Sir Author Conan Doyle was not talking through his hat when he wrote about a Lost World. He was talking about a mountain located at the triple border of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil. The South American and Caribbean tectonic plates colliding with one another formed Mount Roraima. As a result of this, Mount Roraima was lifted above the surrounding land and has remained this way for centuries. With no natural predators (or humans) on the top of this mountain, evolution has had a free reign to take a few liberties. 30% of all plant and animal species found on Mount Roraima are endemic to the mountain. In English, it means that these species can be found only on the mountain and nowhere else in the world.

Arriba Arriba (Up, Up)

Hiking to the top of Mount Roraima to explore this lost World is easier said than done. Tackling the savannah is the first priority and takes up the first two days. Streams at regular intervals give you a reprieve from walking under the unforgiving sun. 13.5km and 11km are swallowed on the first two days. Day 3 might seem mild at 3.5km but is the toughest day of all since you pretty much climb the mountain in 4-5 hours. Lugging your weight and backpacks up around 2000m (elevation gain) is quite a workout.

The Lost World

A few minutes on the top and it’s all clear why this is the lost world. An alien stone studded landscape greets you. Fragments of clouds splashed all across the mountain add to the surreal view. This table mountain is far from flat.

Entertainment at the Top

#1 Skinny dip in a natural Jacuzzi

#2 Crawl 60m through a cave running into the mountain

#3 Pet a Mount Roraima frog

#4 Visit the window in the skies

#5 Sample the endemic cucumber like snack

#6 Get a glimpse of the plant eat animal world

#7 Meditate at the top

#8 Catch the sunset

#9 Indulge in a cave hotel dinner

#10 Sift through crystal and quartz in search of the perfect diamond