Chimantá Tepui
Chimantá Tepui is the center of the Chimantá Massif (a massive plateau comprised of several tepuis) within Venezuela’s Gran Sabana. It is a massive, unexplored wilderness cut by rivers, cliffs, and valleys making it difficult to traverse — it can only be reached by helicopter. Most importantly, it is home to some of the most spectacular pitcher plants in the world.
Crossing the gorge
After 3 days on Amuri Tepui, the helicopter returned to pick us up with our gear and fly us across the gorge to Chimanta Tepui. The views were incredible — flying over terrain no human has even stepped foot on before.
Our camp was a small clearing covered with a dense mat of vegetation and thousands of yellow, carnivorous bromeliads (Broccinia reducta).
Thousand Year Pitcher Plants
Chimantá Tepui is home to a unique species of pitcher plants — Heliamphora chimantensis. It grows in massive colorful clumps that could be thousands of years old.
Flowering clump of Heliamphora chimantensis. An unbelievable sight on the tepui.
Heliamphora chimantensis has distinctly folded nectar spoons that point upward. The yellow-orange-red color is recognizable from a distance, even from above in the helicopter.
The coloration of these enormous clumps of pitchers lit up under the sun. It should also be visually stunning to potential insect prey.
A wasp feasting on nectar and risking destruction. Ants are a primary prey source for Heliamphora.
The copious pink flowers were devoid of seed, implying self-incompatibility. This suggests each clump is one giant clonal colony.
Endless forests, cliffs, rivers, and waterfalls passed below us as we left Chimantá Tepui. We are now on the way to the final, most remote, unexplored, and dangerous tepui of the massif, Aprada Tepui.
