Roraima sunrise

The table mountains, or tepuis, of the Guiana Shield, and in this case Roraima, are awesome to see from afar and up close, but to sit atop the highest of them all and see this, you have to stop and simply be silent to experience it.

This is but one of countless vistas atop Roraima, and it might be many days before it is clear like this, or it could be the very next morning. As these mountains are rainmakers, the clouds and thunderstorms could form in minutes and you will be utterly cold and lost here. In fact I was told two trekkers were lost and have never since been found. They never found their way out of the maze which this mountain top really is.

From afar these mountains look table-top flat and smooth, but it’s so far from reality. The landscape is incredibly rough, and what is an open landscape is suddenly a sheer cliff, a crevice or a cave and the only sign of human activities from the trekkers is a slightly lighter rock face in the few parts where the ground is such that most chose the same small patch of rock to walk on. You might think that all the shapes and sculpture-like rocks might be easy to guide by, but it is impossible – your brain tricks you in a second! Once another group came by, and I was amazed by how quickly their brightly colored bodies were completely absorbed by the landscape – which has no trees!

Last updated on 8 November 2024