There’s is another remarkable
waterfall in Venezuela located in the Gran Sabana area of the country. Chinak
Meru is very unique and famous waterfall in its own right, The brown tint of
the water comes from tannins leached from the surrounding forests, and actually
thundering 344 feet over the edge of a horseshoe canyon in the otherwise flat
Gran Sabana; the falls establish them quite resoundingly as a major feature
both from a tourism standpoint and as a geologic structure. Merú means
waterfall in Pemon which is a Native American language still spoken in southern
Venezuela.
The large volume of the Rio
Aponwao ensures the falls retain their striking stature even during the driest
of seasons when several of the taller waterfalls in the area shrivel. Although pale
in comparison to South America's other behemoth waterfalls, the combination of
consistently remarkable volume dropping over a 344 foot canyon elevates this
cataract to a level that isn't seen many other places around the world. As the
Gran Sabana elevation is about 1,000 meters (3,300 Ft), the weather condition
is mild with average annual temperature of 20 °C (68 °F), alike to the valley
of Caracas.
This is quite a rainy area and
rainfall abounds throughout the year. A few years ago some people were boating
down the river from above and their outboard motor failed not far above the
falls. Most of them died going over the falls. Some jumped out and were able to
swim ashore before going over. The fall is gorgeous as you can see and when
you’ll get very close so you can feel all the energy.
