Does everyone know in which country the highest Angel Falls in the world is located? Venezuela is justifiably proud of this amazing sight, although it is hidden deep in the tropical jungle. South America. Photos of the waterfall are impressive, despite the fact that in terms of entertainment it is inferior to the Iguazu complex or Niagara. However, many tourists wish to take a look at the highest stream of water falling from the mountain range.

Geographic characteristics of Angel Falls

The height of the waterfall is impressive, as it is almost a kilometer, to be more precise - 979 meters. Considering its small width, only 107 meters, the stream itself does not seem so massive, because most of the water at the time of free fall is scattered around the surroundings, forming a dense fog.

Given the height from which this giant dumps water, it is not surprising that not so much reaches the Kerep River. However, the spectacle deserves attention, because outlandish images from the air clouds over the jungle create a special atmosphere.

The basis for the waterfall is the Churun ​​River, the channel of which runs along Mount Auyantepui. locals flat ridges are called tepui. They mainly consist of sandy rocks, therefore, on the one hand, under the influence of winds and waters, they become sheer. It is because of this feature of nature that the Angel Falls appeared, the height of the free fall of water in meters is 807.

History of the highest waterfall

For the first time, Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz came across the waterfall in the early 20th century, but the name of the natural miracle was given in honor of the American James Angel, who crashed near the falling stream. In 1933, an adventurer noticed Mount Auyantepui, deciding that there should be diamond deposits here. In 1937, he, along with three companions, among whom was his wife, returned here, but it was not possible to find what he wanted, since the sparkling plateau is replete with quartz.

At the time of landing on the ridge near the aircraft, the landing gear burst, which made it impossible to return on it. As a result, travelers had to go all the way through the dangerous jungle. They spent 11 days on this, but upon returning, the pilot told everyone about the huge Angel Falls, which is why he was considered the discoverer.

For those who are curious about where Angel's plane is located, it is worth saying that for 33 years it remained at the crash site. Later, with the help of a helicopter, it was transferred to the aviation museum in the city of Maracay, where the restoration of the famous Flamingo took place. At the moment, you can see a photo of this monument or see it with your own eyes in front of the airport in Ciudad Bolivar.

In 2009, the President of Venezuela made a statement about the desire to rename the waterfall to Kerepakupai-Meru, arguing that the property in the country should not bear the name of an American pilot. Such an initiative was not supported by the public, so the idea had to be abandoned.

The first ascent without insurance on the sheer rock of the waterfall was made during the expedition in the spring of 2005. It included two Venezuelans, four Englishmen and one Russian climbers who decided to conquer Auyantepui.

Help for tourists

The coordinates of the highest Angel Falls are as follows: 25° 41′ 38.85″ S, 54° 26′ 15.92″ W, however, when using a navigator, they will not help much, since there are no automobile or pedestrian routes. For those who are still wondering how to get to natural wonder, there are only two ways: through the sky or along the river.

Departure is usually from Ciudad Bolívar and Caracas. After the flight, the further path will in any case pass through the water, so you won’t be able to do without a guide. When ordering an excursion, tourists are fully equipped with the necessary equipment, food and clothing necessary for a comfortable and safe visit to Angel Falls.

Angel Falls is Venezuela's most famous natural treasure and one of the most impressive places in the world. It is 2.5 times taller than the famous Empire State Building in New York, and 15 times the famous Niagara. The discoverer of the waterfall is considered to be the American pilot Jimmy Angel, who dreamed of finding the Golden River all his life. The American adventurer never found the gold, but instead discovered one of our planet's most famous natural landmarks. Although the local Pemon Indians have known about the existence of the waterfall for thousands of years, the water cascade was named after Angel (but in the Spanish manner, Angel), because it was he who discovered it to the modern world.

History of the discovery of Angel Falls

On November 19, 1933, an American pilot first witnessed the majesty of the highest waterfall in the world, falling from a height of 979 meters in the jungles of Venezuela. Jimmy Angel described his experience as follows: "When I saw the waterfall, I almost lost control of the plane. A cascade of water straight from the sky!"

