Kopinang Falls is an experience worth having in every lifetime . You can find this gem nestled in the mountains of the Potaro-Siparuni region , just like Kaieteur , its more renowned counterpart . With less than 50km between them , you could consider the two falls a stone ’ s throw apart . That ’ s if you were a giant and the stones were the massive Pakaraima tepuis that separate them . However , despite the shared geography , Kopinang provides an entirely different experience : three waterfalls , three days , two nights and a feeling of utter amazement .
Flying from the coast to Kopinang Mission ( the village from which the waterfall gets its name ) is the first part of the experience . My journey to Kopinang was a gradual ease into the adventure , with each stop being more rustic than the last . It began at 09:00hrs with a forty-five-minute flight from Eugene F . Correia Airport in Ogle to Mahdia , the capital of the Potaro-Siparuni region . Heavy rainfall had delayed take-off from Ogle , and it remained a concern for the second flight from Mahdia to Kopinang . During the short layover , the facilities previewed what was to come . I waited with the other passengers under a makeshift tent , a far cry from the air-conditioned lounge at Ogle . Just over an hour later , we departed the Mahdia airstrip . plane , I could only see sparse patches of grass and a handful of houses scattered among the clearings . When I saw the runway , it became clear why weather conditions could decide whether or not a plane could land . During the descent , I saw a small playfield next to a short grass runway cut into what seemed like the only flat piece of land they could find . The bumpy landing was enough evidence that the runway was anything but level .
Stepping out of the plane felt like stepping into another world — no more bird ’ s eye view . I had become an ant surrounded by mountains . After the plane departed , the silence made the scenery more explicit . It was noon . The backdrop before me was a tepui , a giant rocky table topped with misty grey clouds as the tablecloth and a few white waterfalls billowing off the edge like tassels . I was lost in Wonderland until another traveller reminded me that the group was moving . When my eyes returned to ground level , I saw a sign
After take-off , a mosaic of mining pits quickly replaced the red-clay-stained buildings of Mahdia . The scenery soon changed from exposed earth to the lush green carpet of forest covering the imposing Pakaraima mountains . Along the way , I was fortunate to see Kaieteur from the air , thanks to the pilot choosing to fly that route . Just a few minutes later , we were descending to our destination . From the
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