Canaima National Park Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Canaima National Park

Canaima National Park is the gateway to Angel Falls (the world's highest waterfall, dropping a total of 978m from the summit of the Auyan Tepuy, and with an 807m uninterrupted drop).

Although other waterfalls and lagoons can be visited from Canaima camp, the main reason tourists fly here is for the three-day, two-night trips to the base of Angel Falls.

There is an incredible variety of tropical wildlife in the area, including monkeys, poison arrow frogs and hundreds of species of orchids. Mammals in the area are generally difficult to spot but include giant anteaters, armadillos, porcupines, three-toed sloths, otters, jaguars, pumas, tapirs and capybaras.Some of the birds that you can see are king vulture, paradise tanager, white bellbird, cock of the rock, musician wren, great kiskadee, bananaquit, velvet browned brillant, capunchinbird, sooty-capped hermit, blue-cheeked parrot and others.

The falls themselves are located about 5 hours' ride in a dugout canoe upstream from Canaima village. Most of the Park's attractions can only be visited with a guided tour from Canaima. These can be booked from outside Venezuela, from Caracas, or from Ciudad Bolivar but prices are much more competitive in Ciudad Bolivar.

Most tours that take you to the foot of the falls are two nights (one in Canaima, one at the falls) and three days, and combine all of the three elements below (and also include food and transport). Alternatively you can hire shorter tours just to go up to Angel Falls and back again. A typical tour will include the flight to Canaima, and then three days of meals and (very basic) accommodation at the various campsites along the river towards the falls. The trip involves several hours in a dugout canoe and a few hours hiking through gallery forest to the main viewpoint below the falls. Most tour guides speak spanish with limited English.

Two day tours run to the foot of the Angel falls by motorized dugout canoe (curiara). The first day a five or six hour boat ride will lead you to the base camp. From there it's a one hour walk to the foot of waterfall. Here you can take pictures and swim. The night will be spent in hammocks and the next day another a five hours will bring you back to Canaima.
A half day tour brings you to Isla Anatoly, very close to Canaima village, where some other waterfalls are visited such as Salto Sapo. Some of them can be walked behind the water curtain.
Just west of Canaima is a beautiful lagoon with water stained a tea colour by the vegetation in the area, and with a nice view of the waterfalls and tepuy mountain.

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Population: 25.375.300
Languages: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Currency: bolivar
Currency code: VEB
Local Times:
Venezuela - Caracas

Country Dialling Code: +58
Voltage: 120V 60Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 parallel flat prongs

2 Parallel flat prongs with an earth connector

Venezuela is bounded to the north by the Caribbean, to the east by Guyana and the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Brazil, and to the west and south west by Colombia. The country consists of four distinctive regions: the Venezuelan Highlands in the west; the Maracaibo Lowlands in the north; the vast central plain of the Llanos around the Orinoco; and the Guiana Highlands which take up about half of the country.

With Andean peaks, the longest stretch of Caribbean coastline to be found in any single nation, tranquil offshore islands, the steamy Amazon and rolling savanna punctuated by flat-topped mountains called tepuis, Venezuela has no shortage of tourist draw cards. If that wasn't enough, the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls (Salto Ángel), plummets 979m from the top of a tepui in Parque Nacional Canaima is often regarded as the crowning jewel of this diverse country. Those looking for adventure will find hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paragliding and more. Even better, most of these attractions lie within a one-day bus trip or a short flight from each other.

Those looking for a little culture can embroil themselves in the pulsating salsa clubs of the nation’s capital, Caracas, explore various festivals, seek out the arts and crafts in the bucolic towns of the interior, or check out some of the world’s best up-and-coming baseball players hit a few innings in a local stadium. The President Hugo Chávez and his socialist ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ have become a national attraction and have started to draw spectators, aspiring documentarians and volunteers to the country.

Canaima National Park Travel Guide

Canaima National Park Suitability Profile