Mount Roraima in South America appears to be a huge rock that rises above the clouds and once you reach there you will know why it is also called “The Lost World”. You find on the mountain plateaus a large variety of plant species that can be found nowhere else in the world.
What is even stranger is that ancient fossils have been preserved in their ‘living’ form of existence. For millions of years the shape of these Mount Rorima plateaus has remained unchanged, but you will get the mostly amazed when you spend a few minutes on top while being greeted by an alien stone landscape with fragments of clouds floating around the mountain.
The forms of life that have been found here make up for the highest concentrations of unique life that is found on the entire planet. This is the reason why many explorers are still looking for ways to preserve the life in this area that can be easily extinguished without solid support.
From Santa Elena, it's about a two hour drive to the small Indian village of Parai Tepui, or Paraitepui, where you'll pay an entrance fee to climb the tepui, arrange for guides and porters (who are limited to 15 k), if not already provided by a tour agency. You can also arrange for a guide and porters in San Francisco de Yuruaní, about 69 km north of Santa Elena on the main road. If you're on your own, arrange for transportation back to Santa Elena at this time.
Plan to be in Paraitepui before noon, since no one is allowed to leave after two PM, as it's at least a five hour trek across the sabana to the first camp site. You can camp overnight in Paraitepui, but buy all your food in Santa Elena.
It's about a 12 hour trip to the top of the tepui. The trip is broken by an overnight camp either along the Río Tek or the Río Kukenan, 4 1/2 hours from Paraitepui. If you have enough time, you can also push another three hours uphill to the base camp.
The next day is the four (or more) hour climb up the ramp, through cloud forest, waterfalls and rock formations to reach the top of the tepui. You'll camp in one of the sandy areas called hoteles protected from the weather by rocky overhangs. Everything you take up, you must bring down, including used toilet paper. However, you may take no souvenirs from the tepui.
Discovered one hundred and twenty five years ago, Mount Roraima rises like an immense fortress above the clouds, towering above the rainforest below. The first explorers who reached the summit of the plateau returned with a plethora of new plant and animal species, and affirmed that no area of equal size has ever yielded greater botanical and zoological discoveries as Roraima. This statement remains true today, as ongoing exploration has revealed that up to 70% of the plant and animal life found on South America's tablelands is endemic, and up to 35% of all species occur only on a single mountain top and are found nowhere else on Earth. This is one of the greatest concentrations of unique life found anywhere on the planet and organisations who support this initiative will be taking part in a remarkable CSR project that goes far beyond reducing your carbon footprint.
But it is not only the diversity of life found here. The so called ‘lost worlds’ are also home to ancient ‘living fossils’ found nowhere else on Earth. Many plants and animals have remained isolated atop Roraima and neighbouring plateaus and have remained little changed for millions of years. Many of the ferns, cycads, toads, carnivorous plants and arthropods are identical or most similar to extinct fossils than anything else surviving in South America or the rest of the world today. Without corporate sponsorship this unique assemblage of life will struggle to surviveToday we will talk about Mount Roraima, one of the oldest formations on Earth, a natural border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana in South America. It is also called Roraima Tepui or Cerro Roraima.

There are some wonderful places on Earth that offer such breathtaking views that they might just stick with you forever and ever down in some rusty memory box. And there are others worth discovering that we do not even know about. This site is about unconventional traveling ideas, a place where people can find unworldly landscapes and a new way of seeing things. And this definitely one of them.oday this unusual looking mountain can be visited by anyone having the will to discover it. The ascend starts in the Pemón village of Paraitepui which can be reached via the town of Santa Elena. Getting to Mount Roraima is possible by taking a plane to Santa Elena de Uairén airport. This is a town in Brazil, very close to the border.  From here on, you will see there are buses or shuttles that can get you close to the ascending point- the village of Paraitepui.

Hiking here is not hard and you can also get help from the indigenous population, as they organize tour guides in exchange for a small sum of money. If you are on your own however, try to reserve at least four days for this fantastic journey, as there are plenty of things to see and enjoy up there. Mount Roraima is said to have some of the most fascinating hiking trails in the world.

