The Great Savanna

Bolivar State

Bolívar is in the southeastern region of the country, or in the Venezuelan Guayana, his name is obviously a homage to the Liberator Simón Bolívar are limits to the north, separated by the Orinoco, with the states, Delta Amacuro, Monagas, Anzoategui and Guarico on the south by the Republic of Brazil and the Amazonas state to the east with Delta Amacuro and Reclamation Area that separates us from the Republic of Guyana and the west by the states of Apure and Amazonas. The state of Bolívar, in terms of its surface is the largest of our geography and amounts to little more than a quarter of the country.

Places of interes

The Great Savanna

Kukenan Tepui (Matawi Tepuy)

La Gran Sabana or The Great Savanna, also known as Guianan savanna, is a region in southeastern Venezuela. The average temperature is around 20 °C, but at night can drop to 13 °C and in some of the more elevated sites, depending on weather, may fall a bit more. The location offers one of the most unusual landscapes in the world, with rivers, waterfalls and gorges, deep and vast valleys, impenetrable jungles and savannahs that host large numbers and varieties of plant species, a diverse fauna and the plateaus better known as tepuis.

Geography

As mentioned above, the Gran Sabana is a park with unique characteristics.The beauty of the landscape is accentuated in the Guiana Shield , the oldest geological formation on earth. It consists of two main geological formations, an igneous metamorphic age of approximately 2,000 million years and a layer of sedimentary rocks, sandstones of the Roraima formation, deposited about 1,700 million years.

Hydrography

Canaima Lagoon

La Gran Sabana, and the rest of Venezuela in general, is rich in river networks. The main drainage sub-basins are formed by the rivers Yuruaní, Aponwao, Kukenán, Suruku, Ikabarú, Karuay, Urimán and Antabare.

Note that the Caroní River, of 925 kilometres in length, from which Venezuela gets most of its electricity by hydropower exploitation, originates from several tributaries coming from tepuis and mountains of the Gran Sabana, as the Aponwao, the Yuruaní and the Kukenan. The vast majority of rivers and streams in the region are of dark waters, with coloration similar to that of tea. The waters are very poor in dissolved nutrients and rich in humic acids and tannins, which give them its characteristic brown color. The acidity is quite high, reaching PH3-4, and although this may cause acidity in visitors that taste first these waters, it can say that these are among the least polluted waters in the world.

Tepuys

In the Gran Sabana is randomly distributed ancient massifs eroded in tabular form, known as tepuis, examples of inverted relief, which form a kind of typical plateaus of the Guiana highlands. These plateaus, in the Gran Sabana, reach their maximum altitude in the Tepui Roraima, with nearly 2,800 meters (9,200 ft) above sea level.

National Park Sarisariñama

Helicopter Descending

Auyantepui

Although the Auyantepui not part of the Gran Sabana as the exact delimitation of the territory, is considered by many to be part of it, being the most famous tepui throughout Guiana. It is in Canaima Northwest and is one of the most recognized tepuis in the world, because it comes from the highest waterfall in the world, the Angel Falls (named for the local indigenous "Karepacupai-merú") with an almost 979-meter (3,212 ft) freefall.

Climate

Due to the elevation of Gran Sabana, about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) on average, the weather is quite pleasant, mild with average annual temperature of 20 °C (68 °F), similar to the valley of Caracas.

However, due to rainfall, which abounds throughout the year, and therefore its cloud cover, the average annual temperature is lower, with daily temperature variations. Minimum temperatures rarely drop below 8–10 °C (46–50 °F) (unless it is on top of the tepuis, which are exposed, such as Roraima, overnight). Usually, the maximum temperature does not exceed 32–35 °C (90–95 °F).

Flora and Vegetation

The savannas occupy undisputed first place in the diverse range of ecosystems that developed in the region. But the Gran Sabana includes a variety of scenarios. These are subject to a complex mix of climatic and ecological conditions ranging from hot lowlands to the high cold mountains. Because of this, it have developed a considerable number of plant species adapted to its ecosystems. The vegetation is characterized by be particular in the region and builds on very acid soils, derived from the decomposition of the sandstones.

The savannas and gallery forests, are situated along the courses of rivers and streams that traverse the savannahs. These forests have a very varied vegetation where there are trees, shrubs, guacos, epiphytes and the Moriche Palm. Shrubs rarely exceed 2–3 meters (6 ft 7 in–9 ft 10 in) high. Its leaves are mostly thick, probably due to lack of nutrients in the soil, and its acidity.

On the summits of the tepuis, despite the hostile environment (especially on Mount Roraima), there is a wide variety of plants, ranging from 20–30 centimeters (7.9–12 in) to 4 meters (13 ft) high. In the turbulent rivers and in the many waterfalls, plants grow on the rocks peculiar carpets that are green or tan.

Fauna

Despite the enormous variety of species living in the Gran Sabana, is not common for visitors to find animals on the road to El Dorado to Santa Elena de Uairén, because there prevails the open forest, and these animals prefer the islands forest, riparian forests, and jungles that are in the mountains at the foot of the tepuis.

Savanaian wildlife species include endangered species like the giant anteater, the giant armadillo, the giant Amazon, the ocelot, the paca Agouti paca, or the marsupial endemic of the tepui summits. It also has its habitat in this region of the Orinoco capuchin monkey, the howler  and the widow monkey. The avifauna is varied, especially the cock of the rock and the harpy eagle. Among the reptiles are: the Boa constrictor, the anaconda and the pineapple cuaima. Many species of amphibians live in wet areas, including mining frog.

Other common species include the armadillo, the small cuspa, or capybara, the higher rodent of the world. It can also find very rare event, jaguars, pumas, ocelots and Tigritos. They have been porcupines, cuchicuchis and weasels, which are creatures of habit, and generally arboreal. Another interesting mammal from zoological point of view is the bush dog, seldom sighted and only in forests of this region.

The fauna of the tepuis is not numerous, due to the low amount of nutrients and harsh environmental conditions on the tops of the plateaus.

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Choloepus didactylus