6 DAY RORAIMA TEPUI TREK

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Pre trek:

The day before the actual hike we left Sta. Elena de Uairen for a town called San Francisco de Yuruani where we waited for the big group from Caracas, 23 people! them and 3 of us(me, Junko from Japan and Emanuel from Ciudad Bolivar). It was a very long wait, quite annoying and Roger the guide is nowhere to be found, just the porters were with us, then after an hour or so the group arrived and we had a meal at a restaurant, Francisco Alvarez, the tour company/person we booked with said dinner is included for tonight but Roger said no, we insisted so we got it free.

We have a crazy driver, drives so fast i have to shut my eyes in fear, another Ayrton Senna wanna be, on the highway he speeds up to 140km/hr! even on turns! We then hit rough roads on the way to Paraitepuy, the entrance to Canaima Nacional Park on this side of this huge Nacional Park, he still drives like mad and we all have to hold on to dear life, we saw a fox running in front of us, he went faster to try and chase it.

Arriving in Paraitepuy we were given a room for the night, Emanuel slept on the floor, we have an ensuite toilet, nice bed but no electricity, it rained a bit so was good to not camp just yet. breakfast was arepa and bread and fruits aplenty!


Day 1:

-Woke up to a bright day, the scenery in front of us is fantastic, clouds covering the valley below and the mountains as well, we saw for the 1st time Roraima and Kukenan, such a sight to see even in the clouds and fog.
-Start of the trek we walked a good 4 hours, terrain was good walking on slopes, up and down the hill then got flat, crossing a few streams, suns was intense but suddenlt clouds came, a threat of rain, weather here is unpredictable, the mountains trap moisture and plus its rainy season. Walked with Emanuel, got to know him well. Most of the Venezolanos were very slow so by the time we got to Rio Tek, we have to wait a long time, it rained hard good thing we have a hut for shelter.
-Roger came finally and told us we have to get going we have 45 minutes more to walk, we have to cross Rio tek, quite slippery have to be careful, then walked on hills again, nice church to the distant right, it was still drizzling then. Arrived at the next river crossing, this one is more difficult, strong current and deep, from there the camp is only 3 minutes away, we got changed and swam in the river and i washed my clothes.
- we waited for a long time to figure out where is our tent, Roger is so preoccupied with the big group we were the last to be taken care of, turns out our tent is at the back of the hut, a beach tent! we had the crappiest tent, the others have nice proper camping tent, hmm.
-Dinner was meager and I asked for 2nds and Roger bluntly said no! I asked for another piece of watermelon he said its for the big group, we were not even seated at the main table, we are completely left out we felt.
-Got to know a few of the people in the big group, Maximo, Giorgio, etc, those who can speak English talked to us, they are nice and friendly. Then there is Solon who is a shaman of sorts and follow the Mayan beliefs, he read people their Mayan symbols from the calendar, deja vu for me.
-before heading to bed me and Junko saw the group in the big table having some prayers or whatever, I quickly thought we bumped into a cult! Maximo later told us this place is very spiritual for their beliefs and they are doing some meditations, you dont need to tell me that, just look at the majestic views and you will be awestruck!
-slightly cold night, Junko and i share a tent, slept ok, but the foreigner group from the Jacare language school in Playa Colorada(Puerto la Cruz) came and was quite noisy, they set up camp next to our tent, English and Danish and Italian in the group, they all have millions of insect bites on their bodies, prompting me to aske an English lad where the hell theyve been! The group leader I spoke with explained everything to me, they are doing all the sights in Venezuela.i told him the place sounds familiar and turns out it was the place we stayed 5 years ago when I went with Encounter Overland! small world, he updated me on where most of the staffs were now, going back to memory lane. cool dude..

