Cuquenan Falls, Waterfall near Mount Roraima, Venezuela.
Cuquenan Falls, also known as Kukenán Falls, is a waterfall in the Gran Sabana highlands of southern Venezuela, where water plunges off the edge of a tepui near Mount Roraima. The water drops in a wide curtain over a sheer sandstone cliff and lands far below in a gorge surrounded by flat-topped rock formations.
The rock over which the falls drop is part of the Guiana Shield, one of the oldest rock formations on Earth, formed more than a billion years ago. The tepuis took shape through long erosion that slowly wore away softer rock around the harder sandstone blocks, leaving them standing alone above the surrounding plains.
The name Cuquenan comes from the Pemón language, spoken by the indigenous people who have lived in this region for generations. For them, the tepuis and their waterfalls are not just landforms but living parts of a world tied to their stories and traditions.
The falls are in a remote part of the Gran Sabana and can only be reached with an organized tour or a local guide, as visitors need permits from both the indigenous community and the park authorities. The dry season makes trails more passable, though the waterfall itself runs more strongly after rains.
Cuquenan Falls was once believed to be the second tallest waterfall in the world, before more precise surveys changed that ranking. The height is still debated today because measurements shift depending on where the base of the fall is set and how much water is flowing.
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