Falling for tourists.

• Author: Hardman, Chris
• Position: Kaieteur waterfall

THE TINY COUNTRY of Guyana, situated on South America's northeast coast, is called the "land of many waters" due to the large number of waterfalls, rivers, and wetlands found throughout the country. The most spectacular of all Guyana's water attractions is the Kaieteur waterfall, located about 150 miles inland on the Potaro River. At 741 feet--nearly live times the height of Niagara Falls--Kaieteur Falls is the largest, single drop waterfall in the world.

Nearly sixty years after the falls received their first foreign visitor, British geologist and explorer Charles Barrington Brown in 1870, Kaieteur became the country's first national park. Recent legislation has increased the park's size to 762 square miles. The falls are named after an old Patamona Indian chief called Kaie. According to Patamona legend, Kale saved the Patamona from a warring tribe by canoeing over the falls as a sacrifice to Makonaima, the great spirit.

The falls have served as Guyana's most well-known tourist attraction, and tours are led by small plane from the country's capital, Georgetown. The one-hour flight takes travelers from the plains on the coast to the lush green mountains of the interior. Some visitors may choose the overland route to the falls that involves a two-day drive from Georgetown, an eight-hour hike to the base of the falls, and a four-hour climb up the side of the gorge. All tours include a guided tour of the forest surrounding the falls to see. Kaieteur's other natural wonders. Kaieteur sits on the eastern edge of the fifteen hundred-foot-high Potato Plateau, which covers southeastern Venezuela, northern Brazil, and western Guyana.

The ever-present mist from the waterfall has created a cloud forest that is rich with mosses, ferns, and orchids. One of the most spectacular plants is the giant tank bromeliad that grows as high as twelve feet. Bromeliads create microhabitats for frogs and insects by...