Just returned from a pretty big trip. With just six guys and this picture from 1935, we managed to locate, reach, and photograph a truly hidden wonder: King Edward VIII Falls, the tallest waterfall in Guyana. After extensive research, interviews with locals, and discussion with the Guyanese government, it's clear: We are among just a handful of people who have ever seen this incredible place.
This started with an idea for a fishing trip. I had been looking for a reason to get to Guyana to chase lau-lau and payara, and while researching the rivers, I ran across a mention of the Semang River, a tributary of the massive Mazaruni that runs straight off the Pakaraima
Finding limited information about the Semang online, I started to dig deeper. Eventually, I found a geographical survey report from 1935, hidden in the middle of The Geographical Journal, Vol. 88, No. 3 (Sep., 1936), p. 262. The report, "New Fall on the Semang River in British
As an agent of the colonial government in British Guiana, Bracewell patriotically named the falls in honor of King Edward VIII—now known mostly for his scandalous abdication of the British throne to marry twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. In an ironic twist of
A few years later, in 1938, the Falls was briefly mentioned again, in Paul A. Zahl's book "To The Lost World", an account of his expedition to Mount Roraima.
Zahl included this long-distance aerial photo of the Falls, taken from Major Art William's plane while flying west towards Tumereng.
Interestingly, Major Williams is also mentioned in the original 1935 report, as someone who had flown over the Falls during the earlier 1927 Geological Survey; he's likely the first Western person to have ever seen the Falls.
Zahl also included a hand-drawn map in his book, showing the approximate location of the Falls.
Since Zahl's 1938 flyover, there have been no reports, photographs, or any other information published about King Edward VIII Falls, and very little about the upper Semang River generally. The area has remained essentially un-mapped, un-explored, and almost entirely un-known.
In the 21st century, this is truly remarkable; there aren't very many places that can claim to be this unexplored, with the number of confirmed visitors being less than five over the last hundred years. And even more remarkably, at 840 feet, King Edward VIII Falls is almost
After doing the archival research, reading Zahl's book, and confirming over and over that the Falls was truly off the map, I began to think about getting there myself. It was immediately clear that this would be no ordinary trip, and would require extensive planning and
Our primary goals on this expedition were to locate the falls, photograph it, and measure the height if possible. I strongly considered taking the equipment necessary to survey for new species in the upper Semang River, but ultimately decided that the gear required was too
So here it is: King Edward VIII Falls, photographed from the ground for the first time since 1935. If you're reading this post, you are now on an extremely short of people who have ever seen this place, in photographs or otherwise. S. Bracewell, P.A. Forte, myself, my team, and
Overall, I would say this was a qualified success; we got there and we got some decent photographs, and footage, but the flooding prevented us from getting accurate data. Another expedition is already in the works to complete the picture.
This waterfall footage is actually a bit bittersweet for me...I sucked at flying the drone, and I crashed it while trying to get a picture of another waterfall nearby. What you're seeing here is just the cached footage, the real 4K video was lost with the drone. Pretty
Did you consider trying to get there by attaching a huge number of helium balloons to your house and floating it there?