We Found a Lost World Isolated for Millions of Years

Bright Side

Imagine finding a whole lost world that's been cut off for millions of years — sounds like a movie, right? Well, it’s real, and the place is called Roraima! It’s not an island, though; it’s actually a giant mountain with a super flat top. Because of the way it looks and the thick clouds that surround it, it gives off this crazy illusion that it’s just floating in the sky. There’s no typical pointy peak like most mountains — it’s just this massive, flat surface way up high. It’s one of the coolest and most mysterious places on Earth!  Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:01Whoa! It's a huge flying island right above your head!

00:05In the era of AI, you may think it's nothing but a neural network video,

00:09but let me tell you that first, it's very much real.

00:13Two, if you want, you can as well visit it.

00:16It may even hold the key to the El Dorado secret.

00:21This place is called Roraima, and it's actually not an island at all.

00:26It's a mountain.

00:26Due to a number of factors, we get this vision of an island floating somewhere above us.

00:33But it's all about the flat top this mountain has.

00:36There's no standard peak, so it looks flat, and the thick clouds get blended into the skies,

00:42thus creating this optical illusion.

00:46Despite the advancements in satellite technology and affordable air travel,

00:50there are still few places on Earth that feel truly uncharted,

00:54like Mount Roraima is one of them.

00:56It's been around for almost 2 billion years,

01:00and it's one of the oldest formations on our planet.

01:03For comparison, dinosaurs appeared somewhere around 240 million years ago.

01:09Some scientists believe that this area used to be a part of the supercontinent called Gondwanda Land.

01:15And back then, it wasn't yet a mountain.

01:19When the supercontinent split apart, the erosion created this magnificent tabletop mountain.

01:25But what's interesting about this place is not the age,

01:28but the fact that it still looks prehistoric.

01:31It's almost untouched.

01:33The reason for that is late exploration of this part of South America.

01:37By the way, we still discover new flora and fauna species living there every year.

01:43For a mountain, it's relatively short, only 9,220 feet.

01:49There are cities located at a higher pitch above sea level,

01:53say La Paz in Bolivia, whose elevation is 11,940 feet.

01:59So people could be living in the area of Mount Roraima too,

02:03despite its hard-to-get location.

02:05But there's a twist to it.

02:08The Pemun people are the original inhabitants of this region,

02:11and they have an incredibly rich tradition of myths.

02:15For instance, their mythology features deities that live on the Teppui,

02:20which are flat-topped mountains found in the grasslands.

02:23These mountains are considered sacred,

02:25and are off-limits to the living since they're believed to be the dwelling places

02:29of ancestor spirits, known as Mawari.

02:34So, there are traditions that restrict living in this area,

02:38but still, some sources claim that local communities do dwell there.

02:43But, obviously, modern problems lie not only in the spirits,

02:48but in very much limited job opportunities there.

02:51However, guided tours are actually available.

02:54So, what will you see if you ever dare to visit this place?

02:59At the base of the mountain lies an evergreen rainforest,

03:03featuring trees that range in height from 82 to 150 feet,

03:07with some specimens reaching up to 200 feet.

03:11Some of them are endemic, for sure,

03:13meaning that it's the only place in the world where you can find them.

03:16Like, you can find orchids as large as a medium-sized tree.

03:21It's not a surprise, because due to the remoteness of this place,

03:25species here may have followed a completely different evolutionary trail,

03:29unlike most of the flora and fauna on our planet.

03:32Next, you have all the chances to stumble upon a waterfall at the base of Roraima

03:38that's been flowing for millions of years.

03:42Fun fact, there are no rivers on Roraima Summit,

03:45but the rainfall seeping through the porous rocks create this incredible view.

03:50All combined together, make it look like some lost world, right?

03:55By the way, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired by Tepui,

03:59these tabletop mountains, when he was writing his The Lost World novel.

04:04Yep, it's not only Sherlock he was famous for.

04:08Among these natural wonders, Roraima stands out as the most accessible Tepui.

04:14There are more similar formations, but they're way less Trek-friendly.

04:18Yeah, amongst other mountains, Roraima may be the easiest to get to.