Day 2:

-Roger wanted us to carry our tent! no way not part of the full package we booked with Francisco. meanwhile most of the big group have all their sleeping mats and sleeping bags carried by porters, unfair!!
-12 kms walk to the next camp just at the base of Roraima, about 3 1/2 hours walk for the faster ones, 6 hrs for most of the group! Was the 1st to arrive, i tagged along with one of the fater porters, the scenery is breathtaking, hard wlk though, started out flat then hilly and really steep! the view of the tepuis is incredible again. It rained soon as i arrived in the camp had to wear my rain gear, the huts were full of people, the Jacare group and some other groups.
-the rest came later, we helped Emanuel set up his tent, took lots of fotos, Roraima is in front of us, the top is full of clouds then cleared up after the rain, to our left is the majestic Kukenan with its waterfalls, incredible campsite.
-lunch was 3pm and was starving by then and again meager no 2nds quite annoyed, we were told by Francisco, plent of food! dinner at 7pm, then we had 2nds, he probably realized we are still hungry and getting annoyed. Our group is big 24 plus 13 porters!! but he knew in advance and he is an experienced guide so he should have alloted enough food to eat with extras if need be.
-camp so far was the dirtiest we encountered, tissue papers everywhere and trash, sad sight and people crap everywhere, gross!
-bathed in the numbingly cold stream! our tent is near the huts a lot of noise but our spot is nice and soft ground cushioned with grass. Got cold during the night, during the day people were sunning themselves now it very cold, extremes. threat of rain again but never materialized, relieved because our tent fly is crap, we would get wet inside am sure.
-after dinner bed time about 6pm! nothing to do, the big Venezolano group was again doing chants and meditations.
-we joined the meditations in the morning just to see, felt weird for me they invited us so i observed what they actually do, has something to do with paying respect and harnessing power from nature which was good, but the oracions and manner they do it made it looklike a cult to me(like the ones i saw on TV)

Day 3:

-4kms up! the toughest yet in this trek,was ahead of the group once again, 1st part was a steep climb up the hill, slippery mud and big steps have to be careful not to tear my pants again
-then into the forest with unusual vegatations, bromeliads, orchids. stopped at a stream to gather some fresh water, we did not use tablets, were told water here is clean and pristine in the streams and rivers, yet the locals use soap to bathe in them, I didnt like that part
-people coming down from the top created traffic we have to wait our turns to go up as the path is narrow and steep, again followed the porter from yesterday,me and him climbed the mountain, after such hard work of steep climb we got to a vista where we saw the "Ramp", this we have to tackle to make it to the top of the tepui, we saw people climbing it slowly, there is a small waterfall there near the wall of the tepui they called it something in Spanish I cant remember it, "lagrimas" something
-path was tricky, very slippery with big loose rocks, watch your steps here, slipped a lot, one point we were under the waterfall got soaked a bit really cold water great view from there too but got to keep going, just when it thought I cant make it any more, my legs were tired and wobbly, we arrived at the top! the Jacare group was there already and taking group fotos.
-the porter took me to the vista point and i walked around for about an hour or so before the next person in my group arrived, weird landscapes, like the moon, rocks and vegetations, unusual plants and a few hummingbirds, they hover and you can hear them flapp their wings like a bee.I can see the valley below, quite scary to be at the top i dont like heights so stayed away from the edge.
-fog and clouds come and go, sunny then cold, changes drastically here so i have to layer. We had lunch here, good soup, finally! and with 2nds! After taking fotos and walking a bit in the area we moved on to our designated "hotel" the cave we will stay in for 2 days is an hour away called Guacharo. the walk is nice, enjoying the landscape, pink sand, weird rock formations, beatiful flowers, bromeliads.
-camp site in the caves, nice! very cold, a bit smelly. It rained a bit, when it stopped we went to a swimming hole, shallow water, you have to use a bucket, i skipped that one, too windy and cold, i went for a walk with Emanuel and we found another waterhole the water is warm but cant access it easily.
-dinner was early, we worried about water as it is scarce here just puddles everywhere, that is where they collect our cooking water i think, at least they boil it. I saved the water I took from the stream below and used it carefully.
-very uncomfortable sleep, dibs and uneven surface, our tent is like a freezer, very cold at night and it rained as well, waking groggy, we prepared for the next adventures.

