Angel Falls

The tops of the tepuis are high above the forest.

Some plants grow up there and nowhere else in the world. Monkeys, jaguars and sloths live on the lower slopes. Lizards and snakes live up high too.

Because the tepuis rise so high above the rainforest, their tops are like islands in the sky. NASA says some plants and animals live on them and nowhere else on Earth. About one-third of the plants on the mountains are endemic, which means they grow only there.

Lower down, on the slopes, live mammals such as monkeys, jaguars, pumas, sloths and several kinds of bats. Snakes, iguanas and lizards are found on the summits and slopes. UNESCO's description of the park also names giant anteaters, giant armadillos, giant otters and margays, a small wild cat.

Isolation has made the tepui summits biological islands. NASA's Earth Observatory (2019) reports that about one-third of the vegetation on the mountains is endemic, and that the lower slopes host monkeys, jaguars, pumas, sloths and several bat species, while snakes, iguanas and lizards occur on summits and slopes. JAXA (2010) attributes the unique summit ecosystems to their ancient isolation from the forest floor, with endemic plants, insects and animals, some of them probably still undiscovered.

UNESCO's page for Canaima (in its Dutch description) lists birds, reptiles and amphibians and six mammals of note, among them the giant anteater, giant armadillo, giant otter and margay. UNESCO inscribed the park under all four natural criteria, including (ix) and (x) for its ecological processes and biodiversity.

Auyán-tepui has long caves inside it.

Scientists found a big cave there in 2013. It has rivers running through it. Some caves in tepuis have tiny living things no one had seen before.

Like many tepuis, Auyán-tepui is full of caves. In 2013 researchers found one of the longest caves in quartz sandstone in the world here. It is called Imawarì Yeuta, and NASA says it has three entrances, three rivers and at least 22 kilometers of tunnels.

NASA explains that water wears away caves in quartz sandstone less easily, and that caves like this form slowly, perhaps over tens of millions of years. In other tepui caves, researchers have found new minerals, new kinds of bacteria and blind fish.

NASA's Earth Observatory reports that Auyán-tepui contains extensive cave systems, and that in 2013 researchers discovered Imawarì Yeuta, one of the longest quartzite cave systems in the world, with three entrances, three rivers and at least 22 km (14 miles) of tunnels. The discovery was published by Sauro and colleagues in the 2013 International Congress of Speleology proceedings, which NASA cites.

Because they run through quartz sandstone, NASA explains, tepui caves are less susceptible to water erosion, and they form slowly, perhaps over tens of millions of years. In other tepui caves across the region, researchers have discovered new minerals, new species of bacteria and blind fish.

Angel Falls is far away, deep in a big park.

Visitors go with local Pemón guides who know the way. Park rangers look after the forest. Take only pictures, and leave every plant where it grows.

Angel Falls is remote. JAXA describes the Guiana Highlands as one of the places on Earth where people can hardly set foot, and the area is cloudy most of the time, so a clear view is rare. Venezuela's national parks institute, INPARQUES, says that guides from Pemón Indigenous communities are the only guides authorized for trips to Angel Falls, and that visitors reach its base by dugout canoe on the Churún River.

The park needs protecting. In 2025 UNESCO's World Heritage Committee welcomed Venezuela's stronger ranger presence, a new ranger station, continued patrols, education programs and an agreement between INPARQUES and two Indigenous communities. It also raised concerns about fires, forest loss and illegal mining, and asked for a plan to manage the growing number of visitors, including stopping them from spreading plants and animals that do not belong there.

In its 2025 decision on Canaima, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee appreciated the strengthened presence of park rangers, a new ranger station, continued surveillance patrols, education programs and a cooperation agreement between INPARQUES (the national parks institute) and two Indigenous communities. It noted with concern continued forest degradation and deforestation, recurring fires, and some illegal mining inside the property, and urged an integrated fire prevention and management strategy that addresses drivers such as small-scale agriculture and recurring droughts.

Noting rising visitor numbers, the Committee asked Venezuela to implement a tourism management strategy that protects the park's values and to report on how it prevents, detects and responds to invasive species that more tourism may spread. INPARQUES describes the visitor side: Pemón community guides are the only guides authorized for expeditions to Angel Falls, and the trip to its base is made by dugout canoe (curiara) on the Churún River. Visitors can do their part by bringing no plants or animals into the park. JAXA adds that the region is cloudy most of the time, so a clear view of the falls is never guaranteed.