Moon over Mount Roraima.

Climbing Mount Roraima - Part 3

I climbed Roraima during the rainy season. It was, indeed, raining a lot, and I had clear views on only a few occasions. But I found the place much more interesting during bad weather: the endless variety of light, sky, fog was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Also, there's more flowers during the rainy season.

Morning at the base of Mt. Roraima.

The cliffs of Roraima.

The cliffs look inaccessible from below, but in reality the mountain can be climbed by any person who is in reasonably good shape, is not afraid of heights or cold rain, and has good shoes. I used leather sandals, but most people prefer hiking boots.

Satyria carnosiflora, Roraima.

The cliffs of Roraima.

Waterfall, Roraima.

The trail traverses the cliffs along a steep, narrow ledge, where you have to walk through a few large waterfalls. As the wind shifts, they fall on the trail in different places, so you can try to avoid getting soaked by running away from them - it's a lot of fun.

Waterfall, Roraima.

Views from the base of the cliffs.

Vegetation at the base of the cliffs, Roraima.	These cliffs are said to have the highest diversity of mosses in the world.	Cliff vegetation, Roraima.
	Mosses around a waterfall.
	There are also a few tiny flowering plants endemic to the cliff waterfalls of Roraima.

Cliffs of Roraima.

Cetraria lichen, Roraima.

Surprisingly, many slopes and cliff faces at higher elevations are covered with lush carpets of fruticose lichens. Some places look almost like Arctic tundra or the floor of a boreal pine forest.

Cetraria lichen, Roraima.

Cetraria lichen, Roraima.

Cetraria lichen growing at the base of a fern, Roraima.

Lichens seem to prefer drier places. If you are going to camp away from tourist trails on Roraima, a place with a lot of lichens might be a good choice - it probably doesn't get that much fog.

Cetraria lichen, Roraima.

Tepui lizards (Euspondylus leucostictus), Roraima.

Foliose lichen, Roraima.

Such relatively dry places shelter another surprise - large tepui lizards. They only show up in sunny weather, and are difficult to find during the rainy season. They are the only reptiles occurring above 2000 m on Roraima and Kukenan. They feed on large insects.

Tepui lizard, Roraima.

Oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis) in a cave, Roraima.

The last waterfall before reaching the plateau, Roraima.

The upper parts of the cliffs are used for nesting by numerous birds. Every morning, huge flocks of tepui parrotlets and tepui swifts fly from the cliffs to surrounding lowlands to feed. Oilbirds fly out at dusk and return at dawn. Peregrine falcons hunt them all.

View of the last campsite from the upper part of the cliff, Roraima.

View from the highest point of Roraima.

The edge of the plateau, Roraima.

Finally, you reach the top. The trail climbs over the rim within a short walk from Roraima's highest point - a pile of huge boulders at the very edge of the plateau. This is probably the best place on the face of the planet for silent meditation.

The edge of the plateau, Roraima.

View from the highest point of Roraima.

View from the edge of the plateau, Roraima.

As you sit on the edge, dangling your feet in the abyss and watching the clouds fly into your face, you feel like you are flying an airplane with no windshield.

Rock formations at the edge of the plateau, Roraima.

Views from the summit of Roraima.

The edge of the plateau, Roraima.

Once you've had enough of the view and the wind, you can turn to the magic world of the plateau itself... and it's unlike anything you have seen before.

Nightfall at the edge of the plateau, Roraima.

Clouds rising up the cliffs, Roraima.

Part 4. The Plateau

Back to Part 2