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Orinduik Falls
In short
There have formed several beautiful waterfalls on Ireng River. The best known are Orinduik Falls. This 25 m tall and more than 150 m wide waterfall falls over a semiprecious gemstone – red jasper.
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GPS coordinates
Location, address
Name in Portuguese
Height
Width
Map of the site
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In detail
Northernmost river in Amazon basin
Ireng River (also Maú River) is the northernmost large river in the Amazon basin. This basin extends just some 70 km to the north of Orinduik Falls, while the giant Amazon itself is flowing some 700 km south from the falls.
Ireng flows through vast savannas and has formed a wide, picturesque valley in Pakaraima Mountains not far from the famous Roraima Plateau. There have formed numerous waterfalls and smaller steps in this river – thus, a beautiful waterfall is located near Uiramutã some 20 km further down the stream but some 40 km to the north is located the magnificent, approximately 100 m tall Kurutuik Falls.
Jasper falls
Orinduik waterfall has formed on sturdy rocks of pure, red jasper – a beautiful ornamental stone. This is not unique – rather many waterfalls in this part of South America have formed on this stone.
The true size of falls can be appreciated from the air. River has many steps before and after the falls. Falls themselves have three major steps and numerous smaller ones. Steps have complex configuration, with an island in the middle.
Name of waterfall originates from a local Carib (possibly – Patamona) name ("orin" or similar word) – which in turn is a name to a plant which grows in the rocks in the stream.
Tourist attractions
The visit to Orinduik Falls often is bundled with a visit to the much more impressive Kaieteur. After the visit to this unforgettable but unaccessible waterfall tourists come to the much smaller Orinduik Falls. Here they are allowed to walk on the steps and bathe in the warm, refreshing water. Water is dark colored by dissolved tannin.
Visitors though should be very careful – rocks are very slippery.
References
- Johnny T. Cheng, World of Waterfalls, Orinduik Falls Accessed on 1 April 2012
Orinduik Falls are included in the following articles:
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.
Waterfalls
Some of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring natural monuments are waterfalls or locations where a river abruptly changes its elevation.
Wonders of South America
There is little doubt – South America is one of the most spectacular… maybe the most spectacular continent of the world.
There is located the second-highest mountain chain in the world, the largest rainforest, the tallest volcanoes, and the tallest and largest waterfalls. The highest biological diversity in the world is reached somewhere near the eastern ranges of the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, or Colombia.
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
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