Kaieteur Falls. A Visit to an Icon

A VISIT TO AN ICON "There's Kaieteur," said Tony, pointing to a small glimmer on the horizon. Even through the clouds at 10,000 feet, the small speck of silver sparkled against an otherwise green canvas.  Within ten minutes, our small plane was circling over one of Guyana's most renowned natural icons. From above Kaieteur Falls is breath-taking. A quiet ribbon of river cuts through the forest before fanning out, dropping off a sheer cliff, kicking up a cloud of mist and continuing its journey through a dramatic valley. Besides the awe-inspiring spectacle itself, what impressed me was the sheer isolation of the falls. There were no roads. There were no buildings. There were no people. Just these magnificent falls in the midst of a dense forest. I honestly had no idea where the pilot was going to land the plane. A few minutes later, an airstrip did appear (whew!). Our small group deplaned and entered the Kaieteur National Park welcome center. (Okay, there was a building, I just hadn't seen it.) From there we walked to the end of the runway, and continued onto a sandy path that led into the forest. Two red and green macaws went screeching through the treetops. After an easy 10-minute hike, we clambered up a boulder, and found ourselves on a clearing, Johnson's View. We had an unobstructed view of the magnificent falls. At over 740 feet, Kaieteur is one of the tallest single-drop falls in the world. It is four times taller than Niagara. Five times. Our group snapped millions—okay, a lot—of photos, and otherwise soaked in the enormity of the scene. About 200 yards to our right, the falls. To our left, the Potaro River winding its way through a verdant valley. Directly below us…well, I didn't want to look. Our next stop was the Boy Scouts' View. Now the falls were only about 100 yards away, and the roar of the cascading water, as well as the cooling mist, were even more present. Again, a multitude of photos. Finally, we hiked to the Rainbow View, which is right at the top of the falls. At this short range, you could virtually shake hands with the falls. I walked up the river bank before the falls. The river seemed surprisingly calm, gently gliding toward, quite literally, its downfall. A sign advised no swimming. Good idea.   Tony, our guide, said it was possible to reach Kaieteur Falls by hiking up from the valley below. It's about a three-day hike, and the final ascent is pretty demanding. I'll stick with the one-hour plane ride from Georgetown, thank you. I should point out that, aside from a small group boarding a plane when we arrived and a handful of workers at the welcome center, we did not see another soul during our entire time at the falls. It's one thing to visit a jaw-dropping, mind-boggling, description-defying national landmark. It's another to have it all to yourself. The visit to Kaieteur Falls made a deep impression on everyone in our group. It felt less like an excursion, and more like a privilege—a rare opportunity to come face-to-face with a true, unspoiled natural wonder. Much like Guyana itself. By Hank S. A recent Guyana visitor FEATURED ITINERARY Kaieteur Hiking Adventure This 3-day adventure will have you taking river boats, 4x4's and ultimately have you hiking up from the Potaro River gorge to arrive at the splendor of Kaieteur Falls—with plenty of fascinating stops along the way. SEE FULL ITINERARY GUYANA IN THE NEWS Guyana Named #1 "Best of Ecotourism": "The newly created "Best of Ecotourism" category was added this year and put Guyana up against very well-known and experienced ecotourism destinations like Sierra Gorda in Mexico, Tmatboey in Cambodia and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador." Travel & Leisure is as impressed with Kaieteur Falls as we are: "One of the World's Most Beautiful Waterfalls Is Tucked Away in the Amazon — and It's Four Times Taller Than Niagara Falls." Forbes suggests you Take your Tastebuds to Guyana "Guyanese cuisine represents a vast array of global influence including Chinese, Portuguese, British, African, East Indian, Amerindian and Creole, with herbs and spices used to adapt dishes for a distinctly Guyanese result." CNN Travel's Most Extreme Tour's With Wild Animals comes to Guyana: "Described as everything from water dogs and super-sized weasels to river puppies, the rapidly vanishing giant river otter can be found in one of its last South American refuges, Guyana's Karanambu. The carnivorous river otter can grow to the length of a human."