Venezuela's Canaima National Park was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's fantasy "The Lost World."
The Canaima National Park in southeastern Venezuela was Arthur Conan Doyle's inspiration for The Lost World. There are more than 100 flat-topped table mountains that stretch across the Guiana Highlands.
The mountains were formed by millions of years of erosion of the softer rocks that were embedded into the earth here. In Venezuela the mountains are named Tepui.
The tops of the mountains are home to a number of Endemic plant and animal species, or species that are only found here. The heightened humidity allows moss to grow on the rocky surface, which in turn became a bed for many new and distinct plant species. These unusual circumstances have added to the mystery of the mountains and have made them a greatly desired destination for adventure seekers all over.
They were first visited by German explorer Robert Schomburgk in 1835, but it wasn't until 1884 when a British expedition team led by Everard Im Thurn succeeded in climbing one of the tabletop mountains. The steep, rocky sides proved difficult to ascend, and still do to this day.
This is also where you can see Venezuela's star attraction, the world's tallest waterfall: Angel Falls. The 979m drops from a 2560 meter high mountain and soaks the tropical forests below. A number of other falls are in the area as well. Most of which surround a large lagoon, Canaima Lagoon, that is filled with pink sand and reddish water due to the large number of minerals found there.
To get to Canaima from Caracas you must fly to Ciudad Bolivar on the banks of the Orinocco River where other arrangements are made. For Angel Falls you must take a three and a half hour boat ride up the Carrao and Churun rivers. Helicopter tours and long 6-10 day treks are also available.
