Angel Falls Facts
Angel Falls is located in Auyán-tepui, Canaima National Park in the Bolívar State of Venezuela. It is one of the five adventure regions of Venezuela. Auyán-tepui, where the falls drops, is a table-top mountain. It is the most visited and one of the largest table-top mountain in the Guiana Highlands.
The locals call the falls 'Salto del Angel', however, it has been known as the Angel Falls since the mid-20th century, after it's discoverer, Jimmie Angel.
Below are some of the facts about Angel Falls:
- Angel falls is the highest uninterrupted waterfalls in the world. It has a drop of 807 meters. It is three times of Eiffel Tower in Paris, in height.
- Sometimes during summer, the water evaporates before it reaches the ground. It forms a mist near the ground.
- In Venezuela, the locals calls it by Kerepakupai meru or Tuluma Bena.
- The angel falls is part of the Churun River and falls from the edge of table top Auyantepui Mountain. In local language “churun’, means thunder and ‘Auyantepui’ means Devil’s house. The waterfall makes a thundering sound while it falls.
- The discovery of Angel Falls was by accident. Even the local tribesman Kamarakotos Pomon tribe also didn’t stayed away from the mountain top believing there was some malign spirit.
- In 1933, when Jimmy Angel, a gold prospector was flying over the mountain when his plane crashed there. He discovered the Angel Falls and thus it was named after him. However, he had to return back to the modern civilization by hiking through the forest along with his wife.
- Jimmy’s plane which had crashed on the mountain top can still be seen at the Aviation Museum in Maracay.
- The base of the angel falls was reached first by Aleksandrs Laime, a Latvian explorer. He was the first European to reach the base in 1946. He cleared the path for reaching the base of the Angel Falls.
- It is not easy for tourists even today to visit the Angels Falls, they have to take flight and then reach the Canaima camp. From there they need to take river ride to reach the base of the falls. There are helicopter tours that can be enjoyed for viewing the Angel falls.
- The base of the angel falls in approximately 150 meters wide.
- Someone standing at one kilometer away from the falls can also experience small water droplets falling on their body, such is the force of the water falling from the falls.
- For adventure lovers there are different activities that are done near Angel Falls. Some people love skydiving off Angel falls, while others spend time sleeping in hammocks or standing at the base of the waterfall.
- Disney movie ‘Up’ has featured Paradise falls that is inspired by the Angel falls.
- Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan leader tried to change its name to Kerepakupai Vena, which means the “deepest place waterfall” but nothing is still official and the world knows the falls in name of its discoverer, Jimmy Angel.