Mount Roraima

Mount Roraima, also known as Cerro Roraima, Pico do Roraima, or simply Roraima is, at 2739 metres (8986 feet), the world's highest tepui (tabletop mountain). It is shared by Venezuela, Brazil's Roraima state, and Guyana. It is the highest elevation in Guyana, though Venezuela and Brazil have taller mountains.

Roraima is a sandstone plateau rising above the surrounding savannah and forest; it marks the "Triple Point" where the borders of Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil converge. It lies in the southeastern corner of Venezuela's 30,000 km² Canaima National Park in La Gran Sabana. The table mountains of the park are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to the Precambrian Era, some two billion years ago.

The average height of the plateau is around 2,500 metres (8,200 feet), making it the highest point for 549.44 kilometres (341.48 miles). The nearest taller neighbor is Cerro Marahuaca (to the West-SouthWest). Despite the fact the steep sides of the plateau make it difficult to access, it was the first major tepui to be climbed: Sir Everard im Thurn walked up a forested ramp in 1884 to scale the strangely wind-and-water sculpted plateau.

It is thought that the reports from early Victorian expeditions to the mountain inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write his classic adventure yarn, The Lost World, in 1912 - now made into countless films.

Climbing routes

Today, Mount Roraima is a destination for backpackers. Almost all who go up the mountain approach it from the Venezuelan side. Most hikers hire a guide in the nearby village of Paraitepui, Venezuela. Although the path to reach the plateau is well marked and popularly traveled, it is easy to get lost on top of the mountain as there are few distinct trails and the near constant cloud cover on top makes visual references problematic. Paraitepui means "to the tepui". It is a short distance off a paved highway and it may be reached easily by four wheel drive vehicle, with great difficulty by car if the unpaved road conditions are unusually fine, or by foot in about a day. From Paraitepui, most hikers take one day to reach the base of the mountain, and then another day to follow "La Rampa" a natural staircase-like path, up to the top. Another two days are typically needed for the return, and many people spend one day on top of the mountain for five days total. Longer treks can reach the northern portion of the tepuy, which less explored and more intriguing sites such as lake Gladys, although offering more dangers than its more popular southern part.

The only non-technical route to the top is the Paraitepui route; any other approach will involve climbing gear. The mountain has been climbed from the Guyana and Brazil sides but these are technical rock climbing routes, and also require authorizations for entering national parks in the respective countries.

Plant life

One third of the species of plant life on Roraima evolved there and are unique to the plateau. Roraima is one of the harshest environments for life in the world. It rains almost every day of the year. Almost the entire surface is bare sandstone rock and it is extremely difficult for plant roots to get a hold. Plants do suffer consequences due to the high rainfall as most of the nutrients that are present in the soil are washed away by torrents that cascade over the edge, forming some of the highest waterfalls in the world. Many plants became carnivorous due to this nutrient deficiency . Such types of plant are the marsh pitcher, some sundew species, and bladderwort.

References

Clementi, C. (1916). A Journey to the Summit of Mount Roraima. The Geographical Journal, vol. XLVIII, July to December 1916, pp. 456-473.
Im Thurn, E.F. (1885). The Ascent of Mount Roraima. Proceedings of the Royal Geographic Society VII: 497-521.
Tate, G.H.H. (1930). Notes on Mount Roraima Region. The Geographical Review 20(1):53-68.

External links

Monte Roraima on SummitPost.org
Monte Raraima on Peakbagger.com
TheLostWorld, with more about Mount Roraima and Canaima National Park