On October 9, 1937, Angel carefully glided his El Rio Caroni light aircraft to land atop the huge Auyantepui mountain (a waterfall falls from its summit) in Venezuela's isolated Gran Sabana region. According to Jimmy, his plan was to stay on top of the mountain for a few days in search of gold. But the author's plans were thwarted by an unsuccessful landing. The aircraft nosed down during landing and damaged a fuel line. The accident did no harm to Jimmy, his wife Maria, and two colleagues Gustavo Heni and Miguel Delgado, but now they were cut off from the outside world at the top of the Auyantepui mesa.

The only way out was to descend on foot, through an uncharted territory, with limited food. Eleven days later, exhausted but alive, the group reached the city of Kamarata. As word of the event spread around the world, Jimmy Angel's name became inextricably linked to the waterfall he first saw back in 1933.

Twelve years later, American photojournalist Ruth Robertson made the first successful expedition to the foot of Angel, measured it and officially proclaimed it the highest waterfall in the world. Her article, "Jungle Journey to the World's Highest Falls," published in November 1949 in National Geographic, is a fascinating account of this journey.

In 1955, the Latvian explorer Aleksander Laime became the first Westerner to reach the source of the river that feeds the Angel Falls. Nowadays, tourists use the Laime trail while climbing to the top of Mount Auyantepui.

Jimmy Angel's plane remained atop Auyantepui for 33 years. In 1964, the Venezuelan government declared the aircraft a national monument. In 1970, it was dismantled into parts and by helicopters. air force Venezuela was taken to the Aviation Museum in Maracay for restoration. Later, the plane was installed on a green lawn in front of passenger terminal Ciudad Bolivar Airport, where it remains to this day.
Angel never dreamed that his plane would become a national monument. Years before, Patricia Grant had asked Jimmy if he would like his plane to be taken off the top of Auyantepui. Then he replied: "No, staying there, he will serve as a memory of me."

Interesting information about Angel Falls

Angel Falls is located in the tropical jungle of the southeastern region of Venezuela called Gran Sabana. A large area of ​​this region (more than 3 million hectares) is included in the national park Canaima, the largest national park in Venezuela and the sixth largest in the world. Gran Sabana means large plain (or shroud) in Spanish, but the area's most famous feature is the dozens of exotic, sheer, flat-topped mountains rising in the middle of the plain. Named in the language of the local Indian tribe "tepui", these pink sandstone mesas are the product of millions of years of erosion, and have unique flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the world - frogs that do not jump or red carnivorous plants.

The most famous attraction of the Gran Sabana is Roraima, the highest tepui with a height of about 2800 meters. Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believe that his science fiction novel The Lost World, about dinosaur hunters in the jungles of South America, was based on the first scientific expedition to Roraima. Angel Falls falls from the top of Auyantepui (translated from the language of the Pemon Indians “Devil's Mountain”), one of the largest tepui in Venezuela.

Canaima serves as the starting point for a trip to the Angel Falls. Located on the edge of the lagoon (pictured), surrounded by pink sandy beaches, beautiful waterfalls and untouched jungle, the word "paradise" most fully reflects the beauty of the surrounding nature of this area. Although you can visit other waterfalls and lagoons from here, as well as go for climbing the flat tops of the mesas, the main reason why tourists fly to Canaima for a few days is the opportunity to see the Angel Falls.

The highest waterfall in the world is also one of the most inaccessible. Venezuela did absolutely nothing to develop this region at least somehow. Its remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved the untouched nature of the local area and made Angel Falls one of the most inaccessible tourist attractions in Venezuela. Until now, there is no way to travel by car, as there are almost no roads in most of the Canaima National Park. Small airstrips for light aircraft connect this remote region to the outside world.

Most tourists visiting Angel Falls do so from an airplane window. Almost all flights to Canaima, both commercial and charter, run close to this waterfall. But, given the fact that Angel falls from the wall of a steep canyon, often shrouded in clouds (especially during the rainy season), it is not always possible to see him. Moreover, even on a clear day, when the plane makes a couple of passes on each side, you can often catch a glimpse of it.

If you want to truly enjoy the splendor of the highest waterfall in the world, then a boat trip is a must. Almost all hotels and travel agencies in Canaima offer 1, 2 or 3 day tours. All of them follow the same route, the difference is only in the amount of time, which completely depends on the desire of visitors.

