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La
Gran Sabana is a high plain located in the Guayana
massif near the border with Guyana on the east and
with Brazil on the south. This large region is an
ideal place for ecotourism because of its
breathtaking landscapes, its Pemon indian community
and its more than eighty awe-inspiring plateaus.
The most interesting element in La Gran Sabana’s
landscape is its legendary tepuys (gigantic flat-topped
mountains), which represent the Earth’s
physiochronology and allow visitors to travel back
thousands of years in time. Local mythology holds
that these steep, colorful, river-filled plateaus
were home to the gods.
These plateaus or "tepuys" are flat, slightly
inclined tablelands with altitudes that may surpass
2000 meters above sea level. The most renowned and
tallest tepuy is Roraima, which was immortalized in
the novel The Lost World written by Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle in 1912.
There are many easy-to-visit sites in La Gran
Sabana; in fact, some of them are conveniently
located near the main road. Among the most
interesting sites are the following:
Kavanayén
is a small indian village located in the mid-region
of La Gran Sabana. It is surrounded by several
tepuys, including Wei Tepui (Mountain of the Sun).
Salto Aponguao,
also named Chinak-Merú, is one of the most
impressive and photographed waterfalls in La Gran
Sabana.
Quebrada de Jaspe
is one of the region’s most popular attractions.
Actually, the waterfall itself is not what impresses
visitors the most; it is its deep orangy-reddish
color which stuns all tourists.
Roraima,
mentioned earlier in this text, is one of the
longest and tallest tepuys. It was the first tepuy
hiked and explored by botanists. To reach the top of
the Roraima and return takes approximately five days;
however, no extraordinary skills or technical
knowledge is necessary to go on this magnificent
excursion.
Other interesting sites include Salto Kamá or Kamá-Merú,
Quebrada Pacheco or Arapán-Merú, Balneario Soruapé,
Salto Yuruaní and a wide variety of natural spas,
falls and rivers. All these sites bring visitors
closer to nature and provide them with the energy
that illuminates this impressive region.
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