The Gran Sabana (Great Savanna), a 18.000 km² high plain, is located in the southeast of Venezuela, encircled by huge forest areas, at the border to British Guyana and Brazil.
About 10.000 km² belong to the Canaima National Park, which is with 30.000 km² the second largest in Venezuela.
Coming from the north on the only connecting road the ascent to the Gran Sabana begins shortly after the gold mining town of Las Claritas. On a length of 45km the road winds in a serpentine manner through the tropical humid cloud forest of Sierra Lema from 200 m to 1450 m above sea level. This large rain forest is a paradise for bird watchers. Once on the top of the high plateau, the scenery changes abruptly, the dense forest gives way to the open wide savannah landscape. Here begins another world, the high plateau is one of the oldest known rock formations of the earth, it is part of the Guayana Shield, which is estimated at about 1,7 billion years.
The Gran Sabana is a unique fascinating landscape with the wide savannah, the mysterious flat table mountains, countless rivers and waterfalls which invite to swim and relax.
The more than 100 different table mountains in this area are characterized by a unique and peculiar flora and fauna on their plateau. A majority of the plants and animals have evolved in the persistent isolation over millions of years to endemic species.
The most famous table mountain is the Roraima, which is also the highest with 2800 m and can be climbed in a 6-day trekking tour. On the top of Roraima is also the limit point of the border triangle Brazil, British Guyana and Venezuela.
The high plateau of the Gran Sabana decreases from the north (1500 m) to the south (800 m), therefore most of the rivers flow first to the south, where they collect to Caroni river, which then flows north to the huge dam reservoir of Guri. At the enormous hydroelectric plant Guri are generated about 75 percent of the energy demand of Venezuela.
The management location of the district Gran Sabana is Santa Elena de Uairén, which is located in the south, 15 km before the Brazilian border
In the west of Santa Elena along the Brazilian border are plenty gold and diamond mines which are partially difficult to reach by road.