Angel Falls is located about 5 hours canoeing upriver from Canaima town, followed by a hike through the jungle to its base (about an hour). The path to the waterfall from Canaima is no less interesting part of the trip and provides an opportunity to get acquainted with the unique views of the Venezuelan flora and fauna, enjoy the beautiful landscapes of the surrounding nature (pictured). If the flow of water is rather moderate, you can swim in a small reservoir at the foot of the waterfall.

The waterfall is at its fullest during the rainy season from May to November, but at this time of the year clouds often cover the top of Auyantepui. During the dry season from December to April, it looks less attractive.

Conclusion

In May 1956, Angel's light aircraft crashed in Panama. He escaped with a large abrasion on his forehead, it would seem that everything is in order. A few days later, he suffered a stroke and, without regaining consciousness, died in December of that year at the age of 57. The last wish of the pilot was a request to scatter his ashes over the Angel Falls he discovered.

In 1960, Maria (wife) and his 2 sons, Jimmy and Roland, took Angel to Venezuela. On his last flight over the falls, he was accompanied by close friends Gustavo Henie and Patricia Grant. Later, Henie told his sister Carmen that "when the plane entered the canyon, nothing could be seen because of the high cloud cover, then suddenly something happened. It became so clear, so beautiful, we could see everything. It looked like a mountain took something incomparable - it was Jimmy."

In 2009, President Hugo Chávez proposed that the most famous national landmark should henceforth bear the name of the indigenous people of Venezuela, and not the American gringo. On December 20, 2009, the President of Venezuela signed a decree renaming Angel Falls to Kerepakupai Meru. But in other countries it is still called by the old name.

Angel Falls: luxurious and majestic

Angel Falls, also called Angel Salto, is known as the highest waterfall in the world. It differs significantly from its other well-known "brothers" - Niagara, Victoria and Iguazu. Angel is much more modest than their such indicator as the volume of water passed. But the height of its free fall - 978 meters - allows us to characterize Angel as the most big waterfall in the world.

Angel Falls - photo

Angel Falls - photo

Discovery history

Angel Falls got its name in honor of the American pilot James Angel (Angel), who saw in 1935 from the plane a water stream falling from a height of more than a thousand meters. James was not going to open anything, he was looking for gold, but due to an accident he committed forced landing in the jungles of the Guiana Highlands. The discovery of the waterfall was his compensation for the plane, which had to be left to rot in a tropical swamp, and for the journey through the jungle to civilization. These eleven miles were not the most pleasant of his life.

Angel Falls - photo

Angel Falls - photo

But, as often happens, Angel was far from the first person to see this miracle of nature, and not even the first European. The Indians knew about him long before Columbus led his caravels through Atlantic Ocean. It was they who gave the name "tepui" to the mountains characteristic of the Guiana Highlands. All of them have vertical slopes and flat tops, like Table Mountain near Cape Town. Tepui is continuously exposed to water erosion due to tropical rainfall, which is typical for the climate of this area. The name of the mountain from which the stream falls is also Indian. "Auyantepui" in translation from one of the local dialects means "mountain of the devil."

Aboriginal stories brought the Spanish conquistador Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz to these parts. But its discovery was safely forgotten until 1935.

Angel Falls - photo

Angel Falls - photo

Location and road to Angel

Angel Falls is located in Venezuela, on the territory of the Canaima Park. If Niagara and Victoria are easily accessible for tourists, convenient roads are laid to them, hotels are built nearby, then it is much more difficult to see the "Angel Flip". Roads in the tropical jungle simply do not exist - movement is possible only by water or air. To see the largest waterfall with your own eyes, you need to get by plane from the capital of Venezuela, Caracas. There are also regular flights from the city of Ciudad Bolivar to Canaima, and then you have to make water travel. The cost of the tour usually includes the necessary equipment, equipment and food costs.

Angel Falls - photo

Those wishing to see this wonder of the world have to put up with the need to get wet from the fog. Water, falling from a great height, disperses into the smallest particles and it is in this form that it enters the Kerep River.

