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Paradise Falls<\/h1>\n
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Written and translated by Jorge Luis Guti\u00e9rrez<\/p>\n
Quito, Ecuador<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
In 2009, the movie Up<\/em> premiered, featuring a protagonist who dreamed of visiting Paradise Falls. To make this dream come true, he lifts his house using thousands of helium-filled balloons and sets off on a fantastic flight. What few people know is that these falls were inspired by Angel Falls, located in Venezuela<\/strong>. After watching the movie, I felt deeply inspired. I didn\u2019t use balloons, but I did use a plane ticket to embark on my own adventure.<\/p>\n Arrival at the Camp<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n To reach Canaima National Park, where the falls are located, access is only possible by air. I flew from Caracas and, in just over an hour, traveled the 648 kilometers (km) that separate the city from this magical place.<\/p>\n From the airplane, you can already see a massive tepuy<\/em>\u2014a word that means \u201chouse of the gods\u201d in the native Pem\u00f3n language, spoken by the Indigenous people of the region. This tepuy is an imposing rocky mountain that, at first glance, resembles an enormous wall. Just before landing, all you see is dense forest until suddenly the base camp comes into view around the Canaima Lagoon.<\/p>\n This is the arrival point because it\u2019s where the airport is located. However, Angel Falls lies about 46 km from there. After landing, I headed to my lodgings, which, like most, are situated around the lagoon. The amber-colored water gave me my first postcard-worthy memory: the waterfalls known as El Hacha and La Golondrina, flanked by the Kusary Tepuy in the background.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”9px” text_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”-40px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n View from the south side of Auy\u00e1n Tepuy, the vast table-shaped mountain that Angel Falls descends from<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n After a few minutes of admiring such beauty, that same day I crossed the lagoon by boat and hiked to El Sapo Falls, where I experienced the thrill of walking behind the waterfall, which leaps like a frog. I then returned to home base to rest, as we would depart for Angel Falls the following day.<\/p>\n Journey to the Falls<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n After an early breakfast, we began a short hike to the place where we boarded a canoe. From there, we embarked on a four-hour journey along the Carrao and Chur\u00fan Rivers toward Angel Falls. Along the way, you can see various tepuyes that make the experience unforgettable. After about 3.5 hours, the majestic Auy\u00e1n Tepuy comes into view. In the Pem\u00f3n language, this means \u201cDevil\u2019s Mountain.\u201d It is the largest tepuy in Venezuela, covering 705 square kilometers and rising nearly 1 km high. It is from one of its edges that Angel Falls descends.<\/p>\n After skirting around and admiring it, we reached its base, where we could enjoy a closer and even more awe-inspiring view. We then set out on an hour-long hike through the forest to reach the viewpoint, where we could finally see the falls up close. In the Pem\u00f3n language, its name is Kerepakupai Ven\u00e1<\/em>, meaning \u201cwaterfall of the deepest place.\u201d It stands 979 meters tall, with an uninterrupted drop of 807 meters. The name Angel Falls, however, was given by a Venezuelan in honor of Jimmie Angel, an American aviator who \u201cdiscovered\u201d the falls in 1937 while flying over them in his plane.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”9px” text_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”-40px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Mist and clouds surround the towering cliffs<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Return to Camp<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n After about half an hour admiring this natural wonder and imprinting the image in my memory forever, we made our way back through the forest to the base camp, where we would spend the night. At dawn, I opened my eyes to find Angel Falls seemingly watching over me as I slept; it was a truly majestic moment. Having breakfast with that view\u2014arepas, of course\u2014was an unforgettable experience. After breakfast, we returned to our Canaima camp, filled with the joy of having witnessed and experienced such a magnificent natural wonder, and with a deep desire to return again and again.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Have a suggestion for this story? We\u2019d love for you to\u00a0submit it<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Venezuela-Angel-Falls-GMS-first-view.png” alt=”Angel Falls appears as a slender white ribbon on a towering tepui mesa beyond a dense canopy of Venezuelan rainforest under a partly cloudy sky” title_text=”Venezuela Angel Falls GMS first view” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Angel-Falls-Venezuela-by-evenfh-via-Canva.png” alt=”Angel Falls in Venezuela plunges as a white plume down towering red-brown tepui cliffs into dense green rainforest beneath a bright blue sky.” title_text=”Angel Falls, Venezuela, GMS by evenfh via Canva” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_accordion _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Blank” open=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_css_main_element=”display: none; ” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Blank<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Math Resources” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Sample Problems:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Social Justice Question” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Angel Falls is named after Jimmie Angel, a pilot from the US who flew over them in 1933. But long before that, the Indigenous Pem\u00f3n people called the waterfall Kerepakupai Ven\u00e1. Why do you think the name Angel Falls became more widely known? Who gets to name places, and why does that matter?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Explore Further” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Share Your Story” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Venezuela-Angel-Falls-GMS_tepuy.png\")
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