Photos by Alastair Lee 

Venezuelan adventure: British team make first ascent of Amazon peak – in pictures

British adventurer Leo Houlding and his team became the first to ascend the east face of Cerro Autana in western Venezuela, one of the most remote mountains in the Amazon. As these images show, it was a remarkable and challenging journey
  
  


Amazonclimb: East face, Autana
Cerro Autana is a spectacular quartzite-sandstone tepuy (table-top mountain) in western Venezuela. The local Piaroa Indians revere it as the stump of the tree of life, from which all life grew. The starting point for the expedition was the frontier town of Puerto Ayacucho, reached from Caracas by car or plane. From there, the team made their way to the Piaroa community of Ceguera via an eight-hour boat ride up the Rio Orinoco and tributary Rio Autana
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
Amazonclimb: Sleepwalking
After seeking a blessing from the local shaman and participating in a memorable yopo ceremony (snorting a hallucinogenic powder), they began a four-day trek through virgin jungle to establish a trail and base camp below the rarely visited east face of Autana
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
Amazonclimb: Camping en route
The initial climb involved as much vegetation as rock face, but as the rock quality improved the team climbed above the jungle canopy and into the Cuevo Autana, the highest elevated cave system in the world where they camped
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
Amazonclimb: Camping en route
Above the cave system, the wall became incredibly steep
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
Amazonclimb: A lost world
The largest cave was 'cathedral like' and provided fresh running water, plenty of flat ground and truly awesome views over uninterrupted jungle
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
Amazonclimb: Sean 'Stanley' Leary 'hanging out'
Sean 'Stanley' Leary 'hanging out' en route up the mountain
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
Amazonclimb: Alastair Lee
100% humidity, 35 degree heat and torrential downpours combined with mosquitoes, flies and a dozen different species of ants, made for an irritating backdrop against the more serious menace of tarantulas, scorpions and deadly snakes. Photographer Alastair Lee, pictured, said he was only able to 'enjoy' the experience in retrospect
Photograph: Alastair Lee/Berghaus Photograph: Alastair Lee
 

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