Kaieteur National Park

Kaieteur National Park and Kaieteur, the highest single drop waterfall in the world.

My first trip in the capital, Georgetown, Guiana was not in the city but to go to Kaieteur, the largest single drop waterfall in the world at a height of 251m although the drop to a shelf near the bottom is only 226m but with on average 663 cubic metres of water per second plunges over the edge to drop more than four times the height of Niagara and twice the height of Victoria Falls. Other waterfalls are higher but not with a large volume of water falling in a single drop. But to get to see it requires a flight in a small airplane over thick jungle for more than an hour.

 We took off and had some great views of the city.

 Plus the mouth of the river and the corner of Georgetown that abuts the estuary with a light house near the corner.

  Then from the plane there was a view of the long bridge across the Essequiro River, built on pontoons that are anchored in the riverbed by huge chains to equally huge anchors to counter the strong tides and floods.

 Flying ove rate  jungle we saw several mining sites such as this bauxite mine...

 and this mine sieving through the sand and gravels of the river looking for diamonds and gold that are found in this area.

 A selfie of me in the cabin of the twelve seater plane.

 And then we flew over the falls themselves and the pilot flew two circles over the falls so both sides of the plane got a view.

 And then we touched down on a jungle airstrip to stretch our legs and have a walk into the jungle to some viewing points over looking the falls.

 The main visitors centre.

 On the walk down to the falls, several plants where pointed out such as this carnivorous plant that attacks mosquitos so we all wanted to pot some as whilst the scenery is nice, it is spoiled by the clouds of mosquitoes that bite both day and night.

 A view from Scout Boys Lookout.

 But always look around because whilst people were getting the best photo of the falls, I spotted this Golden Frog, not larger than a thumb nail that lives in the pools that form at the base of the leaves of the giant bromeliads that grow in these mountain areas.

 And another but this one with some of the water at the base of the falls to give context to the height. There were also some rainbows to be seen but my position near the edge and timing it with the parting of the clouds to get a photo of the falls and the rainbow never materialised.

 And my second selfie of the day.

 A more oblique view of the falls.

 And on our way back to the aircraft for the return flight, we saw this Cock of the Rocks, a quiet but colourful bird and I was in the perfect position.