One of the world’s great waterfalls which receives little international acclaim is located deep in the rain forest of Guyana in South America. The easiest way to access these falls is via a small prop plane that ferries passengers from Ogle Airport (about a 20 or 30 minute drive outside of the center of Georgetown). The flight is about an hour – weather permitting, pilots will circle by these great falls from several angles before landing on the short and slightly rutted paved runway next to the visitor center at Kaieteur National Park.
These impressive falls are the worlds largest single drop falls (based on volume of water spilling over the top). The falls measure 226 meters (741 feet) from the top to the bottom. The falls are part of the Potaro River which eventually flows into the Essequibo River – one of the longest rivers in all of South America.
Several viewpoints are located on top of the cliffs across from the falls. Short trails lead to the viewpoints from the National Park visitor center – visitors will be accompanied by several staff as they hike to the viewpoints. Unlike at other famous falls which have protective railings there are no guard railings at any of the view points. And with the rocks often slick from either mist from the falls or the ubiquitous rain showers (after all this is a rain forest), one must exercise *extreme caution* when standing anywhere near the edge of the cliff.
And one should keep a sharp eye out for the Golden Rocket Frog – a tiny golden yellow and orange colored frog that spends its entire life living in a specific ground rooted bromeliad plant. This plant traps water from rainstorms which the frogs use to lay their eggs – the tadpoles then use the plant’s ‘catch basin’.
We used Dagron Tours to arrange our visit; they are based in Georgetown. They will coordinate all logistics of this trip including pickup and drop off at your hotel. For more information and or to book a trip to the falls with them, visit: www.dagron-tours.com
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