Mount Roraima is an awe-inspiring table-top mountain that rises out of the heart of the Amazon basin, in South America. Located at the junction between Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela, the sheer cliffs of Mount Roraima tower over the prehistoric landscape below. As the highest plateau in the Pakaraima Mountains, Mount Roraima and the surrounding region has a unique ecology that is home to flora and fauna that you can’t find anywhere else on the planet.
The spectacular table-top mountain was first documented in the late 16th Century by the famous adventurer, army officer, and poet, Walter Raleigh, who described it as a ‘crystal mountain’ that was gushing innumerable waterfalls. However, the first expedition to climb the mighty Mount Roraima didn’t take place until 1838, when the German explorer Robert Hermann Schomburgk led a Royal Geographical Society mission to scale its peaks and study the never-before-seen flora and fauna.
Mount Roraima is more than 14 km long, and almost 3 km high at Maverick Point, the tallest peak in the range. It’s also the largest mountain in the Roraima range. As one of the highlights of the Canaima National Park, Mount Roraima was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 in celebration of its unique flora, fauna, and geology. The table-top mountain is also a sacred place for the native Pemon people, who originally gave the range its name, ‘Roraima’, meaning ‘Mother of the Winds’.
Towering over an almost prehistoric landscape, Mount Roraima’s panoramic views and unique biodiversity attracts adventurers from all over the world. Reaching Mount Roraima can be quite challenging, especially if you’re not an experienced hiker. However, for those that do make the journey to its summit, the experience is absolutely unforgettable.
How Do You Get To Mount Roraima?
Although reaching Mount Roraima was an incredible achievement for adventures of the past, today, tourists and visitors can reach the mountain range with comparative ease! Even so, the journey is fairly arduous and may be difficult for inexperienced travelers.
The best way to visit Mount Roraima is to join a guided tour departing from Boa Vista in neighboring Brazil. The easiest way to get to Boa Vista is to take an international flight to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, and then catch a connecting domestic flight onwards to Boa Vista.
You can take a direct flight to Brasilia from numerous cities around the world, including Miami, Orlando, Panama City, Madrid, Lisbon, and Buenos Aires. Once you arrive in Boa Vista you can rest and get over your jet lag for a couple of days before joining a tour to head out through the jungles to the base of Mount Roraima.
If you decide to travel by yourself, without a guide, then you will need to travel from Boa Vista to Santa Elena de Uairen, in Venezuela, by plane, bus, or car. Finally, you’ll need to travel to the small town of Paraitepui, in Venezuela, as the final leg of your trip. Once you reach Paraitepui, you can make arrangements with a local tour guide to scale the summit of Mount Roraima or head out into the jungle alone to face the climb to the summit.
Generally speaking, it’s highly advisable to visit Mount Roraima with an experienced local guide. Not only can the trek to reach its base be risky on your own, but the climb to the summit could be treacherous for anyone who is not an experienced mountaineer and adventurer!
What is the Best Time to Visit Mount Roraima?
The ideal time to visit Mount Roraima is in the dry season, between December and April. During the dry season the skies are clear, the temperatures range from around 20 to 28 Degrees Celsius in the valleys and can drop as low as 5 Degrees Celsius at higher altitudes and at night.
The dry season provides visitors with much better trail conditions, makes it easier to cross rivers, and significantly improves visibility from the peak – essential if you want to take some Instagram worthy photos!
Of course, you can visit during the wet season but you will face major difficulties in the heavy rain. The trails will be muddy and slippery, rivers can be dangerously high, and the visibility is extremely poor. So essentially, it really is much better to visit Mount Roraima during the dry season.
What is There To Do At Mount Roraima and Boa Vista, Brazil?
Join a 9-Day Guided Tour to Mount Roraima – from Boa Vista.
The safest, and most enjoyable, way to explore Mount Roraima is by joining a professionally guided tour. Your highly experienced guide will not only be able to tell you all about the history and culture that you see, but they’ll also be able to guide you through the Venezuelan Savannah and jungles by the safest routes.
What’s more, you’ll also have a team of sherpas who will carry the camping equipment, food, and other essentials, as you wind your way through the forests towards the mountain range. And most importantly of all, they’ll make sure you don’t get lost in the prehistoric jungles that surround the mighty peaks of the Pakaraima Mountains.
Departing from Boa Vista, in Brazil, you’ll fly to Santa Elena de Uairen in Venezuela. Upon landing in Santa Elena de Uairen, you’ll spend the night in a carefully selected hostel and receive a full orientation and briefing about the adventure ahead. The following morning, after a hearty breakfast, you’ll set out towards the mountains in a 4×4.
After the 4×4 drive, you’ll hike along the beautiful Tek River and camp for the night. The next day the approach to the summit continues, with a stop for swimming in the Kukenan River. After the second night of wild camping, you’ll ascend through the Valley of Tears and reach the summit of Mount Roraima on the third day.
Having reached the summit, you and the group will spend the next few days exploring the various peaks and taking in the spectacular views of the other-worldly vistas. And there’s no need to worry about the logistics because your guide and the team of sherpas will take care of all that for you.
During your time at Mount Roraima, you’ll explore the magical Valley of the Crystals, Triple Point, La Ventana, El Moat, the Jacuzzis, and many other natural wonders of this unique location. After thoroughly exploring Mount Roraima for several days, you’ll retrace your steps back down the summit and along the Kukenan and Tek Rivers. For the final leg of your return journey, you’ll jump in a 4×4 to make your way back to the town of Santa Elena de Uairen. And then, after one last night at the hostel, you’ll fly back to Boa Vista in Brazil.
It’s worth noting that you need to be over 18 years old to go on this tour and will need to bring a few basic items with you. These include your passport, a sturdy trekking backpack and walking boots, sleeping bag, torch, walking stick, waterproof jacket and trousers, warm clothes, socks, toilet paper, plastic bag for rubbish, and personal toiletries. All of the food, except for personal snacks, water, and major camping equipment will be provided by the tour.
You can find out more and book your place on this once-in-a-lifetime tour, here.
Stay at the Ibis Styles Boa Vista Hotel
Before and after your adventure tour to Mount Roraima, you’ll need a conveniently located hotel for your time in Boa Vista, in Brazil. The Ibis Styles Boa Vista Hotel is an ideal choice, offering comfortable air-conditioned rooms, high speed WiFi, free breakfast, a 24-hour front desk, and laundry service. Furthermore, you can arrange to leave anything you don’t want to take on your trekking tour to Mount Roraima at the hotel baggage storage – where it will be kept safe for your return.
The hotel has an excellent central location and is just a short walk from numerous restaurants, bars, shops, and local attractions. The hotel also has an on-site fitness center and a shared TV lounge area. The hotel is just 10 minutes drive from the airport and has a variety of modern rooms to choose from. All in all, the Ibis Styles Boa Vista hotel is a great choice for your time in the city.
You can reserve your room, or find out more, here.
Visit the AquaMak Water Park in Boa Vista.
Located around 30 km from the center of Boa Vista, the AquaMak water park is the perfect way to relax and recuperate after your jungle trek to Mount Roraima. The park has a lovely on-site restaurant, several large outdoor swimming pools, wet bars, and private chalets to rest in the shade and store your things. There’s also a lake where you can kayak and boat, a river with rapids and well kept gardens where you can have a picnic, walk, or simply watch the world go by.
The easiest way to get to the AquaMak from your hotel in Boa Vista is to hire a local taxi. Don’t forget, you can arrange with the taxi driver to pick you up again at a designated time later that day. You can plan your day trip and find out more about the AquaMak water park here.