04:23But still, it is very hard to get there,

04:26even taking into account all the modern technologies.

04:29So, how did the discovery happen?

04:32Hard to say for sure, but there is a theory backed up by official records.

04:37Back in the 16th century, here was this Sir Walton Raleigh.

04:42Look at his fancy collar and mustache.

04:44He was one of the most important people during the Elizabethan period.

04:49In 1594, he got to know about a great golden city near the Coroní River.

04:55That idea stuck in his mind.

04:57Maybe it was something like a get-rich-quick scheme for him.

05:01Anyways, one year later, he went to explore what is now Guyana and eastern Venezuela,

05:07and he described precisely Mount Roraima.

05:10On March 22nd, 1595, an English fleet led by Walter Raleigh showed up off the coast of Trinidad.

05:20Raleigh tried to make nice with the Spanish settlers there

05:23by trading and even inviting them aboard his ships for some entertainment.

05:27After a few drinks, the Spaniards opened up about a person having some particular activities in Guyana,

05:35sharing insights about the land's geography and the treasures they believed were hidden inland.

05:41Fast forward to April 7th, Raleigh pulled off a surprise attack on the town of San Jose

05:47and managed to capture this very person.

05:49After squeezing him for information, Raleigh declared his own plan to head into Guyana

05:55on a quest for the legendary Golden City.

05:59Since his ships couldn't navigate the narrow channels of the Orinoco Delta,

06:04Raleigh had his carpenters modify one of them, likely a Galeas, to only draw five feet of water.

06:11This ship could carry 60 men, while another 40 were split among smaller boats.

06:16Progress was slow as they navigated through the Delta,

06:20getting lost in what Raleigh described as a labyrinth of rivers.

06:25Eventually, they made their way to the Canyon Monamo,

06:28and then into the main Orinoco River.

06:32A bit further upstream, where the Orinoco meets the Caroni,

06:35Raleigh encountered a native chief named Topiowari, and they hit it off.

06:41Topiowari revealed that his people had been pushed out of inland Guyana

06:45by a fierce tribe from the west.

06:47This fed into the prevailing belief, shared by both the Spanish and Raleigh,

06:52that El Dorado was home to runaway Incas from Peru.

06:57Topiowari also mentioned that the invading tribe was rich in gold,

07:01claiming that their nearest town, just a four-day trek south,

07:05was the source of gold plates that were being traded far and wide.

07:09But he hinted that even finer treasures lay deeper in the land.

07:17Raleigh then made his way to the mouth of the Caroni,

07:20but strong currents halted any further progress.

07:24He sent out two scouting groups on land, while he led a third one.

07:28They unearthed a few shiny stones that they eagerly dug out of the ground,

07:31but most turned out to be worthless.

07:34They learned that a massive lake about 40 miles wide

07:38lay at the head of the Caroni, filled with alluvial gold.

07:43However, with no way to move forward and the Orinoco's waters rising,

07:48Raleigh had to call off the expedition,

07:50hoping to come back when conditions were better.

07:53It wasn't until 1616, over 20 years later,

07:58that Raleigh got the go-ahead from James I for a second try in Guyana.

08:04He assured the king he could retrieve a lot of gold from a mine near the Caroni

08:09that he had heard about on his earlier trip.

08:12James specifically ordered him not to clash with the Spanish,

08:16who were still controlling the Orinoco area.

08:19When Raleigh arrived in South America,

08:21he stayed on the ship while sending Lawrence Kemmes and a team to look for the mine.

08:26For reasons that remain unclear,

08:29Kemmes ended up attacking and capturing the Spanish town of Santo Tome,

08:34resulting in the demise of Raleigh's son, Watt, during the skirmish.

08:39Unable to find the mine, the crew returned to the ship,

08:42and facing Raleigh's anger, Kemmes took his own life.

08:47Back in England, Raleigh was put on trial for allegedly lying about the mine

08:51and trying to provoke a conflict with Spain,

08:54which ultimately led to his execution.

08:58Or maybe those were the Mawari spirits who didn't appreciate the intrusion.

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