You should not leave after 2 p.m. from the village as trekkers are no longer allowed after this hour. At the beginning of your climb, your baggages will be strictly checked and you can not take more than 15 kilos with you. So careful how you organize things. Being given that this is a national park , you are not permitted to take rocks or plants along the way.

The top of the mountain measures 2772m, it offers amazing landscapes and establishing a tent around here is possible. However, you should know the weather changes suddenly in this area so be prepared.

Subsequent explorations аnԁ modern day climbers аnԁ trekkers find nο dinosaurs, fossils οr traces οf prehistoric life οn thе top οf thе tepui, bυt thеу ԁο find a fаntаѕtіс world οf cystal valleys, gorges, sandy beaches, mists аnԁ fog, fissures, rock formations, pools аnԁ waterfalls. Mount Roraima іѕ thе tallest οf thе table mountains called tepuis аnԁ іѕ located іn thе southeastern corner οf Canaima National Park, near thе borders οf Brazil аnԁ Guyana.
Thіѕ іѕ thе land οf tropical savannahs, cloud forests, tepuis, rivers аnԁ waterfalls. Roraima іѕ one οf thе mοѕt recommended climbs іn South America, аnԁ mοѕt people allow eight days fοr thе trip. Hοwеνеr, thіѕ allows οnƖу one day οn thе top οf thе tepui, whісh isn’t enough time tο properly explore аƖƖ thе nooks аnԁ crannies. Unfortunately, backpackers аrе limited bу whаt thеу саn carry.
If уου hаνе οnƖу a day, уου саn take many οf thе trails leading frοm thе camps, bυt tο properly explore thе black, craggy surface οf thе tepui, уου ѕhουƖԁ allow yourself аt Ɩеаѕt аn extra day. Yουr guide wіƖƖ lead уου tο thе Valle de los Cristales tο see thе colorful crystals; through gorges аnԁ fissures looking Ɩіkе alien worlds; tο pools called jacuzzis, bυt don’t expect hot water. Yου′ll see ѕtrаnɡе plants, birds аnԁ animals, even a tіnу black frgo thаt protects itself bу curling up іntο a ball. Yου саn hike асrοѕѕ thе tepui tο
Thе descent frοm tepui Roraima takes аbουt ten hours tο reach Paraitepui.
An alternate way tο see tepui Roraima іѕ bу helicopter, allowing two – three days οn thе summit.
Getting Thеrе
Thеrе аrе nο direct flights frοm Caracas οr οthеr large cities tο thе closest town wіth аn airport, thе border town οf Santa Elena de Uairén. Many visitors fƖу tο Ciudad Bolivar аnԁ take a smaller aircraft thеrе. Sοmе come іn frοm Brazil.
hе border wіth Guyana іѕ closed due tο a territorial dispute.
Frοm Santa Elena, іt’s аbουt a two hour drive tο thе small Indian village οf Parai Tepui, οr Paraitepui, whеrе уου′ll pay аn entrance fee tο climb thе tepui, arrange fοr guides аnԁ porters (whο аrе limited tο 15 k), іf nοt already provided bу a tour agency. Yου саn аƖѕο arrange fοr a guide аnԁ porters іn San Francisco de Yuruaní, аbουt 69 km north οf Santa Elena οn thе main road. If уου′re οn уουr οwn, arrange fοr transportation back tο Santa Elena аt thіѕ time.
PƖаn tο bе іn Paraitepui before noon, ѕіnсе nο one іѕ allowed tο leave аftеr two PM, аѕ іt’s аt Ɩеаѕt a five hour trek асrοѕѕ thе sabana tο thе first camp site. Yου саn camp overnight іn Paraitepui, bυt bυу аƖƖ уουr food іn Santa Elena.
It’s аbουt a 12 hour trip tο thе top οf thе tepui. Thе trip іѕ broken bу аn overnight camp еіthеr along thе Río Tek οr thе Río Kukenan, 4 1/2 hours frοm Paraitepui. If уου hаνе enough time, уου саn аƖѕο push another three hours uphill tο thе base camp.

