All of the area known as the Gran Sabana is protected by Canaima National Park. Canaima is huge - roughly the size of Belgium or Maryland State. It ranks among the world's largest protected areas and has been a World Heritage Site for over 10 years. The 'Gran Sabana' is a direct translation of 'tei pun' in the Pemon Indian tongue, and roughly extends over the southeastern section of the park, where most Pemon are concentrated in various villages that were established in the 1940s and 50s by Capuchin missionaries.
The Gran Sabana sits atop the Guyana (or Guiana) Shield, one of the world's oldest geological formations. It dates back to the Pre-Cambric era, over two billion years ago. The sedimentary rock is full of gold and diamonds and mining in the area has caused severe environmental damage over the last century. Although mining is prohibited inside the park, it takes place all around its borders. The sedimentary rock of the Shield here has eroded in such a way to create huge massifs with vertical cliffs which rise out of the plains and forests into the skies. These are known as 'tepuys' in Pemon, mountains.
The highest of these is Roraima ('Roroi-ma' in Pemon means 'big blue-green') at around 2,800 m (9,100 ft) tall. Its discovery by British explorers (who entered the region from ex-British Guyana to the northeast and east) and subsequent 'conquering' in 1884 is thought to have inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write 'The Lost World', published in 1912. He envisioned cavemen and prehistoric animals running amok atop the summit. Although far-fetched, the idea is a valid one: the tepuys are regarded as 'islands in time' by scientists since species have developed in complete isolation on top of them over millennia.
The largest tepuy is Auyan, located to the northwest of the park. From its vertical flanks leaps the amazing Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall. Although impressive, in fact, after the rains all the region's tepuys are threaded with waterfalls - a beautiful sight for any visitor.
Many of the tepuys are studded with enormous sink-holes, up to 304 m (1000 ft) wide and 304 m (1000 ft) deep, which are unique to the region. Like the tepuys themselves, each of these sink-holes are "islands" and have evolved species of amphibians and insects that are not found anywhere else.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about La Gran Sabana
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in La Gran Sabana - updated Apr 2024
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La Gran Sabana Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
