All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Mount Roraima
Trekking / Hiking in Mount Roraima
The greatest of the tepuis, a sheer-sided tabletop mountain rising to 2,810 metres on the tripoint of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana in the Gran Sabana of Canaima National Park. Its cloud-wrapped summit plateau of black rock, quartz crystal fields and endemic plants inspired Conan Doyle's Lost World, and it is reached on a multi-day trek from the Pemon village of Paraitepui near Santa Elena de Uairen.
Why here
Mount Roraima is one of the world's great treks and one of the strangest landscapes on the planet. From the savanna of the Gran Sabana the tepui rises as a two-kilometre wall of rock, and the only walkable way up is a natural rock ramp on the southwest face, the route the Pemon have always used. The standard trip is six days from the village of Paraitepui: two days across open grassland and river crossings to a base camp under the wall, a hard climb up the ramp into the cloud, and two days exploring a summit world of wind-carved black rock, crystal-strewn valleys, quartz pools and tiny endemic plants and frogs found nowhere else. Nights are cold and camps are basic, tucked into rock overhangs called hotels. A licensed guide is mandatory and independent trekking is not allowed, so you go with a Pemon crew who carry, cook and read the mountain's fast-changing weather. Few places reward the effort like this one, and almost no one is up there with you.
Best months
The drier months from roughly November to April give firmer trails, easier river crossings and clearer summit views, though cloud and rain are possible year-round and the plateau is always cold and wet at night. The trek is physically demanding: long days with a full pack unless you hire porters, exposed sections on the ramp, and altitude to 2,800 metres. Trips start from Santa Elena de Uairen with a jeep transfer to Paraitepui. Bring proper wet-weather gear, warm layers, a good sleeping bag and sturdy boots.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Reconsider Travel
US State Dept Level 3 Reconsider Travel for Venezuela (crime, kidnapping, terrorism, wrongful detention, poor health infrastructure) as of 2026-07; the Level 4 Do Not Travel designations apply to Amazonas state, Apure state and within 20 miles of the Colombia border, none of which include Bolivar state or the Gran Sabana. Check your own government's guidance before booking. A licensed guide is legally required for Roraima and independent trekking is prohibited, so book with an established Santa Elena de Uairen operator who arranges the National Park permit, the Paraitepui transfer, guides and porters. Access is via Santa Elena, reached overland from Ciudad Bolivar or across the border from Brazil. Carry cash in small denominations, as card and ATM access is unreliable.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Kamadac Tours and Expeditions
OutfitterKamadac Tours and Expeditions is a local, family-run agency based on Calle Urdaneta in the centre of Santa Elena de Uairen, the last town before the Brazilian border, and has guided Gran Sabana trips for many years. Its signature trip is the six-day Roraima trek from the Pemon village of Paraitepui, run with its own Pemon guides and porters and camps at Rio Kukenan and the mountain base. It also organises Angel Falls, Auyantepui and Orinoco Delta expeditions and runs a restaurant in town.