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 South
American Waterfalls
Angel
Falls or Salto Angel is the world's highest free-falling
waterfall at 3,212 feet with an uninterrupted drop of 2,647
feet. It is located on an unnamed tributary of the Rio
Caroni, in the Canaima National Park, Venezuela.
Although
first sighted in the early 20th century by the explorer
Ernesto de Santa Cruz, the waterfall was not known to the
world until its official discovery by the American aviator,
James Crawford Angel, on a flight whilst searching for gold.
Angel was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1899. The falls
are currently named "Angel Falls" after him;
interestingly enough, the indigenous name for the falls was
"Devil's Mouth".
The
official height was determined by a National Geographic
Society survey in 1949. David Mott's book, Angels Four,
chronicles the first successful climb up the face of Auyan
Tepui (Devil's Mountain) to the top of the falls. The falls
are one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions.
Getting
there: Angel Falls is located in the wilderness of
Venezuela, and a trip to the falls is not easy or cheap. An
air flight is required. Trips are sold in a package for two
people. The package includes a jet flight from Caracas to a
wilderness retreat where meals and boarding for the night is
provided. The next day a DC 3 plane takes visitors to see
the falls. The falls cannot be seen on clouded days, and
there is no guarantee a visitor will see them. During the
winter there is very little water and the sight is not at
all as spectacular as those seen in most photos. The entire
trip usually takes 24 hours.
The
Cuquenan Falls (also spelt Kukenaam and similar) at
2,000-feet in a single drop, are amongst the
10-highest free-leaping waterfalls in the world. They are
located on a tributary of the Arabopo River, which rises on
the Cuquenan Plateau, at Mata Hui, near the borders of
Venezuela and Brazil
 Iguazu
Falls (Portuguese: Cataratas do Iguaçu, Spanish: Cataratas
del Iguazú IPA [ig wa'su]) are waterfalls of the Iguaçu
River located on the border of the Brazilian state of
Paraná (in the Southern Region) and the Argentinian
Province of Misiones.
The
Falls are shared between the Iguazú National Park
(Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). The parks
were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1986
respectively.
Most
of the falls are within Argentinian territory, but from the
Brazilian side a more panoramic view is obtained.
The
falls are located near the following cities:
Foz
do Iguaçu, a major city located in the Brazilian state of
Paraná
Puerto
Iguazú, a city located in the Argentinian province of
Misiones.
The
name comes from the Guarani words y (water) and guasu (big).
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