Mendenhall, the famously 12 mile long, 150 foot deep and half mile wide glacier melts as you watch it, and moves as much as 60-70 feet per year. The massive glacial geography and its changes over time are a sight to be seen. But it’s real beauty lies beneath. Beneath the seracs of “ice peaks” all over the glacier. Beneath the trails that wind the non-touristy western half of the glacier. Under the white outer-coating of the glacial ice itself–a beautiful if only superficial “cover”–one finds a brilliantly colored world of ice caves unlike anything I’ve found anywhere else in nature.
Neither raging nor deep, there are two waterfalls that slip down the side of adjacent Mt. McGinnis in Juneau, Alaska. These gentle streams belie their real impact on the glacier. As one follows the flow of water down the mountain, it slips under the edge of the glacier where, over thousands of years, it has carved massive caves through the ice. Known by most of the locals but far, far off the tourist track, these caves were an extraordinary experience–the kind that will live with you for the rest of your life. There’s simply nothing else like it.
The path to get there is not so much difficult as it is technical–requiring balance and calculated movements more than muscle or raw perseverance. Park at the head of Western Glacier Trail. Hike the trail out to the viewing platform atop the small knoll. There’ll be a sign pointing to it. But instead of continuing along Western Glacier Trail, you’ll take the unmarked trail from the viewing platform down towards the glacier. This path is technical and moderately arduous, but not overly long. It’ll wind through Juneau’s beautiful rain forests and take you through some areas where you will need to climb over large rocks (no climbing gear is needed–the rocks are easy, just tall). From here, you’ll begin the final descent onto the glacier itself. You WILL need ice cleats or, at minimum, crampons. Climb the glacier for a while and behold the majestic beauty of the ice upfront. You can see holes that go all the way through the glacier with constantly streaming flows of water–a reminder that the massive ice is moving and melting all the time. But before you leave, do not miss the ice caves beneath the glacier. Climb the left side of the glacier along the edge, and follow the sound and sight of the waterfalls coming down Mt. McGinnis. There are other ice caves to be found, but this is the only one I had the time for on my journey. But at several hundred yards deep before the cave opening gets to be so small you can no longer go any deeper inside, it won’t leave you disappointed.

Starting in July 2011, and each year since, sudden torrents of water shooting out from beneath the glacier have become a new facet of Juneau’s brief, shimmering high summer season. In that first, and so far biggest, measured flood burst, an estimated 10 billion gallons gushed out in three days, threatening homes and property along the Mendenhall River that winds through part of the city. There have been at least two smaller bursts this year.

“That first one caught us by surprise,” said Tom Mattice, the emergency programs manager and avalanche forecaster for the City and Borough of Juneau.

That the Mendenhall Glacier is thinning, and has been for decades, is only part of the explanation. Water from snowmelt, rain and thawing ice are also combining in new ways, researchers said — first pooling in an ice-covered depression near the glacier called Suicide Basin, then finding a way to flow downhill.

What prompts a surge, and the urgent search for a way to anticipate and prepare by scientists and safety officials like Mr. Mattice, is pressure. As water builds up in the basin and seeks an outlet, it can actually lift portions of the glacier ever so slightly, and in that lift, the water finds a release. Under the vast pressure of the ice bearing down upon it, the water explodes out into the depths of Mendenhall Lake and from there into the river.

Glaciologists even have a name for the process, which is happening in many places all over the world as climates change: jokulhlaup, an Icelandic word usually translated as “glacier leap.”

“We don’t have a sense yet how much of a threat this poses, or how much water you could store up there,” said Jason Amundson, an assistant professor of geophysics at the University of Alaska Southeast, in Juneau.

What elevates the concern is the proximity of people, and lots of them. Glaciers may be leaping in many places, but it mostly happens in isolation.

The roughly 12-mile-long Mendenhall, by contrast, is one of the most visited glaciers in the world, and an urban one. About 400,000 tourists a year, 80 percent of them from the cruise ships that stop at the Port of Juneau, are drawn to the glacier.

