what plants grow on Tepui - all this is a dark forest for us, since people have visited only some Tepui. And most of Tepui is absolutely unexplored!

They become not only a source of legends and scary stories, but also a subject of creativity for science fiction artists:

Tepuis are mesas in the Guiana Highlands of South America.

The largest natural reserve in Venezuela, national park Canaima, was founded in 1962 and is considered the oldest part of the Earth, whose age exceeds 2 million years. This lost world, as if accidentally preserved as it was many millions of years ago, is visited daily by thousands of tourists.

Roraima is the tallest tepui in Venezuela. Its height is 2810 meters, and the top - a plateau with an area of ​​34 km² - is completely covered with dense vegetation, bizarre stones, steep depressions, caves, small lakes and swamps. Local Indians call Mount Roraima “the navel of the earth” and believe that the progenitor of the human race, the goddess Queen, lives on its top.

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Tepui Roraima in South America

Roraima - miracle mountain tepui(one of the oldest mountains in the world) is located in South America, where Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil meet. At the confluence of the three states, the height of the mountain above sea level is 2723 m. "Roraima" means "blue-green big mountain" . The local Indians call her "The navel of the earth" and according to legend, it is believed that the progenitor of the human race lives here Goddess Queen.

At the top of the mountain there is a plateau the area of ​​​​which is about 84 km², and the length along the border between Venezuela and Brazil is 280 kilometers. There are a couple of dozen mountains in Venezuela With flat tops andvertical slopes(table mountains).

These mountains are stackedhard sandstone and are the remainsvast plateau, whichonce stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the rivers Orinoco, Amazon and Rio Negro and formed about 200 million years ago, when South America and Africa were one.

"Tepui" translated from the language of local Indiansmeans "house of the gods". These tepui standing t mostly isolated from each other in remote jungles,what makes them unique carriers endemic animals and plants. Flora and fauna develop hereover millions of yearsin complete isolation.

Roraima is one among the most famous tepui.

The highest tepui is located in Brazil. This Piso de Neblina. Its height is 3014 m.

The area of ​​the largest tepui Auyantepui is 700 km². Angel - the highest waterfall falls from this mountain.

Road to the Roraima Plateau extremely difficult, she passes through the gorge Guiana Highlands and thickets equatorial forest.

lovers Arthur Conan Doyle know that it is these tepui inspired him to write the world-famous novel The Lost World. tepui south america

Tepui are flat mesas in the Guiana Highlands in South America, specifically in Venezuela. In the language of the Pemon people who live in Gran Sabana, the word tepui means "House of the Gods" because they are very tall. Tepui are separate mountains, which means that they can find a wide variety of endemic plant and animal species, some of which live only on one tepui.

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1. Rising above the surrounding forest, tepui have almost vertical walls, and many of them rise more than 1000 m above the jungle.

2. The highest tepuis reach 3000 meters in height.

3. Almost vertical slopes and dense a tropical forest, on which these tepui lie, make them inaccessible to foot conquerors.

4. Only three mountains of the Gran Sabana can be reached on foot, and among them is Mount Roraima at 2180 m in height.

5. Tepui is the remains of a large sandstone plateau that once covered a layer of granite between northern border the Amazon and Orinoco basins, between the Atlantic coast and the Rio Negro, during the Precambrian period.

6. For millions of years, the plateaus have been eroded, and all that remains of them is flat-topped tepui.

7. Although tepui seem deserted, their peaks are full of life.

8. Due high altitude the climate on tepui is different from what reigns below.

9. It is often cooler at the top, it rains more often, and below the mountains have a tropical, warm and humid climate.

10. Many unusual plants have adapted to this habitat and have become unique species of tepui.

11. About 9400 tall plant species have been recorded in Venezuelan Guyana, of which 2322 have been recorded on tepui.

12. About one third of these species are found nowhere else in the world.

13. There are 115 such mesas in the Gran Sabana region. They are located in the southeast of Venezuela, where the most tepui is concentrated.

