Angel Falls River Expedition

An early departure at 5:00 a.m. for the Venezuelan border, about three hours north through open savanna. After border formalities, it is a short drive to Santa Elena de Uairén for the light aircraft flight to Canaima National Park, crossing the Gran Sabana and its scattered tepuis on the way. You are met by your local guide and settle into the lodge.

In the afternoon, a curiara, the long wooden canoe used on every river here, takes you across Canaima Lagoon to the waterfalls that pour into it, including Salto Hacha. From Anatoly Island it is a 20-minute walk to Salto El Sapo, where the path runs right behind the falling water. Expect to get soaked.

An early start by curiara up the Carrao River and then into the Churún, with the cliffs of Auyán-tepui rising higher on both sides the farther you go. The boatmen read the rapids as they go, and in low water you may step out while they guide the curiara through. The trip to Ratoncito Island, across the river from the falls, takes about four hours.

In the afternoon, weather permitting, a walk of about an hour and a half through the forest leads to the viewpoint at the foot of Angel Falls, where the water drops 979 meters from the edge of the tepui. Back at camp, dinner is cooked over the fire, and the night is spent in hammocks with the falls across the river.

If clouds hid the falls the afternoon before, the walk to the viewpoint is done this morning, when the top of the tepui is often clearest. Either way, early morning is the best time to see the falls from camp, before the clouds build over Auyán-tepui.

After breakfast, the curiara heads back downriver to Canaima, a quicker trip with the current behind you and another chance to take in the walls of the canyon. You arrive in time for a late lunch and a swim in the lagoon. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

A free day in Canaima to spend as you like. Swim from the beaches of the lagoon, walk around Canaima village and its craft shops, or simply sit and watch the light change on the tepuis across the water.

If you want to see Angel Falls from above, a scenic flight can be arranged locally and paid on the spot, and the cost can be shared between travelers. Other optional excursions around the lagoon are also available at extra cost. Dinner and the night at the lodge.

Free time after breakfast for a last look at the lagoon, then the flight back to Santa Elena de Uairén, arriving around midday. From there you cross the border back into Brazil and drive south across the savanna, reaching Boa Vista at about 4:30 p.m.

You are dropped at the hotel and then taken to the airport in time for your flight home. Onward flights from Boa Vista often leave late at night or the following day, so plan your connection with that in mind. An extra night in Boa Vista can be arranged if you need it.