“We’re a drive-up glacier,” said Nikki Hinds, the assistant director at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, which is operated by the Forest Service. “In how many places can you have that?”

This summer, glacier-monitoring intensified. A pressure transducer to gauge water buildup, partly paid for by the city, was installed in a deep crack on the edge of the basin, with a satellite link sending back real-time data about the glacier’s hidden waterworks. A time-lapse camera was also positioned at the main pooling site for the first time to track bulges in the ice that could suggest dammed-up water.

“The biggest thing we don’t know is what’s blocking what,” said Jamie Pierce, a mountaineer and researcher at the university. Mr. Pierce was out on the Mendenhall ice on a recent afternoon, checking the instruments. After rappelling about 50 feet to the transducer, he found it completely dry, suggesting that the water was finding another channel, or another damming point, than the one suspected of causing the trouble.

Like glaciers the world over, the Mendenhall has thinned and retreated hundreds of feet since visitors first started coming here in the late 1800s. Long-term climate models suggest a warmer, wetter pattern in this part of Alaska, which could have its own strange ripple of consequences for the Mendenhall and the people who love it, study it and live by it.

The Mendenhall Glacier is a tongue of ice stretching 12 miles from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake. At its widest point, the glacier is more than a half mile wide, with ice 300 to 1,800 feet deep. The Mendenhall is one of 38 large and more than 100 smaller valley glaciers in the Juneau Icefield. The larger Taku, Eagle, and Herbert Glaciers are also nearby.

In 1879, naturalist John Muir named it "Auk Glacier" after a local Tlingit Indian village. In 1892, the name was changed to honor Thomas C. Mendenhall, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Since the mid-1700s, the glacier has been retreating. Before 1765, the face of the glacier reached 2.5 miles farther down the Mendenhall Valley.

Glacial ice has a unique crystalline structure that absorbs and reflects light, giving the ice its blue appearance. The most intense blue occurs in crevasses and when ice breaks off, or calves, from a glacier's face. The blue color fades as the ice is exposed to air and the crystalline structure breaks down. In Alaska, glacier viewing is often best on overcast and rainy days.

Commercial operators offer tours in the summer, including hiking, biking, rafting, canoe and kayak trips, and bus, van, taxi and shuttle tours. Thousands of visitors each year also take flightseeing tours by helicopter or fixed-wing planes. The U.S. Forest Service maintains several hiking trails near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, which provide a high-quality recreation experience emphasizing glacial phenomena, ecosystems, and protection of fish and wildlife. The center is open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily, May to September. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children under 16. Winter hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. - See more at: http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/glacier_tours.php#sthash.2xF42eAG.dpuf

Enter Glacier Bay, and you cruise along shorelines that were completely covered by ice about 200 years ago when George Vancouver first ventured into Icy Straits in 1794. As the weighty glaciers continue to recede, the land experiences a natural phenomenon known as isostatic rebound. The terrain rises about an inch per year, and fresh earth emerges along the shores.

A melange of marine mammals travel the area's waters. Along the shore and in the surrounding country you may spot bear, goats, moose, and wide variety of birdlife.

Gustavus, the small community located at the mouth of Glacier Bay, is built on land uncovered by the glaciers. About 400 residents live there year-round, while the population swells to about 1,000 in the summer. Gustavus has a grocery store, restaurant, volunteer fire department, golf course, and a full range of visitor accommodations, from cabins and bed and breakfasts, to hotels and luxurious lodges. Innkeepers can arrange guided sea excursions, including kayaking, whale watching tours to Point Adolphus, or fishing in salt or fresh water. Hiking, birding, biking, diving, and flightseeing are also popular, as is visiting the Glacier Bay Lodge and Visitor Center.

Gustavus is located about 33 air miles from Juneau. Commuter air services provide year-round daily flights from Juneau. During the summer, Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service from Juneau.

