Angel Falls in Venezuela

Angel Falls is the worlds highest free-falling waterfall, and is located in the wilderness of Venezuela. To see it is to be amazed, but getting there is not an easy trip and a flight by plane or helicopter is required. Angel Falls is however, one of Venezuela's leading tourist attractions, and rightfully so. This beautiful waterfall is an astounding 979 meters (3,212ft) high. The water has an uninterrupted drop down of 2,648ft before landing on the Canaima National Park, Venezuela.

Angel Falls is also known as Salto Ángel, and the native Pemón people call it Kerepakupai-merú, which means "waterfall of the deepest place."

History of Angel Falls

Angel Falls were originally discovered in the early 1900's by an explorer named Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz, but the falls were really not known about in the United States and other countries until 1935 when an American aviator named James Crawford Angel flew his plane above the falls while searching for an ore bed. He was so amazed by the beautiful sight that he returned in 1936 and landed his plane on top of the waterfall. The falls are named "Angel Falls" after James Crawford Angel.

Visiting Angel Falls

If you ever have the chance to visit Angel Falls in Venezuela, take it! It's truly a magnificent sight to see. Trips are usually sold in packages that include a plane flight from either Caracas or Cuidad Bolívar to the town of Canaima which serves as an entry to the National Park. The trip package will also include meals, boat trips and boarding before you will reach Angel Falls. The trip usually will take 24 hours. You can also take a fly-over tour of the falls, although on cloudy days the falls can't be seen and the tour makes no guarantees that a visitor will be able to see them. The dry season runs from December to March, and there will be less water on the falls than other months, but the top probably won't be as cloudy, allowing for you to view Angel Falls more clearly.