Quebrada de Jaspe

The Quebrada de Jaspe, called Kako Paru in Pemón, runs for a short stretch over a bed of solid jasper, a red form of chalcedony, and where the water is shallow the whole streambed glows a deep red under sunlight. A short path from the road leads down to it, and people walk in the water along the smooth rock. A second stretch upstream, Quebrada Pacheco, has a small waterfall over the same material.

What you actually see

• The jasper bed - a streambed of solid red chalcedony under shallow water.
• The colour - the red glowing strongest when sunlight falls directly on the shallows.
• The smooth rock - the polished surface walked along in the water.
• The small falls - the drops where the stream steps down over the jasper.

When to go

December to April, when the water is low enough for the bed to show; in the rains the stream runs too deep and fast. Midday sun gives the strongest colour. Mornings are quietest.

Honest expectations

In the wet season the water is too high to see the jasper properly, which is the entire point of the visit. The rock is extremely slippery. The site is small and busy with tour buses in season.

Nearby

Santa Elena is south, and La Gran Sabana is north.