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Ready to explore beyond the beaten path? Welcome to Angel Falls, the world’s highest waterfall in the dense Venezuelan jungle. Pack a life jacket and plenty of stamina; we’re off to Salto Ángel (GC2ETQF): our Geocache of the Week!

Perhaps one of the greatest strengths of geocaching is its flexibility. Whether urban, suburban, rural, or in the wilderness, you can geocache! In our latest Geocache of the Week, we’re going off-trail and into one of Venezuela’s deep jungles to find an EarthCache of a lifetime. In a journey akin to Planes, Trains and Automobiles, geocachers must fly, sail, and hike to earn the coveted smiley. So are you ready for a T5 adventure?

To begin this extraordinary expedition, make your way to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital, for a chartered flight to ​​Laguna de Canaima (Canaima Lagoon), the launch point for the journey. A geologic point of interest itself, several waterfalls converge right within the town’s limits. An impressive sight from the air will set the scene for your adventure!

After a good night’s rest, strap on your lifevest and prepare to hit the river! The river can be navigated without a motor, but a motorized boat can make the more than 50-mile (80 km) journey down the Río Churún (Churún River) relaxing and peaceful. As the powerful wind brushes your face, you feel the humidity rise. Are we approaching the falls?

At last, it’s time to hike! But before you make your way to the falls, review the EarthCache logging requirements to earn the smiley. You’ll need to find three pieces of information:

1. At the base of the falls, measure your hike from the base to the viewpoint.
2. At the posted coordinates, describe what you see.
3. On the return trip, describe the unique color of the river’s water.

A short hike through the jungle will lead you to a spectacular vantage point, both to see the falls and to acquire all the information you need to find the EarthCache. Don’t forget to measure its distance; this is the first logging requirement!

Soon after you begin your walk toward the falls, the roaring sound of the water overtakes the calls of the birds above. The vines part to reveal a small path toward the majestic viewpoint. With each step, you can feel yourself getting closer to a remarkable sight worthy of your intense journey.

Image by andwife.

After carefully traversing the rocks and avoiding any nasty spills, take an impressive look up.  What a sight! You’ve made it to the posted coordinates, the site of the second logging requirement. In the magic and beauty of the falls, take a mental (or literal) photo of the site to describe it in full detail when you message the cache owner, Horrorheinz.

Unfortunately, you can only spend so much time here before it’s time to depart! Take one last look before you board the boat to head home. Despite the world’s technological advances, it is still quite a challenge to make it all this way. Celebrate your bravery, patience, and strength!

Along the way back to ​​Laguna de Canaima, be sure to obtain the third and final logging requirement for the EarthCache: the color of the river, Río Churún. Its unique color is most visible along the banks, where the water is most shallow. With this final bit of information, you’ve completed this noteworthy cache. What an accomplishment!

As you rest on the flight back to Caracas, a smile forms on your face as you can’t believe what you’ve completed. Will this be your last geocache? Of course not! Your next adventure is right around the corner; the world is your oyster.

 Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world. Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.