14. The most famous among them is Mount Roraima.

15. Roraima remained unexplored until 1884.

Do you know what's in the photo? Do you think this is some kind of painted place from a science fiction movie? And here it is not.

It turns out that really lost worlds remained on the planet, where no human has set foot.

In the southeastern part of Venezuela is one of the most amazing places on our planet. Surrounded by savannahs and jungles, an isolated area is reliably hidden from the eyes of people with unique fauna and flora. This territory is known under the name "Tepui", which received from the Indian tribe of the same name, who once lived in these places.

Tepui or tepui (tipui) are mesas located in the Guiana Highlands in South America, mostly in Venezuela.

The word "tepui" in the language of the Pemon Indians, who inhabit the area of ​​Gran Sabana, means "house of the gods." Tepui are for the most part isolated from each other, towering above the jungle with hard-to-reach cliffs, which makes them carriers of a unique set of endemic plants and animals.

Scientists say that these mountains, consisting of hard sandstone, with steep, almost sheer slopes and flat, truncated peaks, are the oldest in the world. They were formed as a result of the destruction of a huge plateau that in prehistoric times stretched from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the borders of the Orinoco, Amazon and Rio Negro river basins. Back in the days when Africa and South America were one, about 200 million years ago, this plateau arose on the site of a giant lake.

The plateau consisted of sandstone and was located on a granite base; over time, erosion turned the plateau into several monadnoks, from which tepui were formed, covered with erosion-resistant rocks.

Similar sinkholes are found on several tepui, they were formed after the rains washed out the vaults of sandstone caves.

The deepest is Abismo Guy Collet Cave, 671 m deep.

By the way, the analysis of water that accumulates in natural lakes on tepui is of excellent quality. As a rule, tepui are composed of a single block of Precambrian sandstone or quartzite, which soars dramatically above the surrounding jungle to altitudes of over 2000 m. Many tepui contain water-washed caves, such as the cave Abismo Guy Collet(Eng. Abismo Guy Collet) with a depth of 671 m, as well as karst funnels with a diameter of up to 300 m, formed during the collapse of the arches of tunnels of underground rivers.

German explorer Robert Schomburgk visited the area in 1835. He was struck by mesas, but attempts to climb one of them were unsuccessful. It wasn't until nearly half a century later, in 1884, that a British expedition led by Everard Im Turn managed to climb to the top of Mount Roraima.

However, it was the report of the expedition of Robert Schomburgk to the tepui region that inspired the writer Arthur Conan Doyle to write the novel The Lost World about the discovery of a plateau inhabited by prehistoric species of animals and plants. In 1912, the writer read reports about the mountains discovered in South America and was so impressed that he sat down to write a new novel. The plateau described in the book, lost in the jungle, really has much in common with Tepui.

Many tepui contain karst sinkholes up to 300 m in diameter, formed by the collapse of underground river tunnels, as well as water-washed caves, such as the 671 m deep Abismo Guy Collet cave.

Auyantepui is considered the largest of the tepui, and its area is about 700 square meters. km! It is on this plateau that Angel Falls, which is the most high waterfall in the world. Angel originates on Mount Auyan and falls into the abyss from a height of 979 meters, and the height of a continuous fall is as much as 807 meters! This waterfall is twice the height of the Empire State Building and three times eiffel tower!

The high fall height - 979 meters - leads to the fact that, before reaching the surface of the earth, the water crumbles into tiny splashes and turns into a thick fog that envelops the surrounding area.

One of the most beautiful tepui - Autana - rises 1300 meters above the forest and rocks. It is special in that it is permeated through with a cave that goes from one end to the other. The Autana plateau is decorated with dark gray rocks of the most bizarre shapes, and the funnels surrounding them are filled with the purest water.

The plateau of the mountains is completely isolated from the forest at the foot, which makes them "ecological islands" on which endemic species of flora and fauna have been preserved, developing in isolation for thousands of years.

Another well-known tepuya is Mount Sarisarinyama, on which there are many perfectly round funnels with a depth and diameter of several hundred meters. At the bottom of these funnels grow unique plants that are not found anywhere else in the world!

