CANAIMA, VENEZUELA – A group of five American tourists and their guide were lost for three days in Canaima National Park. Local authorities launched a search and rescue operation, which resulted in the rescue of four of the tourists. The operation was called off after three days with no sign of the guide or the last remaining member of the group.

Their friend Sarah, a 26-year-old student, and the tour guide Salvador, 49, remain missing to this day. The group claims that Sarah was killed by the locals from the village where they endured a nightmare over three nights before being found. However, local authorities have been unable to confirm the existence of such a village.

The four survivors spent three months detained in Venezuela, undergoing legal proceedings before being released due to a lack of substantial evidence and sent back to their home country. Months after their return, the tourists contacted us, and we interviewed each of them in hopes of uncovering their side of the story.

This is the story as told by the survivors…

The group consisted of Miguel (27), Jean (26), Tom (27), Sarah (26), and Jayce (25). They had booked a month-long vacation to visit different locations in Venezuela, including Los Roques, Margarita, Caracas, Mérida, and Canaima.

During their trip to Canaima, their tour guide, Salvador (47), had planned a five-hour hike to the “El Velo de la Novia” waterfall. The journey went smoothly, and they enjoyed the breathtaking views. However, on the way back, the group noticed Salvador growing uneasy. He asked them to stop for a several minutes while he walked between the trees, carefully examining both the trees and the path, going at a much slower rythm than before. As is customary in Canaima, tour guides know the trails by heart, passed down from their parents and grandparents, without relying on GPS.

The group remembers being lost for at least an hour and a half until their five-hour trek turned into eight. By nightfall, they came across a dirt road leading to a small village called “Mukotón Cayilón” (translated from the Pemón language: “Children of the twisted tree”). Salvador suggested they take shelter in the village for the night, as it would be safer than sleeping in the wilderness.

We would have preferred to sleep naked in the jungle than in that damn village. — Tom (27).

To this day, the village has not been found on any Venezuelan map. If you have any information, please send us a message.

According to the group, the village consisted of at least ten different “churuatas” (see photo of a churuata below). The villagers welcomed them in what, in hindsight, they believe was an overly warm and strangely intense manner. Salvador explained their situation to one of the locals, who guided the group into the village. They were told they were welcome to stay the night.

Venezuelan Churuata

They were led to an empty churuata and settled inside. The place was bare, except for a few handmade hammocks. Salvador stayed outside, speaking with some of the locals in Pemón. The group recalls feeling uneasy that night. They described the atmosphere as heavy and eerily silent, even compared to the stillness of Canaima.

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Painting hanging on a churuata column. Sent by Jayce.

During the night, the villagers woke them up with chanting, drumming, and dancing. Confused, the group had little choice but to watch and go along with what was happening. They explained that they didn’t want to appear rude by rejecting the invitations. The villagers led them to the center of the village, where a feast awaited them. They attempted to ask about Salvador in their limited Spanish, but the villagers ignored them. They searched the area, hoping to find some sign of him with no results.

Throughout the gathering, they took turns trying to contact someone from the resort they had left, but after exhausting all options they gave up and joined the villagers while waiting for Salvador to reappear.

After a few hours, the villagers began moving toward a denser, darker area deep within the tress. They walked for several minutes until they reached a clearing with a bonfire at its center next to a tree they found extremely strange. They all described it the same way—it looked like a woman. Soon, they realized that most of the trees had similar shapes, and under the firelight, some of their shadows seemed to dance along with the music.

By the fire, they saw a woman about their age, covered in mud and dirt. She was lying on the ground, wrapped in large branches that seemed to hug her and leaves that appeared to be growing out of her skin like protrusions.

I felt like I was in a trance. The whole situation was surreal. — Miguel.

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Photo of the woman by the bonfire. Sent by Miguel.

Their hosts offered them a thick, brown-ish soup to eat. The four survivors recall the taste as earthy, mixed with a raw meat flavor. Disgusted, they barely managed to finish their meal before the villagers turned their attention to Sarah. They surrounded her, giving her necklaces made of branches and painted symbols on her arms, legs, and face. The group as confused as they were afraid to intervene. Some simply prayed in their heads. When everything calmed down and the villagers returned to their churuatas, the woman lying on the ground had disappeared.

She’s sick

The next morning, the group woke up feeling lethargic, exhausted, and with dry skin—especially Sarah, whose skin was so rough it felt like cardboard. Several parts of her body developed nodules that oozed a thick, clear, yellowish fluid. Jayce and Miguel took her to the villagers for help, where an older man and woman smiled at them before silently taking Sarah into another churuata. Two other men blocked Jayce and Miguel from following.

We let them take her against our will. Honestly, we didn’t know what else to do. She was suffering, and we were in a constant panic. — Jayce.

We debated our options and they were all terrible. We felt trapped and hopeless until Salvador miraculously appeared. — Miguel.

Salvador returned around noon with good news—he had found the way back to camp. The group immediately told him about Sarah, and he went to check on her.

After seeing her, he told us the changes in her skin were called a ‘blessing’ and were part of a natural detoxification process, nothing to worry about. He said they were already treating her with special ointments and oils. But we didn’t really believe him. We were all worried and wished we had done something then. — Tom.

That night, Miguel and Tom snuck out to check on Sarah. Hiding from the men guarding the churuata, they peeked inside. They saw her naked, covered in dirt, illuminated by small candlelights. They claim small branches and leaves were growing from her arms like the woman they saw the day before.

She looked like a monster. She had bulges deforming her face. We couldn’t believe it was her. — Miguel.

The two ran back to tell the others. Salvador, however, was furious, telling them to be grateful for the villagers’ hospitality since they would have to stay another night due to the weather. Despite his anger, the group planned to leave the next morning—without Salvador.

Escaping the village

At dawn, the villagers were celebrating again, preparing for another festival. Salvador was missing once more. The group split into two—one group would gather the essentials, the other would find Sarah. But she was no longer in the churuata from the night before. Searching the area, they realized the villagers were nowhere to be seen. The only sounds came from the direction of the previous night’s ritual.

The entire village danced around a bonfire. In the center was Sarah. Her body from the hips down was completely burried under dirt and she was laying within a hollowed tusk. Her body was covered in mud, with branches protruding from her limbs.

The group fled in terror, abandoning Sarah. At noon, local authorities found them.

Months after their release, they continue to blame Salvador for everything and are raising funds to search for Sarah’s remains to bring peace to her family.

⚡ 4NDR3W ