6 Unique And Stunning Table Top Mountains To Visit

A unique natural wonder table-topped mountain is a rare phenomena. In South America they are known as tepui and often feature a waterfall, since they are found in the lush rainforests. We invite you to check out these ten beautiful mountains which one would you like to visit?

# Mount Roraima, Venezuela

Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateau in South America. First described by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1596, its 31 km2 summit area is defended by 400-metre-tall cliffs on all sides. The mountain includes the triple border point of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana.

Mount Roraima lies on the Guiana Shield in the southeastern corner of Venezuela's 30000 km2 Canaima National Park forming the highest peak ofGuyana's Highland Range. The tabletop mountains of the park are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to some two billion years ago in the Precambrian Era.

# Table Mountain, South Africa

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

The main feature of Table Mountain is a level plateau approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) from side to side, surrounded by steep cliffs. The plateau, flanked by Devil's Peak to the east and by Lion's Head to the west, forms a dramatic backdrop to Cape Town and its Table Bay harbour, and together with Signal Hill form the natural amphitheatre of the City Bowl.

The highest point on Table Mountain is towards the eastern end of the plateau and is marked by Maclear's Beacon, a stone cairn built in 1865 by Sir Thomas Maclear for trigonometrical survey. It is 1,086 metres (3,563 ft) above sea level, about 19 metres (62 ft) higher than the cable station at the western end of the plateau.

The flat top of the mountain is often covered by orographic clouds, formed when a south-easterly wind is directed up the mountain's slopes into colder air, where the moisture condenses to form the so-called "table cloth" of cloud.

# Autana Tepui, Venezuela

Autana, the tree of life, is a spectacular tepui located in the Amazonas state in Venezuela, part of the Guiana Shield. It stands 1,220 m (4,000 ft) above sea level. A unique cave runs from one side of the mountain through the other.

# Ptari Tepui, Venezuela

Ptari Tepui's sheer rock walls are so isolated, it is believed a high number of endemic plant and animal species could be found there.

# Ben Bulben, Ireland

Ben Bulben is a large rock formation in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, an area sometimes called "Yeats Country". Ben Bulben is listed as a protected structure. Ben Bulben was formed during the Ice age, when large parts of the Earth were under glaciers. It was originally merely a large ridge, however the moving glaciers cut into the earth, leaving a distinct formation, now called Ben Bulben.

Ben Bulben hosts a unique variety of plants, possessing some organisms found nowhere else in Ireland. Many are arctic-alpine plants, due to the mountain's height, which allows for cooler temperatures than is normal. These plants were deposited when the glaciers that created Ben Bulben melted. Insects, wild hares, and foxes inhabit Ben Bulben.

# Auyantepui, Venezuela

Auyantepui which in the language of the native Pemon people means "Devil's Mountain", is the most visited and famous tepui (table-top mountain) in Venezuela. It is one of the largest (but not the highest) tepuis with an area of 700 km² in the Guayana Highlands and is located in the Gran Sabana region in Bolivar State. Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world, drops from a cleft near the summit. The falls are 979 meters (3,212 ft) high, with an uninterrupted descent of 807 meters (2,648 ft).