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Oshi Falls
In short
Oshi Falls are some of the most spectacular falls in the world – but few people manage to see them.
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Map of the site
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In detail
This waterfall represents a single, 214 m tall, vertical plunge adorning a broad cliff amphitheater. The landscape here still is covered with pristine rainforest.
Paul A. Zahl and G.T. Chislett
Most likely the first white men to reach this (and the nearby Kamarang Falls which have similar size) waterfall were the young American entomologist and physician Paul A. Zahl and English diamond prospector G. T. Chislett in 1938.
Zahl wrote the book “To The Lost World”, describing their adventures in the spectacular highlands of Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil. Later he became a prominent author, writing many articles for geography magazines and taking great pictures of the natural world.
Erroneous height estimate
Zahl and Chislett made a mistake when estimating the height of Oshi Falls (he wrote – “Utshi Falls”). They dropped large stones and counted seconds while these stones were falling – and calculated that falls are some 1600 feet (some 490 m) tall. (2) Thus Oshi Falls was listed among the tallest waterfalls of the world and often mentioned in different almanacs and books of records.
“Lost Worlds” expedition
In May 2014 an expedition reached the falls. It was organized by a team of explorers and companies, including Bosie Vincent, Patrick Greaves, and broadcast production company “Electric Sky Productions”, with the participation of Monty Halls and Leo Houlding. The aim of the expedition was to produce a new “Discovery” channel series named “Lost Worlds” depicting some of the least explored areas of the world. Vicinities of Oshi Falls definitely fall into this category.
Patrick Greaves writes: “The area was absolutely incredible, truly untouched. However, the falls were far more challenging than we initially predicted. The area around the base simulated conditions close to a hurricane and was truly ferocious and the rock which formed the waterfall was new to even the climbers, like shale rock it was thin and broke away easily. This made climbing extremely dangerous and eventually, we abandoned this attempt and instead descended down from the top in order to see what life lived around the cliff.”
“We measured the falls at being 214 meters in height. The initial view of the falls is slightly misleading and almost forms a natural illusion due to the rock contour lines which create an overhanging cliff face. Our estimates were based on rope lengths, calculations by clinometers, and the use of an altimeter which was calibrated before use.”
Wondermondo expresses sincere gratitude to Patrick Greaves for the information and images!
References
- World Waterfall Database. Oshi, Salto Accessed on 23 March 2012
- Paul Zahl. Two Waterfalls in British Guiana. The Geographical Journal, Vol 93, No 6, 1939.
- Personal e-mail from the son of G.T. Chislett, 12 December 2020.
Images
- Living Sculpture by Bruce J. Morgan. Utchi Falls, Accessed on 1 April 2012
Oshi Falls are included in the following list:
Linked articles
Top 10 waterfalls in Guyana
In Guyana are located more than 300 major waterfalls and rapids as well as countless smaller falls.
Wondermondo offers a list of the 10 most impressive of them.
Wonders of Guyana
In future Guyana may bring many positive surprises – this country is little explored and may hide unique natural monuments unknown to the people. For the most part, Guyana consists of unspoiled nature – extensive expanses of tropical forests, savannah, and mountains.
Waterfalls
Some of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring natural monuments are waterfalls or locations where a river abruptly changes its elevation.
Recommended books
Navigators Travel to Guyana
Navigators Travel to Guyana is the follow up to Navigators Travel to Barbados written by Howard Liverpool. This time our intrepid explorers travel to Guyana and learn about the history and geography of the country. They also sample some of the local cuisines and have a scary encounter with a ram sheep.
Natural Wonders of the World
From the Rocky Mountains to the Great barrier Reef and everything in between, Natural Wonders of the World combines breathtaking landscape photography and illustrations with 3-D terrain models and other explanatory artworks to reveal what lies beneath the surface and explain the geological processes to show how the features were formed. Plants and animals that inhabit each environment are also included, making Natural Wonders of the World a complete celebration of our world.
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