Kavanayén
Officially Santa Teresita de Kavanayén, this small Pemón settlement sits at 1,350 meters on a highland plateau inside Canaima National Park. The name means "place of the rock roosters" — kavanaru-yen — after the brilliant orange Guianan cock-of-the-rock that inhabits the surrounding cliffs. It's one of the few places in the Gran Sabana where you can see the layered history of the region in a single glance — a stone mission church built by Capuchin friars in the Leonese style of their native Spain, surrounded by the open savanna homeland of the Pemón people, with the forested ridge of Sororopán-tepui rising behind it all.
Getting There
From Santa Elena de Uairén, drive north on the Troncal 10 to the turnoff near km 147. From there, a 70 km unpaved red-clay road winds west through savanna and gallery forest to the village. The drive takes roughly 3 hours by 4x4. The road is passable year-round but slow — expect river crossings and muddy patches in the wet season.
Kavanayén also has an airstrip (SVKA), originally built in 1942 at 700 × 100 meters. Small charter flights from Ciudad Bolívar used to land here regularly. Today the strip sees occasional use.
The Mission
Capuchin missionaries founded the mission on August 5, 1943. Father Víctor de Carbajal, who arrived in late 1942, designed and built the chapel and residences using a distinctive technique — cutting and fitting local stone by hand into thick-walled structures that still stand today. The stone buildings have a quiet, fortress-like beauty, rising from the savanna like something between a monastery and a mountain refuge.
The mission introduced formal education and Catholicism to the local Pemón Arekuna communities. What emerged was not replacement but layering — today you'll find Catholic services alongside Pemón oral traditions, and the village retains its indigenous identity and language alongside the mission infrastructure.
Chinak-Merú (Salto Aponwao)
The main draw beyond the village is Chinak-Merú ("liana waterfall"), also known as Salto Aponwao — a waterfall on the Aponwao River that plunges approximately 108 meters into a horseshoe-shaped canyon. To reach it, drive from Kavanayén to the Pemón community of Libo-Riwo on the banks of the Aponwao, then take a curiara (dugout canoe with outboard motor) for 30 minutes upriver. The boat stops 500 meters from the falls, and a 20-minute forest trail leads to the rim.
What makes Chinak-Merú extraordinary is the setting: you approach across flat grassland with no hint of what's coming, then the earth simply opens into a deep canyon and the river drops into it. The spray is powerful enough to drench you from the rim. Even in the dry season, the Aponwao maintains impressive volume when other regional waterfalls thin out.
In 1955, the Capuchin missionaries at Kavanayén built the first hydroelectric turbine in all of Bolívar State — decades before the massive Guri Dam was constructed downstream on the same Caroní river system.
Pemón Life
Kavanayén is home to the Arekuna, one of the three main Pemón subgroups (alongside the Taurepán and Kamarakoto). The Pemón language — part of the Cariban family — is the daily language here. Father Cesáreo de Armellada published the first Pemón dictionary and grammar in 1943, the same year the mission was founded, and the language remains vital.
Village life revolves around conuco farming (small forest-garden plots cleared by slash-and-burn), fishing in the tannin-dark rivers, and weaving. Pemón women produce intricate baskets and woven goods. The community manages tourism access to the waterfalls and trails, with local guides as the primary contact point for visitors.
What to Expect
- Accommodation: Basic posadas in the village. Bring food from Santa Elena — supplies are limited.
- Climate: Cooler than the lowlands. Nights at 1,350 m can drop below 15°C. Bring layers.
- The airstrip edge: The runway sits just 300 meters from a 200-meter cliff drop — walk to the edge for a dizzying view of the valley below.
- Soroape River: A recreational bathing spot 22 km from town with natural rock pools.
Combine With
Kavanayén works as a base for exploring the northern Gran Sabana. The Ptari Massif (Sororopán, Ptari, and Carrao tepuis) is visible from the village, and multi-day treks into the massif can be arranged with local guides. The road back to the Troncal 10 passes through some of the most open, empty savanna in the region.