Mount Roraima
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In 1884 Sir Everardim Thurn became the first person recorded to climb Roraima.
Roraima is also the inspiration behind the 1912 novel, The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The idea for the novel is plausible as these mountains are considered by scientists as “time islands” due to various plants and animals having thrived for thousands of years.
What to Expect
Mount Roraima is home to unique animals. The Roraima Bush Toad or Oreophrynellaquelchii, a type of diurnal toad living on shrubland and rock surface, breeding by direct development. Currently classified as vulnerable, tourists are taught the importance of not disturbing these animals when they visit the mountain.
Most Roraima tours run for six days. Typically, you spend two and a half days going up the mountain; spend a day and a half the top, and two days going down. If you and your guide are up for it, do a two-day ascent; spend two days at the top, and a two-day descent. There are also eight-day extended trips, giving you an extra two days to spend at the top. You can also choose four-day tours: one day and a half going up; a day and a half on the top, and one day descending.
How to Get There
You can book a flight with Rutaca Airlines to Santa Elena de Uairén
from either Puerto Ordaz or Ciudad Bolívar. Call Rutaca at Ciudad Bolívar airport: (58-285)
632-8426 or 632-4465; to book a flight.If you’re coming from Valenzuela (Ciudad Bolívar, Maturin, Puerto la Cruz, and Puerto Ordaz) or from Boa Vista (or from anywhere in Brazil), take a night bus bound for Santa Elena. There are also direct, 22-hour bus trips from Caracas Terminal de Oriente. Expresos Los Llanos, Expreso Occidente and red, state-run bus companies travel along the route.
Bus drivers refuse to run the heaters on the bus, so expect the bus ride to be cold. Averaging 45ºF; bring a jacket.
Similar Landmarks
You shouldn't miss the Kaieteur National Park, just 163 km away from Mount Roraima. You should also hike up to the Triple Point summit of Roraima to see the cairn where Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil borders meet. From here to the summit, it’s a three-hour hike.
The Valley of the Crystals is a magnificent place where you can find numerous exposed quartz veins. Another nearby landmark to visit is the El Foso, a sinkhole with a 10-meter diameter extending to an underground cave formed from the mountain’s black rock due to years of constant rain.
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Author: epicandrea. Last updated: Dec 12, 2014
Pictures of Mount Roraima
