Kaieteur Falls

I tend to think of Kaieteur Falls as that "in between" waterfall that doesn't quite have the width and power of the Big 3 (Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls, and Niagara Falls) nor the height of the tallest waterfalls in the world (e.g. Angel Falls or Yosemite Falls). Still, it's taller, wider, and more powerful than most other waterfalls in the world and definitely ought to get more props than it presently gets.

But perhaps more impressive than its size is the fact that it sits in a nearly pristine rainforest atop an ancient plateau known as the Guyana Shield. What we've learned that's so special about this geological quirk is that it's said to be the oldest layer of rock on the earth's surface at 2.99 billion years.

We got to witness some rare wildlife such as the dimunitive golden frog and a type of plant that attracts and digests insects (no wonder why the area seemed devoid of biting insects!) though the forest also supports jaguars, numerous birds, and even monkeys as well as a multitude of bromeliads and other plant species.

Indeed, we didn't see any signs of civilization (including roads) around the waterfall itself except for a few buildings and a tiny airstrip nearby its top. So it's perhaps the closest thing to seeing a reasonably accessible waterfall in its most natural settings as you can get these days.

There is some human habitation in the area by the native Amerindians. In fact, Kaieteur Falls is said to be named after an Amerindian chief by the name of "Kai" who gave his life by canoeing over the falls. Apparently he did this in order to protect his tribe from a rival Carib tribe by means of divine intervention (i.e. I guess the Great Spirit would intervene if Chief Kai sacrificed himself). The word "teur" means falls in the native Amerindian language.

So you may ask how do you go about seeing this world wonder?

Unfortunately, with all things that are worthwhile in life, you'll have to earn it. I've put up a pair of supplemental pages to give you an idea of how we had to handle the logistics of visiting the falls...

• When to go
• How to get there

Finally, there are a few ways you can experience this waterfall. The most common way (which is the way we did it and is explained in one of the links above) is to do this as part of a day tour out of Georgetown, Guyana. It's gonna involve flying so it's not exactly an eco-friendly means of getting here but there are few other options given how untouched the Potaro Plateau is. There are also multi-day tours (minimum of 3 or 4 days) concentrating on the falls involving some boat travel towards the rarely-visited base of the falls as well as a strenuous trek to the top of the falls.

Directions: Since we did this as part of a tour, we'll punt you over to this link so you can get a sense of the logistics involved to experience this waterfall.

Below are some photos we've taken of the mighty Kaieteur Falls from the various viewpoints near its top as part of a typical day tour.

[Back to top]

PHOTOS OF THE FALLS

Some waterfall we noticed during the flight

Walking towards the end of the runway where the short walk begins

View from Boy Scout's View - so named because local boy scout troops were initiated only after hiking from the bottom to the top of the falls and the trail ended at this viewpoint.

Walking through a little bit of forest to get to the next overlook

View from Rainbow View, the next viewpoint in the procession of viewpoints.

An overhanging rock near the brink of the falls

How's that for a photo op?

This is how it looks like when you're lying down on the table rock and looking at the misty base of the falls

Right at the brink of the falls

This was the twin prop plane we flew in

[Back to top]

WHERE IS THE WATERFALL?

View Larger Map

TRIP REPORTS

• August 30, 2008 to September 1, 2008

GUIDEBOOKS / OTHER RESOURCES

NEARBY WATERFALLS

• Orinduik Falls

Have You Been To This Waterfall?

Share your experience!

Click here to see visitor comments for this waterfall

Click here to see visitor comments for other waterfalls that we've visited in this region

Click here to go to the Comments Main Page

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...