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Features
Birding · Cave · Commonly Backpacked · Fishing · Geological Significance · Historical Significance · Lake · River/Creek · Spring · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife
To access
Mount Roraima you need either a local guide or to go on a tour. Local guides can be found for cheap in Paraitepuyn (the launching point for all trips).
Overview
Shrouded in mystery and legend,
Mount Roraima is the most prominent of the Tepuis (table rocks) found on the Guiana Highlands of northern South America. The total surface is around 12 square miles.
Often in clouds and regularly pelted with heavy rains, Roraima is the headwaters of multiple rivers. This is visually seen in the waterfalls that cascade down the side.
Runner Notes
I wouldn't suggest it
Description
Though there is nothing terribly technical about the trail, it is a long, dedicated adventure to visit.
The start of the trail heads through a broad savanna. This is in stark contrast to the areas to the north, east and west of
Mount Roraima, which consists of thick rain forest.
The first fifteen miles of trailhead through the savanna and are marked by river crossings that are like oases. The difficulty of the crossing of the rivers depends on the current water levels.
From Base Camp you make the major ascent known as the
Way of Tears. Over a mile you gain 1500' vertical feet.
Once you're at the top you are in another world. You are surrounded by water-sculpted rock, deep solution pockets, caves, rivers and other structures. There are lots of view points, bathing spots, dead ends and hidden oases. Most groups spend two or three days at the top but summit is so rich with strangeness that you could spend a lot longer.
Flora & Fauna
The summit of
Mount Roraima is a strange place.
It gets rain almost every day of the year, but has comparitively little plant life. The rain cleanses most of the nutrients from the surface. That said, there are many endemic species including - Pitcher Plants (Heliamphora),Campanula (a bellflower), and the rare Rapatea heather, Bonnetia roraimae (type of bush) and Utricularia campbelliana.
Other species include the Roraima Bush Toad, a diurnal toad usually found on open rock surfaces and shrubland.
History & Background
The name
Roraima comes from the Pemon indians and translates as
the Great Blue-Green. They believe that Roraima was the stump of an immense tree. This tree held every fruit, vegetable and tuber in the world until is was felled by the trickster god, Makunaima. The resulting disaster created a great flood.
For Europeans,
Mount Roraima was first visited by Sir Walter Raleigh in his 1595 expedition after finding out about it from the local indigenous tribes.
At around 2 billion years old, Roraima is one of the oldest rock formations on Earth.
In popular culture,
Mount Roraima , has made it into world culture through Arthur Conan Doyle's
Lost World and the cartoon
Up
Contacts
Shared By:
Russell Hobart
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