The Lost World
Kaieteur National Park
Situated in the heart of Guyana (a country in north-eastern South America), Kaieteur National Park is famous for its splendid falls. In 1927, the park was designated as one of the first national parks in South America. Most recently, Kaieteur Park covers an area of 224 square miles or 62,680 hectares.
The park belongs to the Guyana Highlands, one of the world's oldest geological formations. Because of its very low population density (this country of seven times the size of Belgium has a mere million inhabitants), the rainforest has been left largely undisturbed and its greater part remains to be discovered.
A unique environment
Millions of gallons of drizzle, generated by the gargantuan falls, created the precious ‘mist forests’ that rim the gorge, and a very particular biotope at its base. But the Kaieteur Tablelands include many other habitat types: a bromeliad (genus Brocchinia) dominated savannah and an impressive white-sand forest. This extraordinary ecosystem harbours a unique but little-known diversity.
Kaie's Falls
According to legend, Kaie, a chief of the Patamona (an Amerindian tribe), paddled in his canoe over the falls, sacrificing himself to appease Makonaima, the great spirit. He thus sought to bring peace between his peace-loving tribe and the warlike Caribs. The name Kaieteur consists of ‘Kaie’ and ‘teur’, which translates as ‘waterfalls’.
Where the eastern Pakaraima Mountains give way to a low-laying rainforest, the mighty river Potaro plunges over the Kaieteur Falls. A deep and wide gorge has been cut by the sheer power of these falls.