- See more at: http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/glacier_tours.php#sthash.2xF42eAG.dpuf

Enter Glacier Bay, and you cruise along shorelines that were completely covered by ice about 200 years ago when George Vancouver first ventured into Icy Straits in 1794. As the weighty glaciers continue to recede, the land experiences a natural phenomenon known as isostatic rebound. The terrain rises about an inch per year, and fresh earth emerges along the shores.

A melange of marine mammals travel the area's waters. Along the shore and in the surrounding country you may spot bear, goats, moose, and wide variety of birdlife.

Gustavus, the small community located at the mouth of Glacier Bay, is built on land uncovered by the glaciers. About 400 residents live there year-round, while the population swells to about 1,000 in the summer. Gustavus has a grocery store, restaurant, volunteer fire department, golf course, and a full range of visitor accommodations, from cabins and bed and breakfasts, to hotels and luxurious lodges. Innkeepers can arrange guided sea excursions, including kayaking, whale watching tours to Point Adolphus, or fishing in salt or fresh water. Hiking, birding, biking, diving, and flightseeing are also popular, as is visiting the Glacier Bay Lodge and Visitor Center.

Gustavus is located about 33 air miles from Juneau. Commuter air services provide year-round daily flights from Juneau. During the summer, Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service from Juneau.

- See more at: http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/glacier_tours.php#sthash.2xF42eAG.dpuf

Enter Glacier Bay, and you cruise along shorelines that were completely covered by ice about 200 years ago when George Vancouver first ventured into Icy Straits in 1794. As the weighty glaciers continue to recede, the land experiences a natural phenomenon known as isostatic rebound. The terrain rises about an inch per year, and fresh earth emerges along the shores.

A melange of marine mammals travel the area's waters. Along the shore and in the surrounding country you may spot bear, goats, moose, and wide variety of birdlife.

Gustavus, the small community located at the mouth of Glacier Bay, is built on land uncovered by the glaciers. About 400 residents live there year-round, while the population swells to about 1,000 in the summer. Gustavus has a grocery store, restaurant, volunteer fire department, golf course, and a full range of visitor accommodations, from cabins and bed and breakfasts, to hotels and luxurious lodges. Innkeepers can arrange guided sea excursions, including kayaking, whale watching tours to Point Adolphus, or fishing in salt or fresh water. Hiking, birding, biking, diving, and flightseeing are also popular, as is visiting the Glacier Bay Lodge and Visitor Center.

Gustavus is located about 33 air miles from Juneau. Commuter air services provide year-round daily flights from Juneau. During the summer, Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service from Juneau.

- See more at: http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/glacier_tours.php#sthash.2xF42eAG.dpuf

The Mendenhall Glacier is a tongue of ice stretching 12 miles from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake. At its widest point, the glacier is more than a half mile wide, with ice 300 to 1,800 feet deep. The Mendenhall is one of 38 large and more than 100 smaller valley glaciers in the Juneau Icefield. The larger Taku, Eagle, and Herbert Glaciers are also nearby.

In 1879, naturalist John Muir named it "Auk Glacier" after a local Tlingit Indian village. In 1892, the name was changed to honor Thomas C. Mendenhall, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Since the mid-1700s, the glacier has been retreating. Before 1765, the face of the glacier reached 2.5 miles farther down the Mendenhall Valley.

Glacial ice has a unique crystalline structure that absorbs and reflects light, giving the ice its blue appearance. The most intense blue occurs in crevasses and when ice breaks off, or calves, from a glacier's face. The blue color fades as the ice is exposed to air and the crystalline structure breaks down. In Alaska, glacier viewing is often best on overcast and rainy days.

Commercial operators offer tours in the summer, including hiking, biking, rafting, canoe and kayak trips, and bus, van, taxi and shuttle tours. Thousands of visitors each year also take flightseeing tours by helicopter or fixed-wing planes. The U.S. Forest Service maintains several hiking trails near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, which provide a high-quality recreation experience emphasizing glacial phenomena, ecosystems, and protection of fish and wildlife. The center is open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily, May to September. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children under 16. Winter hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.-Sun. - See more at: http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/glacier_tours.php#sthash.2xF42eAG.dpuf