Mount Roraima
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Mount Roraima (known as Cerro Roraima in Spanish, Monte Roraima in Portuguese), marks the border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, although more than three quarters of the mountain is in Venezuelan territory. It is the highest mountain in Guyana, but Venezuela and Brazil have higher mountains. The triple border point on the summit is at 5°12'08N, 60°44'07W.
With a peak at 2,810 metres (9,219 feet), the mountain is the highest of Venezuela's distinctive table-top mountains, known as tepuis.
Roraima lies on the Guiana Shield in the southeastern corner of Venezuela's 30,000 km² Canaima National Park, which is roughly located in the Gran Sabana region. The tabletop 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 about 2,500 metres (8,200 feet), making it the highest point for distance of 549.44 kilometres (341.48 miles) in any direction. The nearest peak that is taller 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 December 1884 to scale the strangely wind-and-water sculpted plateau. This is the same route hikers take today.
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.
Since long before the arrival of European explorers in Venezuela the mountain has held a special significance for the indigenous people of the region and it is central to many of their myths and legends. The Pemon Indians of the Gran Sabana see Roraima as the stump of a mighty tree that once held all the fruits and tuberous vegetables in the world. Felled by one of their ancestors, the tree crashed to the ground, unleashing a terrible flood. "Roroi" in the Pemon language means blue-green and "ma" means great.
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 Pemon Indian guide in the village of Paraitepui, which is reached by dirt road from the main Gran Sabana road between Km 88 and Santa Elena de Uairen. 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 can 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 and night on top of the mountain, making five days in total. Longer treks can reach the northern portion of the tepui, with less explored and more intriguing sites such as Lake Gladys, although this offers more dangers than its more popular southern part and should only be attempted by well-supplied groups.
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: 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.