The problem was, he couldn't get off. Angel's plane got stuck in the boggy jungle, and after he stomped 11 miles back to civilization, the incredible sight that he had witnessed, became a tourist drawing card.

At 3,212' total, Angel Falls are the highest in the world, just ahead of Tugela Falls in South Africa's Natal National Park. The longest single drop is 2,648'.

Angel Falls is powered by an upper tributary of the Rio Caroni, which flows over the mesa and down to the rocky chasm below. The mesa, or tepuys, was formed from sandstone, billions of years ago. While they still stand, the heavy rainfalls in the highlands is constantly eroding their sides, creating the "table top" like mountains.

The Falls are located in Canaima National Park, established in 1962, to preserve natural areas from the encroachment of man. It is a sparsely populated area, with fewer than one person per square kilometer, and a total of only 10,000 inhabitants in an area of 3,000,000ha. The nearest city is Ciudad Bolivar, almost 600km to the north.