Funnels with crystal clean water found ubiquitously on many tepuis.

Abismo Guy Collet Abismo Guy Collet

Different layers of sandstone are destroyed at different speeds, so thousands of bizarre rocks have formed on the plateau.

Tepui is most famous for its bizarre rocks that rise up to a height of 1.5-2 km and have absolutely flat tops. The researchers found that previously all these rocks were one single mountain plateau. However, over time, erosion destroyed its integrity, and instead of a plateau, several rocks of a bizarre shape appeared at once.

For example, each peak of the mountain is really unique in its own way, since the most different kinds plants that have been preserved since prehistoric times. This became possible only due to the isolation of each mountain from each other. Most of the rocks stand at a decent distance from each other, towering above the green canvas of the jungle.

The highest tepui are Piso de Neblina (3,014 meters), Pico Phelps (2,992 meters), Roraima (2,810 meters) and Cerro Marahuaca (2,800 meters).

Some tepui are well researched, while others have never been set foot by a human! Tepui is still little explored and is of great interest to scientists.

In general, this area is not only incredibly beautiful, but also very isolated and remote. Getting to tepui is not so easy, as you have to overcome hundreds of kilometers through the virgin forests of South America. In addition, on tepui without special climbing equipment just don't get up!

Roraima is the tallest tepui in Venezuela. Its height is 2810 meters, and the top - a plateau with an area of ​​34 km² - is completely covered with dense vegetation, bizarre stones, steep depressions, caves, small lakes and swamps. Local Indians call Mount Roraima “the navel of the earth” and believe that the progenitor of the human race, the goddess Queen, lives on its top.

These three, as well as many other lesser known but no less beautiful tepui, are located in canaima national park, lying in the southeastern part of Venezuela, at the junction of Brazil and Guyana. The reserve, which stores priceless natural resources on its territory, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The nature of the Canaima National Park is extremely diverse and unique. In addition to majestic mesas hung with beautiful waterfalls, in the park you can see rare species of flora and fauna that are found exclusively in this area. For example, carnivorous plants that lure insects into their beautiful fragrant traps and eat them. The foothills and slopes of the mountains are surrounded by cloud-covered forests, in which exquisite bromeliads and orchids stand out as bright spots.

On the tops of the tepui, herbs and shrubs grow luxuriantly. The fauna of the Venezuelan park is no less rich - monkeys of various sizes and species, jaguars, giant ants and many small animals are found here. But greatest variety species boasts the world of birds, which in large quantities living in this rich land.

The largest natural reserve in Venezuela, the Canaima National Park, was founded in 1962 and is considered the oldest part of the Earth, whose age exceeds 2 million years. This lost world, as if accidentally preserved as it was many millions of years ago, is visited daily by thousands of tourists.

In the Canaima National Park, vacationers are offered exciting canoe excursions along the lagoon, into which four waterfalls flow. Two of them - Golondrina and Ukayma - can be seen by canoeing, and under the other two - Acha and Sapo - there is a path along which you can walk inside the waterfall between the raging stream of water and the rock:

You can go to one of the most spectacular sights of the park - Angel Falls, excursions to which are carried out either by boat or by plane. If you go on a boat tour, along the way you can see picturesque island Orchids.

Those wishing to get acquainted with the life of the natives of these lands, you can go to northern part Canaima, where the settlement of the Pemon Indians is located. It provides a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in an unknown culture, communicate with the natives, get acquainted with their rituals, traditions, legends and way of life, which has been preserved since ancient times.

Among other things, this area is shrouded in a halo of secrets and mysteries, which are told not only by ancient legends and myths, but also by the reports of several expeditions organized by brave explorers. The last major official expedition in these hard-to-reach places, namely Mount Roraima, was formed in 1965 by the son of the famous Juan Angel, the discoverer of the world's highest waterfall.