Day 4:

-supposed to leave the cave at 6am but since it was foggy we waited until 8am. After breakfast Roger took the group to different attractions, went to a crystal field, they look good with pink sand, the pink sand abounds here very nice contrast to the dull dark and grey rocks, vegetation is everywhere, took fotos of the unusual plants and flowers
-fog come and go, next stop is the numbingly cold"jacuzzi" we had a swim, very cold! the group again did some meditation thing in the water, i went for a walk, i had enough of this weird stuff at this point, Junko is more keen to observe them and join once in a while, but not me.
-next Roger showed me diamond alley, under the pink sands he claims lots of diamonds were discovered here many years ago but since now its a Nacional Park, mining is prohibited, good! they have here yellow and green diamonds, apparently.
-elephant stone, we saw, and the shoes and other shapes
-vistas to see Brazil and Guyana from a distance but is cloudy and foggy, we had lunch at the sight where we were supposed to see Guyana from a distance, the clouds cleared a bit and we saw a river winding to the forest below, that is Guyana Roger exclaimed we took tons of fotos of course, the Guyanese side is lush forest, this tepui, Roraima is divided to 3 Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana share it, the markerstone is 18 kms away and seeing our group is very slow, Roger did not take us there.
-Roger took us to the highest point in Roraima, we have to climb up this rock, cool views from the top, we got back to camp quickly when rain threathened, we got rained on a bit, another very cold uncomfortable night, dinner at 5, bed at 6, very long night!

Day 5:

-16kms walk down to Rio Tek camp, the most challenging yet so far, we started at 630am, I was ahead of everyone, i did not wait for the guides i kept going. the path is clear and easy and i remember it well. Going down the mountain is tricky, it rained the night before and very slippery rocks, i was on my hands and butt most of the time. The lagrimas part was the toughest, water is streaming in your foot, very very slippery, i literally sat down part of the way, shorts getting wet, i didnt care, i puased here and had fresh drink of water, then continued on until i got to the forest and to the vista point where i can see the rest going down the rocky ramp.
-kept going, got very tired quickly, going down is faster but tougher, i have to pee and i have to laugh as my legs wobble as i go.
-i toughened it all out and 2 hours later I made it to the base camp, alone, no trekkers going up this day.slowly people arrived and we had lunch of soup and salad and bread, i begged for seconds as i was still starving.
-then walked again getting down was 4 kms, now the hard 12kms to Rio Trek, our muscles are sore by now and every movement hurts, especially going down hill, ow ow ow is all you hear from people. hot sun beating down on us, the path is very white dried mud, hurts my eyes. made it to the 1st river crossing i almost fell in the water current is strong, at the 2nd river crossing(Rio Tek) we stayed in the river, and i went for a swim and washed my clothes, the hot sun and rocks dried my clothes quickly, midges and sandflies biting us relentlessly. by now everyone is full of bites.
-rained a bit, the group that went to Kukenan arrived as well,4 of them split with us to go there, maximo said Roraima is better as he had done it before.
-meal was meager again no seconds, more to feed again, champagne for our last nite, luciernagas(fireflies)abound everywhere, what a sight and the big tepuis looming in the background with huge dark angry clouds above it

Day 6:

-good sleep, very tired, annoyed that the Venezolanos are very noisy, they got up early and starts talking in their tents,I got up and packed and again they were doing this Mayan ceremony thing, bathed in the warm morning sun, harnessing some power or whatever, good maybe they will walk faster this time.
-for me the toughest walk knowing this is the end, the sun is beating don on us again, binding white path did not help, kept going barely stopping, one stream i crossed met a dude with a shotgun! later i heard shots from the forest, he is hunting game!
-along the path near the park entrance, grasses were being burned, my legs are so tired, muscles achy, i struggled to go uphill, what a relief to finally make it at the park entrance, success!!tried to celebrate with cold beer but there was only tepid warm beer in the store so i skipped it.
-got on a 4wd all the way to Sta. Elena, Roger was nowhere in sight so we left without saying goodbye, 1st stop in Sta Elena a churrasco place and stuffed our tummies with real food, meat!!!!

Great experience i will never forget, well wroth the aches and pains to see this majestic tepui and surrounding environs, trully a lost world rediscovered.

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Photos

Amazing view atop Roraima
view from highest point in Roraima

Pink sands and fog
pink sand apparently rich with diamonds

Top of Roraima
sunrise before the descent

Unusual flower
flower

Day 1
Paraitepuy view

DAY 1
where we slept before the trek starts

Comments

[seba]

roraima
hi, i read you realtion about Roraima Trpui Trek - it's great!. I really whant to go there - it's in my way to Caracas. I'll be there in a week or so. My question is: is it posible to do it by your sefl - with out a guide (i;m quite experienced trekker). I have all equipment like tent and stove... I travel since january and this is my last 3 weeks - I allso running of the money and I can't affort for organized tour... Thanks for help ps great pictures!