Angel Falls

Angel Falls – The Highest Waterfall in the World

Angel Falls, in the Canaima National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Venezuela), is the highest waterfall in the world. Called Salto Ángel in Spanish and Kerepakupai Vená – “waterfall of the deepest place” – in the Pemon language, the falls are part of the Gauja River or the Kerep River, a tributary of the Churun which itself drains into the Carrao River. The world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall, Angel Falls has a total height of 3,287 feet or 1,002 meter with the main plunge recording about 2,648 feet. The minor rapids and cascades of the falls stretch about a quarter mile and a 98 feet downstream. The Angel Falls tip over the edge of the Auyantepui Mountain in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State. The Canaima National Park was established in 1962 and was designated a UNESCO National Heritage Site in 1994. The region is home to the Pemon Indians who worship the region as a sacred land and believe in the presence of guarding spirits here. The waterfall was named after Jimmie Angel, the American pilot who first flew a plane over the falls. Several attempts to revert to the indigenous Spanish or Pemon names have been made in recent years without much success.