Angel Falls: Majestic Wonder of Canaima National Park

Angel Falls, located in Venezuela’s Canaima National Park, is the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall, with a staggering height of 979 meters (3,212 feet). The water plunges uninterrupted for 807 meters (2,648 feet) from the Auyán-tepui, one of the region’s massive table-top mountains. The falls are fed by rainfall that accumulates on the flat summit of the tepui, creating streams that converge into the Churún River below.

One popular legend of the local Pemon indigenous people tells of “Parakupa-vena,” the name they use for Angel Falls. According to the story, a mischievous deity named Makunaima used a magical tree to create rivers and waterfalls. When he struck the tree with his axe, water flowed endlessly from its branches, giving life to the cascade we now know as Angel Falls.

The falls are named after Jimmie Angel, an American aviator who was the first outsider to fly over the falls in 1933. His plane later crash-landed on the tepui in 1937, bringing the falls to international attention.