Serra do Tepequem

Tepequem is a tepui in miniature - a flat-topped sandstone massif rising about a thousand metres out of the Roraima savanna, small enough to drive up and walk across in a day, with a rim of waterfalls dropping off the edge: Barata, Paiva, Funil and others, several with pools at the bottom. The plateau itself is grassland and gallery forest with long views over the lavrado, the savanna that covers much of northern Roraima and is unlike the forested Amazon most visitors expect of the state. Its recent history is mining: diamonds and gold were worked here from the 1930s to the 1990s, and the scars, pits and tailings are visible on the top, with a small museum and former garimpeiros who guide. Vegetation is slowly taking the workings back.

What you actually see

• A drivable tepui - a small tabletop massif you can reach by road and cross on foot.
• Falls off the rim - Barata, Paiva and Funil dropping from the plateau edge.
• Lavrado savanna - the open grassland of northern Roraima, not rainforest.
• Diamond workings - pits and tailings from sixty years of mining, slowly regreening.

When to go

December to March, the drier window. Two days.

Honest expectations

The last road up is unpaved and hard after rain. Facilities are simple pousadas. Falls need short walks on rough ground and some need a guide. Roraima is remote and connections are limited.

Nearby

Boa Vista is the state capital; the Venezuelan border is north.