Angel Falls

 

In Venezuela, deep within the Canaima National Park, can be found one of the most spectacular sights on earth. Angel Falls is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls in the United States making it the world's highest waterfall. Angel Falls is also a UNESCO world heritage site. What's even cooler about Angel Falls is that all this water does not come from some mammoth river but from clouds!

 

The source of Angel Falls is located high up on the Auyantepuy in the Guyana Highlands of Venezuela. Auyantepuy translates to 'mountain of the Evil god' and high on top of this plateau is not a river but clouds thick with tropical moisture. These clouds form over the Atlantic Ocean and as this moisture condenses in the cold, mountain air it turns to rain- a lot of rain. The rain soaks into the mountain (which is actually a plateau as the word tepuy indicates a flat top mountain). The water collects into many underground streams and comes gushing out the side of the Tepuy into a free fall more than 3,212 feet down to the rocks below. The noise from the falls is so spectacular that its roar can be heard 3 miles away.

 

Angel Falls does not get its name for winged beings in the Judeo-Christian religion. But is named after an American explorer named Jimmy Angel who "first sighted" the falls in 1933 when he was flying over the area in search of the legendary "Golden City". However, the Pemun people who are indigenous to the Guyana Highlands have long believed this place to be filled with evil spirits and have stayed away. It's easy to see why the Pemon would think this. Atop many of the Tepuy are sink holes that drop thousands of feet into the earth called Sarisariñama. Because of all the water and air flowing through the caves, strange noises can be heard, which sound like the roaring of evil beings.