Top 10 waterfalls of Guyana

In the eastern Venezuela, Guyana and very north of Brazil are located numerous spectacular waterfalls, including the tallest waterfall in the world – Angel Falls.

There is no other place in the world similar to this spectacular realm of waterfalls. This place has its own specific, unique foundation – Roraima Formation.

Roraima Formation

Very very long ago – 1.6 – 1.8 billion years ago (in fact no human can comprehend such span of time) – in the area of present-day Guyana was deposited sand and silt. Such sedimentation takes place under the water – in seas and oceans.

Sedimentation lasted for a very long time and several kilometers thick layer accumulated. Now, this formation is up to 1,800 m thick, it takes some 160 000 – 200 000 km² large area. It has been compressed for many millions of years, forming a very solid, resistant sandstone and conglomerate rock.

Uplift

As time went by, the former sea became dry land. The area was uplifted to one height – and the sea washed away part of Roraima Formation, forming larger and smaller islands. Then it was uplifted upwards again – and the whole area was above the sea.

Layers of Roraima Formation are strictly horizontal and erosion here created spectacular vertical walls, which often are more than 1 km high.

Most likely the last uplift was in Oligocene – more than 20 million years ago. Since then the life on these isolated flatlands – tepuis – is developing without much contact with the outside world.

Rain and rivers

The climate of Guyana is very hot and very humid. As a result, much of the land is covered with dense forest, and everywhere are flowing powerful rivers. The name Guiana reportedly originates from indigenous people and means “the land of waters”.

Mountains and summits of tepuis are no exception to this. These highlands are large enough to have their own microclimate and their own rivers.

“Bridal veils” and rapids

Sooner or later each of these rivers reaches the rim of the plateau and – down it goes! Often the water is falling down without touching the cliff and vaporizes before hitting the ground.

Most plateaus are not big enough to form large rivers. Due to this from the sky-high sandstone walls are falling just small streams, forming waterfalls of the “bridal veil” type. The number of such waterfalls increases multiple times after heavy rain.

Down, in the plains of Guyana, rivers become very large. The mighty Essequibo before its delta becomes 6 km wide!

On these wide rivers also have formed numerous waterfalls and rapids – but these falls are low – most frequently just a pair of meters high.

Guyana

In Guyana are located more than 300 major waterfalls and rapids as well as countless smaller falls.

Most tourists see just two of these falls – the breathtaking Kaieteur and much smaller Orinduik Falls.

Other waterfalls of Guyana are well hidden from occasional travelers. Well – this is the 21st century – but in Guyana, the pristine forest still covers most of the country and countless waterfalls are not available to hasty tourists, and quite a few most likely have not been visited by anyone at all.

Kaieteur

A waterfall that is both very tall and very wide, is a rarity even in Guyana.

An outstanding waterfall – one of the best in the world – is Kaieteur. This magnificent landmark is a lucky coincidence – it is 251 m tall (!!!), 113 m wide, has one single plunge over a cliff overhang. And last but not least – it is located in a breathtaking, pristine setting.

Different kinds of catfish live above Kaieteur Falls and below the falls. Below the falls lives Lithogenes villosus but upstream – two extremely rare endemic fishes Corymbophanes andersoni and Corymbophanes kaiei. Genetic analysis shows that these fishes are isolated since the Oligocene. (1) Thus we can make a vague assumption that Kaieteur exists for more than 20 million years!!!

Other giant waterfalls

Several more waterfalls of Guyana are very impressive. The 190 m tall and 60 m wide Kumerau Falls sometimes are dubbed "the other Kaieteur". King Edward VIII Falls represent a fantastic 256 m tall drop of an approximately 15 m wide stream. Oshi Falls (214 m tall and some 30 m wide) and Kamarang Great Falls (160 m tall and approximately 46 m wide) represent an unforgettable sight.

History and present time

Surprisingly little is known about the history of Guyana before the coming of Europeans. This land was (and still is) inhabited by Caribs and Arawaks. Caribs were fiercely resisting the invaders, thus making this part of South America far less attractive to outsiders.

Unfortunately the epidemics, which were brought by whites, killed many indigenous people. A huge amount of knowledge about this land is lost.

Royal place names

One of the big losses is the lack of indigenous place names. In some places they have been preserved – Kaieteur is definitely a local name.

Europeans though started another trend in the naming of local waterfalls. Several large falls in Guyana were named after the members of the British Royal Family from the 1920ies – 1930ies. These falls were discovered from airplanes – well, this also eliminates any possibility to ask locals for their names.

Today some of these names are just clumsy and cause much confusion – but here they are, a living part of Guyanese history.

Thus most people are confused to learn that there are King Edward VIII Falls and King George VII Falls – and both are very different and far from each other.

Gold, diamonds and energy

Nevertheless white people penetrated the jungle of Guyana step by step. Starting from the 1960ies whites occasionally can be met almost everywhere. More adventurous and desperate ones are lured by diamonds and gold, which are found throughout a major part of the country.

Since the 1970s though another resource is eyed by large companies and government – the unharnessed hydropower. Elsewhere in the world, this is done – Norway, the United States, and many other countries have exchanged their waterfalls against cheap and… well, clean energy. Guyana still hasn’t done this. Amaila Falls might be the first victim in this trend.

Wilderness

Happily most of Guyana has seen little or no influence of human activities. There still are thousands of square kilometers of intact rainforest and hundreds of untamed waterfalls. Experienced wanderers need weeks to get to distant places and – some places have not been reached yet.

Very few waterfalls have been measured in nature and there are possible significant changes in numbers if proper research would be done someday.

Other pretenders to Top-10 list?

It is well possible that there are many enormous waterfalls that had to be on the top-10 list – but are not there because these are little known. See yourselves: in the upper reaches of Karowrieng at 5.721058 N 60.110958 W could be located more than 300 m tall waterfall, in the upper reaches of Purupuruni at 5.397516 N 59.705156 W – a similar very tall waterfall. A very impressive gorge starts with an enormous waterfall at 5.445346 N 59.752610 W. There are many, many more places like these.

References and links

1. James S. Albert; Roberto E. Reis. Historical Biogeography of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes. 2011.

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