La Gran Sabana

La Gran Sabana is the open eastern part of Canaima National Park: an undulating grassland at around a thousand metres, largely treeless, with gallery forest along the rivers and the tepuis standing out of it as sheer-walled blocks. The soil is old and leached, which is why the grass is thin and the plants that grow on it include carnivorous species. A single paved road runs south through it to the Brazilian border, with waterfalls and viewpoints along the way.

What you actually see

• The tepui skyline - flat-topped sandstone blocks standing above the open grass.
• The Route 10 waterfalls - a series of falls reached from the road running south.
• The red rivers - water stained dark by tannins from the vegetation.
• The carnivorous plants - sundews and pitcher plants growing on the poor soils.

When to go

December to April is the dry season, best for the roads and for the light. The rains from May to November make side tracks difficult but the falls are strongest. Nights are cool at this altitude.

Honest expectations

Side tracks off the paved road need four-wheel drive and often a local guide. Facilities are widely spaced and fuel should not be assumed. Much of the area is indigenous land where permission and fees apply.

Nearby

Quebrada de Jaspe is south, and Mount Roraima is southeast.