Today we will talk about Mount Roraima, one of the oldest mountain formations on Earth, a natural border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana in South America. It is also called Roraima Tepui or Cerro Roraima.
There are some wonderful places on Earth that offer such breathtaking views that they might just stick with you forever and ever down in some rusty memory box. And there are others worth discovering that we do not even know about.
This site is about unconventional traveling ideas, a place where people can find unworldly landscapes and a new way of seeing things. And this is definitely one of them.
Long before the European conquistadors took over these lands, Mount Roraima was considered a symbol of these regions, an “axis mundi”, an enormous tree within which all the vegetables and fruits of the world grow.
This mountain, surrounded by 400 meter (1,300 ft) tall cliffs was a place of mystery, myths and legends for the indigenous people that used to live here centuries ago.
Today this unusual looking mountain can be visited by anyone having the will to discover it. The ascend starts in the Pemón village of Paraitepui which can be reached via the town of Santa Elena.
Getting to Mount Roraima is possible by taking a plane to Santa Elena de Uairén airport. This is a town in Brazil, very close to the border. From here on, you will see there are buses or shuttles that can get you close to the ascending point- the village of Paraitepui.
Hiking here is not hard and you can also get help from the indigenous population, as they organize tour guides in exchange for a small sum of money. If you are on your own however, try to reserve at least four days for this fantastic journey, as there are plenty of things to see and enjoy up there. Mount Roraima is said to have some of the most fascinating hiking trails in the world.
You should not leave after 2 p.m. from the village as trekkers are no longer allowed after this hour. At the beginning of your climb, your baggages will be strictly checked and you can not take more than 15 kilos with you.
So careful how you organize things. Being given that this is a national park , you are not permitted to take rocks or plants along the way.
The top of the mountain measures 2,772 m, it offers amazing landscapes and establishing a tent around here is possible. However, you should know the weather changes suddenly in this area so be prepared.
You can find a complete tour guide on a budget to hiking Mount Roraima here.
8 Comments
ioan
July 21, 2010 at 9:03 amThats just amazing! I’ve seen pictures before, i knew of the place, but its always the same opinion: you got to go there! I think i would rather go on this mountain than to Machu Pichu, even though the second one is more famous…
Timeless Earth
August 17, 2010 at 1:19 pmGuided tours of Roirama are usually very good, there are no huge tourist crowds yet in Venezuela. You need to be experienced to do this on your own.
bobby
March 2, 2011 at 7:47 amHoly fucking shit
patricia
October 3, 2011 at 2:39 pmthe next to last picture is most definitely NOT Roraima tepui, it seems to be granitic rather than sandstone (Roraima is sandstone). Also, that picture is probably from North America since that type of lake is usually only formed by glacial retreats. Also, there are no lakes in the whole of the Gran Sabana, where Roraima is located. Finally, Santa Elena de Uairen is NOT in Brazil, it’s in Venezuela really close to the brazilian border.
Thanks.
Ryan
November 5, 2011 at 6:29 amThe second to last picture is Preikestolen in southwestern Norway.
Siman Michael
January 27, 2015 at 6:46 amMount Roraima more information, pictures and virtual tour can be found here: http://www.amazingworldplaces.com/mount-roraima/
jessy lara reynolds
April 22, 2015 at 2:32 pmthis is very amaizing place in this globe .i♥this place!!
Los 8 contrastes de paisajes más increíbles del mundo - U2GUIDE, el blog
June 20, 2018 at 12:58 pm[…] el cielo en el Monte Roraima, entre Venezuela, Guyana y […]