The expedition diary describes wonderful world, in which the flat surface of the mountain top is covered with bizarre hills shaped like mushrooms, unusual depressions filled with water are scattered everywhere, and in addition to animals already known to science, an unusual creature was discovered, which was called Cadborosaurus. The previously unseen beast had the head of a horse and the body of a snake with humps on its back. Frogs hatching eggs, bloodsucking insects, which were not affected by any chemical means of protection, giant ants more than 5 cm long, capable of biting small tree branches with their steel teeth, were also found here.

The biggest discovery for scientists was the discovery of the remains of ancient animals that until recently lived in these places. There is an assumption that they died as a result of experiments by aliens. Scientists were led to such a guess by a large round area discovered by the expedition, devoid of vegetation and completely strewn with silvery powder of unknown origin. Later, laboratory studies showed that this is an alloy of the rarest metals, which is simply unrealistic to create under earthly conditions.

During the examination of the caves, the researchers found a large number of rock paintings depicting fantastic animals and creatures remotely similar to people. The expedition members also discovered several crypts, inside of which there was a thick fog and a sweet smell hovered. Some team members, having inhaled this strange aroma, fell into a coma for several days, and when they woke up, they told their colleagues about incredible visions and travels to other worlds.

After this incident, it was decided to return back, but then a new surprise awaited the travelers: they could not find a way out of this enchanted world, as if some mysterious forces prevented this in every possible way.

Only a few months later, exhausted by the search for a way out, people managed to return home. They claim that some unknown force helped them, which picked them up and slowly lowered them to the central square of one of the Indian settlements.

When the scientists finally got to civilization, it turned out that the families had long since lost hope of their return: after all, the expedition, which, according to the plan, was supposed to return after several months of work, had been absent for four years.

Long time in this region expeditions were not organized, but today this lost world, which previously instilled fear in people, is visited daily by several dozen adventurers. Only for safety reasons it is advisable to make the ascent accompanied by an experienced guide.

Here is an artistic representation of these places:

Tepuy or Tepui (Tepuis)- mountains with a flat, as if cut top, the so-called "table mountains", are located on the territory of the Guiana Plateau (Spanish: Guayana el Altiplano) in South America, on the border of 3 countries (Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana), for the most part - in Venezuela. The word "Tepui" in the language of the Indian tribe Pemon means "House of the gods."
Tepui rises above the green massif of the tropical jungle with majestic inaccessible cliffs, some of them over 2 thousand meters high. The amazing landscapes with mesas are more like amazing scenery for some kind of science fiction film than reality.

Tepui: Mysterious Houses of the Gods

Most scientists are convinced that Tepui with steep, almost sheer slopes and “cut” flat peaks are the oldest mountains in the world.

Unusually shaped table mountains tepui are the main attraction of the natural reserve of Venezuela - Canaima Park, which was founded in 1962 and is rightfully considered the oldest and wildest (where no human has even set foot) part of the planet.

Age of this lost world is estimated for millions of years, and it has been preserved here almost in its originality, that is, as it was in the deepest antiquity. It is no coincidence that all kinds of legends, scary and fantastic stories go about tepui. Yes, and science fiction artists did not accidentally choose this place for their work.

The junction of three South American states (Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana) is a haven for the amazing and fantastic Mount Roraima. There are many mountains in this area, striking in their height and beauty, but Roraima is the highest of them. Its height reaches 2810 m.

Her summit is a plateau at thirty-four square kilometers covered with bizarre stones, grottoes and caves, swamps and lakes, amazing plants, including many predators, and unusual animals (there are especially many rare monkeys and birds here). Local Indians call Roraima - the navel of the earth and believe that the progenitor of all things on Earth, the goddess Queen, lives here.

The village of Canaima (Spanish: Canaima), located at the northwestern edge of the protected area, on the banks of the Canaima National Park of the picturesque lagoon of the same name (Spanish: Laguna de Canaima), is the base for excursions in the park. There is a small airport near the village, campsites and cottages are equipped in the village itself to accommodate tourists, because most often travelers spend several days in the park.

