MOUNT RORAIMA, BRAZIL

Today we will talk about Mount Roraima, one of tmhe oldest mountain
formations on Earth, a natural border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana
in South America. It is also called Roraima Tepui or Cerro Roraima.

Long before the European conquistadors took over these lands, Mount
Roraima was considered a symbol of these regions, an “axis mundi”, an
enormous tree within which all the vegetables and fruits of the world grow.

This mountain, surrounded by 400 meter (1,300 ft) tall cliffs was a place of
mystery, myths and legends for the indigenous people that used to live here
centuries ago.

Getting to Mount Roraima is possible by taking a plane to Santa Elena de

Uairén airport. This is a town in Brazil, very close to the border. From here on,
you will see there are buses or shuttles that can get you close to the ascending
point- the village of Paraitepui.

Mount Roraima is particularly unusual to look at because, rather than finishing

in a peak like most mountains, its top is a large plateau. It’s thought to be
amongst the world’s oldest geological formations, and its plateau was most
likely created by winds and rains. The plateau is often cloaked with clouds,
which are more often than not near the top of the mountain. It has a particularly
large number of endemic species of flora and fauna – species that can can be
found nowhere else on Earth. There’s no explanation as to why it has such an
unusually large amount.