With 400 metre tall cliffs on all sides, Mount Roraima is a truly remarkable creation. If you look Mount Roraima from a distance, you might think that you are watching a huge building made by humans. Actually, it’s just one of the natural wonders of the world. This kind of mountains totally flat on their tops are called “tepuys”.
The top of tepuy consists of quartzite and sandstones, which appear black due to added organic matter over milions of years. Mount Roraima is located in Gran Sabana, at the border between Venezuela, Brasil and Guiana. However, the only way visitors can climb to the top is from the Gran Sabana side, in Venezuela.
Its unusual shape and its glorious height have became an attraction for many of hiking-tourists. The first recorded person to climb this tepuy was Sir Everard in 1884. This mountain also inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for his classic novel “The Lost World”.
Treks to Mount Roraima can last about two days to reach the top of the mountain and two days to get back. Usually, visitors spend other two days on the summit to enjoy its unique environment. The tepuys are regarded by scientists as “islands in time” since have developed in complete isolation over millennia.
Many of the species found on Roraima are unique to the plateau. You may find some endemic kinds of plants and also you could get a chance to see the jewel-like hummingbirds and the black frog. Since long before the arrival of European explorers, the mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region. The name Roraima is derived from “Roroi-ma”, which in Pemon means “big blue-green”.
You can climb Mount Roraima any time of the year, but most people prefer the dry season between December and April.
Photo source
I. C.
