The Guyana's Shield is formed by the oldest rocks of the planet. Millions of years of erosion have modelled the area as a plain crossed by rivers and spotted of isolated elevations. Most of these mountains, which are called "tepuy" by the natives, have also a plain top, and the plateau collects water from the copious rainfalls. When the water streams come to the borders, they form waterfalls that may approach one thousand metres high. The famous Angel Fall (979m) jumps from the Auyan Tepuy to form the highest waterfall in the World.

Tepuys are rocky structures covered by a dense tropical forest and separated by kilometres of flat forests and grasslands. These plains are known as the Venezuelan Gran Sabana. Reproductive isolation has made the flora and fauna of the tepuys evolve independently, giving rise to many unique varieties and endemic species. The Canaima National Park was created by the Venezuelan government in order to protect a piece of such an unique ecological system.

The Angel Fall is the main tourist attraction of the Park. It contributes to form the Churún river (the fall is called Churún Merú by natives), which joint the Carrao river a few kilometres downstream. Its base can be reached by sailing both rivers from the Canaima Camp, and the fall can be also watched from the air by flying over on a light aircraft. These flights offer excellent views of the numerous waterfalls of the Auyan Tepuy, and bring also people to the other face of the mountain to spend the journey in a beautiful place called Kavac.

Going up the Carrao and Chrún rivers to the base of the Angel Fall is a comfortable and wonderful adventure that make you spend two nights into the wild forest. Once you have reached the brook coming from the base of the fall, you have to walk up to the lowest waterfall for around one hour. The Fall got its present name from the American pilot Jimmie Angel, who made an emergency landing with his light aircraft on the plateau of the Auyan Tepuy in 1937, when he was searching gold in the area. The Fall had been, in fact, discovered by the rubber prospector Mr Ernesto Sánchez 27 years ago, but the name of the pilot imposed. When flying over the deep Churún river valley, one can see that the Angel Fall is just one of the several, spectacular waterfalls jumping from the top of the Auyan Tepuy to feed the river.

A four or five days trip to Canaima is very easy to arrange. Just come to the domestic terminal of the Maiquetía airport and contract the trip with any of the several agencies that will offer it to you on place. If your pocket is full enough, the best choice to stay at the Canaima Camp is the hotel managed by AVENSA, the main Venezuelan air company at present, which consist of pretty bungalows placed into the forest and close to the beaches of the Canaima lagoon.