Page Type:
Mountain/Rock
Location: Guyana,
Brazil/Guyana/Venezuela, South America
Lat/Lon: 5.14333°N / 60.7625°W
Activities: Hiking,
Mountaineering, Trad Climbing, Toprope, Bouldering, Big Wall, Scrambling
Elevation: 9219 ft / 2810
m
Overview
Roraima is an interesting mountain located in the Guiana
Highlands. The peak actually shares the border with Venezuela, Brazil, and
Guyana, but the mountain is almost always approached from the Venezuela side.
The Brazil and Guyana sides are much more difficult. The mountain's highest
point is Maverick Rock which is at and on the Venezuela side (thought some
other sources may differ on this).
The mountain is known
as a Tepui, which describes a flat-topped mountain with vertical sides. Many
waterfalls spill off Roraima, and the other Tepuis; nearly everyone has heard
of Angel Falls, which spills off another nearby Tepui. There are many
interesting plants that grow on the summit, including many carnivorous plants,
i.e., ones that eat insects. There is little soil on top because the constant
rains wash it away.
Monte Roraima was the
first of the Tepuis to be climbed and the credit goes to English botanist
Everard Im Thurn on an expedition sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society
in 1884. It was his subsequent lectures in England, that are believed to have
inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book 'The Lost World'.
Getting There :
To reach the trailhead, you must make your way to San
Francisco de Yurani. San Francisco de Yurani can be reached by bus. Most people
ride the bus all the way there from Caracas, Ciudad Bolivar, or Ciudad Guyana.
Others fly to Santa Elena which is only a few hours south of San Francisco de
Yarani, and take the bus up from there. There are some rather grubby hotels in
the town, and a few restaurants. We were allowed to camp in the futbol (that's
soccer for gringos!) field. There is a small selection of food in some stores,
but I would recommend bringing most items from a larger city.
The actual trailhead
is in Paratepui, which is 22kms (14 miles) east of SF de Yurani. Most hire a
vehicle in San Francisco de Yurani, but it can be walked in a day for those who
wish to save a few bucks (not recommended). A vehicle cost $100 in 1996 and can
hold 6 people with gear.
Routes Overview
The Paratepui Route, is by far the most popular route on the
mountain is is probably use by at least 99.999% of the people climbing the
peak. This is also the only non-technical route available for climbing the
mountain. The route crosses the Gran Sabana and climbes a rugged and slippery
route to the summit. There are several river crossings, which you must do on
foot (no bridges). The Rio Tex and Rio Kukenan crossings can be problematic
after rains. The trek out to the base of the peak can be hot, sunny, and
shadeless across the Gran Sabana. It usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 days to reach the
base of the peak. The trek to the top and back usually takes four days, plus
any days you may spend on top.
Other routes other
than the one described are very seldom attempted. Rock climbers could probably
find several "first" all over the sides of this peak. The mountain
has been climbed from the Guyana and Brazilian sides, but I don't have any
information on the routes, other than they are technical big-wall climbs and
only for expert climbers.
See the last section
at the bottom of the page for routes that were put of on the Guyana side of
Roraima.
Red Tape:
Locals will probably insist that a guide is needed, but if
you're just going to the top, and not exploring too much of the Tepui top, than
you may get by without one. If you plan on spending time on top (recommended),
than a guide will be needed for that part. If you insist on going guide-less,
you probably will not be allowed to hire a vehicle to Paratepui. In 1996, a
guide cost us $50 a person for the five-day trek (four people).
When To Climb
The only time to safely make this trek is December through
March, which is the "dry" season. The river crossings would be very
dangerous in any other season.
Here is a link
showing climate graphs for Santa Elena, but it is much, much wetter and cooler
on the mountain
Camping:
There are several campsites along the way up to the peak.
There are a few campsites on top, but expect wet (!) conditions. A guide will
come in very usefull, to point out the campsites on top.
Mountain Conditions:
The walk to the base of the mountain can be hot and
shade-less, but anyone who has spent the night on the summit, can attest that
this must be one of the wettest places on earth. Take a good rain suit, and a
waterproof tent. There are several river crossings as well, be prepared for
that. Temperatures are usually near 10 degrees C (50F) on top, night or day,
and its usually very windy and rainy. On top, clear weather is extremely rare
even in the "dry" season.
Actually, the weather
on Roraima is very easy to predict. If you can see the mountain it is going to
rain. If you can't see the mountain, its already raining!
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