Any student knows in which country Angel Falls is located. This natural object declared a national treasure of Venezuela. Its height was measured in 1949, and in 1968 James Angel's plane was retrieved from the jungle by helicopter and solemnly placed in the museum. Those wishing to see this relic should go to the city of Maracay and visit the local aviation museum.

Angel (Spanish Salto Ángel, in Pemonian - Kerepakupai vena, which means "Waterfall deepest place”) is the highest waterfall in the world, the total height is 979 meters, the height of the continuous fall is 807 meters. Named after aviator James Angel, who flew over the falls in 1935.

Angel in translation into Russian means "angel". Although the names of waterfalls are usually very figurative and poetic, this waterfall is not named by an angel in honor of biblical angels and not because of its “proximity to heaven”. The giant of the 1st magnitude bears the name of its discoverer, the Venezuelan pilot Juan Angel, while the Indians called the waterfall Apemey or the Maiden's Eyebrow. Angel Falls, more than a kilometer high, was discovered relatively recently - in 1935. This proves how much our beautiful planet Earth still hides.

How could such a phenomenal miracle of nature - a vertical stream of water a mile high - be hidden from mankind throughout history? The fact is that Angel is located in one of the most remote and inaccessible corners of the earth. Southeastern part of Venezuela mountain range Auyan-Tepui (Devil's Mountain) is composed of porous sandstones, has a height of up to 2600 m, abruptly breaks off with a sheer rock wall. The approaches to the wall are blocked by the selva - a dense tropical forest.

What was Angel looking for there? In the 1930s, a “diamond rush” broke out in Venezuela. Hundreds of adventurers, greedy businessmen, and simply the poor rushed into the impenetrable jungle. Angel bought a small sports plane and flew to the Auyan Tepui massif. In those places, the tops of the mesas are often covered with clouds. Angel flew in clear weather and was the first to see a kilometer-long water vertical.

It turned out that the waterfall did not fall from the very edge of the highland ledge. The Churum River “sawed through” the upper edge of the cliff and falls 80-100 m below its edge. Water consumption - 300 sq.m / s.

Juan Angel (Angel) did not discover diamond deposits and did not build sanatoriums. Others have done it. He had an accident and escaped by a miracle. He landed in the very place that Conan Doyle chose to unfold the events of his famous novel The Lost World. Arriving at the nearest post office, Angel reported his discovery to the National Geographic Society of the United States, and his name is now on all maps of the world. On Latin American maps, the waterfall is often referred to as Salto Angel, i.e. "angel's jump". Last years the discoverer spent his life in Venezuela, in the state of Ciudad Bolivar, died in 1956. According to the will of Angel, his ashes were scattered over the waterfall named after him.

How much the term “miracle” in relation to the surviving pilot Angel is not an exaggeration can be judged by the fact that fourteen years later, in 1949, a group of American and Venezuelan surveyors consisting of five people barely made their way through the selva to the waterfall, as the wild forest was completely intertwined with lianas and lush shrub vegetation. I had to continuously cut through the road with machetes and axes. To overcome the last 36 km, the expedition spent ... nineteen days! But the game was worth the candle. What the members of the expedition saw, none of them will be forgotten until the end of their days.

The most vivid description of the waterfall - perhaps the best in world literature - belongs to the chairman of the Soviet Peace Committee Yu. A. Zhukov, who surveyed the Angel Falls from an airplane in April 1971. “ The pilot is flying his plane close, close to him. Before us is incredibly high - a kilometer! - an elastic foamy-white water column, - a tight jet of a stream falls from a plateau into an abyss, at the bottom of which the river is reborn. Churumi, whose flow was interrupted by this crazy water jump ... We have already heard and read that the height of the water fall here is so great that the stream, before reaching the bottom of the abyss, turns into water dust, which settles on the stones as rain. But one had to see it in order to imagine all the originality of the spectacle that presented itself: somewhere below, at a distance of about three hundred meters from the bottom of the abyss, a powerful, resilient, boiling stream suddenly seemed to melt and break off in the fog. And even lower, as if born out of nothing, the river raged... How I would like to approach the waterfall not by plane, but on the ground - to stand near it, listen to its rumble, breathe in the smell of water falling from the skies! But this is impossible…“.