Here, visitors are offered the most interesting canoe excursions along the amazing lagoon, into which 4 waterfalls flow. Golondrina (Spanish: Salto Golondrina; 50 m) and Ukayma (Spanish: Salto Ucaima; 46 m) can be seen by vacationers by canoeing, and under the waterfalls Acha (Spanish: Salto Hacha; 40 m) and Sapo (Spanish: Salto Sapo; "Zhaba", 20 m) there is a walking path along which you can walk inside the waterfall, between the overflowing water stream and the rock.

In the center of the lagoon rises the island of Anatolia (Spanish Isla Anatoliy). Due to the presence of a significant amount of quartz, the water in the lagoon has a rich brown color, and the sand is pink. But the most famous waterfall and one of the most spectacular sights of the reserve is the world's highest Angel Falls (Spanish: Salto Angel; about 1000 m), excursions to which are carried out either by boat, or by small planes or helicopters. To admire it, streams of tourists flock to these parts from all over the world.

The waters of Angel rush from one of the most majestic peaks of the plateau, Auyan-Tepui (Spanish: Auyantepui), from a height of about 1 thousand meters. In the dry season (December-March), when the local rivers become shallow, the waterfall can only be reached by air. Auyan-Tepui is considered the largest of the mesas, and the area of ​​​​the plateau of its summit is about 700 square meters. km.

East End national park called "La Gran Sabana" (Great Plains), on its southeastern outskirts is Roraima (Spanish Roraima; 2810 m), the highest Tepui of the Venezuelan highlands. Its top, an almost perfectly flat plateau with an area of ​​34 km², is completely covered with lush vegetation, stones of bizarre shape, caves, lakes and small swamps.

The local Indians call Mount Roraima the “Navel of the Earth” and firmly believe that the goddess Queen, the progenitor of the human race, lives on its top. Mysterious tepui Venezuela attracts millions of tourists every year. Here they can sail through the lagoon in a canoe, admiring the majestic waterfalls of Ukayma, Golondrina, Sapo and Acha, go by plane to the highest Angel Falls in the world (discovered in 1965 by the son of Juan Angel), as well as make numerous hiking. But it's all in without fail accompanied by experienced guides and with strict observance of the rules: this world is still fraught with many unsolved secrets and mysteries.

Scientists who undertook an expedition to these places in the mid-sixties of the last century found a lot of interesting things here. Among their finds were the rarest animals and plants, as well as the remains of the most ancient inhabitants of these parts. Moreover, they died, most likely as a result of experiments on them by aliens. Such a guess arose due to the fact that the scientists of the expedition discovered a kind of laboratory of an extraterrestrial civilization and a powder of unknown origin (as it turned out later, an alloy of the rarest metals, which is simply impossible to create under terrestrial conditions).

But the most surprising were the found crypts, inside of which there was an incomprehensible sweet smell, from which many of the team fell into a kind of coma, and after waking up they told about fabulous travels to other worlds. After such metamorphoses, scientists barely got out of this enchanted world. Waking up in search of a way out for several months, people still managed to escape from fantastic captivity, but, as it turned out, they were absent not for months, as they themselves thought, but for many years ...

And today, the Canaima Natural Park of Venezuela - the world of inaccessible and mysterious tepuis is considered the most fantastic place on our planet, the secrets of which we have to unravel, perhaps for more than one century ...

Tepui is actually the only place on the planet where no human foot has set foot. People have visited only some Tepui, most of the mesas are completely unexplored to this day.

Therefore, unusual mountains become a source of legends, beliefs, mystical stories, as well as an inspiration for artists and science fiction writers. The local lands are densely shrouded in a halo of secrets and mysteries, about which Tepui is covered with bizarre rocks that look like mushrooms ... tell not only centuries-old legends, but also reports of exploratory expeditions.

