Kavac Cave

The Cueva de Kavac is not really a cave but a slot canyon cut into the flank of Auyantepui, so narrow and deep that daylight barely reaches the bottom. Visitors walk up the stream bed from the Pemón village of Kavac and then swim the last stretch against the current between rock walls a few metres apart, coming out in a chamber where a waterfall drops into a cold pool. The water is very cold and the return is with the current.

The landscape

• The slot canyon - walls a few metres apart rising far overhead.
• The swim in - the last stretch covered by swimming against the current.
• The end chamber - a waterfall dropping into a pool at the head of the slot.
• The Auyantepui flank - the canyon cut into the wall of the tepui.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the safest for the swim. In the rains the stream rises and the canyon can be closed. Mornings avoid the afternoon storms.

Good to know

The water is very cold and the swim is against the current in a confined space; it does not suit poor swimmers or anyone uneasy in tight places. Rising water closes the canyon without much notice. Access is by light aircraft only.

Nearby

Canaima is northwest, and Angel Falls is north.