Venezuelan Tepui Climbing

Santa Elena de Uairen · Venezuela

Challenging8 daysSouth America~£1,200 est.

Save ✓ I did this

Overview

Mount Roraima inspired Conan Doyle's Lost World, and the trek to its 2,810-metre summit plateau still feels like crossing into another geological era. From the Pemon village of Paraitepui you walk for two days across the Gran Sabana's golden grassland, the tepui's 400-metre prow growing until it fills the sky, then climb La Rampa, the single natural ledge that breaches the cliffs. On top lies a black labyrinth of wind-carved rock: valleys floored with quartz crystals, carnivorous sundews and heliamporas, tiny endemic black frogs, and camps in sandy overhangs the guides call hotels. When the mist tears open you look down sheer walls to Kukenan's plume-like waterfall and the savanna a mile below. A Pemon guide is compulsory (arranged in Santa Elena de Uairen), and the December to March dry season is the sensible window - in the rains the plateau lives inside cloud and the Tek and Kukenan river crossings become dangerous. The summit is cold and permanently wet, so a genuinely waterproof tent and warm layers matter more than the trekking difficulty, which is moderate with one long summit day. Six to eight days from Santa Elena runs about £1,200 all-in, but weigh Venezuela's wider travel situation and current government advice before you book.