The last official major expedition to these parts, namely to Roraima, was undertaken in 1965 by the son of Juan Angel (Spanish: Juan Pablo Angel Arango), the discoverer of the famous waterfall, named after the Venezuelan pilot. The expedition diary describes an outlandish world where the flat top of Tepui is covered with bizarre rocks that look like mushrooms, and in addition to animals known to science, a strange creature called the Cadborosaurus (lat. Cadborosaurus willsi) was discovered there. The previously unseen beast had the body of a snake with a series of humps on its back and the head of a horse. Giant ants (more than 5 cm long) were also found, capable of easily biting small branches with their strong teeth; frogs that incubate eggs like birds; insects are bloodsuckers, which were not affected by any, even the most powerful chemical means of protection.

The most significant discovery for scientists was the found remains of ancient animals that recently lived in this area and died, according to some hypotheses, as a result of space alien experiments.

Such a bold assumption of scientists was prompted by the expedition members found a large, as if scorched, round area, completely devoid of vegetation and all strewn with silvery powder of unknown origin. Moreover, laboratory studies of the powder showed that it is an alloy of very rare metals, the creation of which under terrestrial conditions is unrealistic.

The researchers found many cave paintings depicting mythical animals and fantastic creatures resembling people in the caves. Also, members of the expedition came across several crypts, inside which an unusually thick fog hung and a sweet smell hovered.

Several team members, breathing in an unusual aroma, fell into a coma for several days, and when they came to their senses, they told their comrades about incredible visions and movements to other worlds.

After that incident, it was decided to immediately return back, but a new surprise awaited the researchers: they could not find a way out of the ancient enchanted world, as if some mystical forces prevented this in every possible way. Only after a few months, the exhausted travelers managed to return home.

According to them, some kind of supernatural force intervened again, picking up people and slowly lowering them to the central square of the nearest Indian settlement. When scientists finally got to civilization, it turned out that the families had long lost all hope of their return: after all, the expedition, which planned only a couple of months of work, was absent for 4 years.

After this mysterious incident, no expeditions were undertaken to the protected region for a long time, but today mysterious world attracts thousands of adventurers.

Curious facts

The highest Tepui include the following: Piso de Neblina (Spanish: Pico da Neblina - “Misty”; 3,014 m), located in Brazil; Pico Phelps (Spanish: Pico Phelps; 2,992 m), Roraima (Spanish: Roraima; 2,810 m) and Cerro Marahuaca (Spanish: Cerro Marahuaca; 2,800 m), located at the junction of the borders of 3 countries - Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana.

Angel Falls originates on Auyan Tepui (Spanish: Auyantepui) and falls into the abyss from a height of almost 980 m, despite the fact that the height of the continuous fall of the jet is about 810 m. The height of Angel is 2 times higher than the height of the Empire State Building (Eng. Empire State Building; 103-storey skyscraper on island of Manhattan, New York) and 3 times the height of the symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower (300 m).

The huge height of the fall leads to the fact that the water, before reaching the surface of the earth, crumbles into microscopic splashes, turning into a thick fog that envelops the surroundings of the waterfall.

The highest of Tepui, Mount Roraima (2810 m), is also called the "Big Blue-Green Mountain" by the natives. It is considered the deposit of all the diamonds mined in the district, but the Indians are afraid to approach it, fearing evil spirits.

It is very interesting to make an excursion to the Kavak Canyon (Spanish: Canon Kavak) on a small plane, from where the unreal beauty of Canaima opens from a bird's eye view. After flying over the pristine corner of the planet, the plane lands near the canyon, near which there is a small Indian village of the same name.

Tourists can also climb Tepui. Thrill-seekers who decide to do this spend the night in the so-called mountain "hotels" - on narrow rocky "cornices" under overhanging (rocky) "peaks" that shelter from wind and rain. From such sites opens a breathtaking, unrealistic beautiful view. The top of the rock, eroded by erosion, breaks off with high walls, and the foot is buried in boundless rainforests.

Fantastic, Martian, lunar, unearthly, alien landscape - such epithets are most often used to describe the local stunning landscapes.
The top of Auyan-Tepui is almost constantly shrouded in snow-white clouds, only during sunrise the sky usually clears up.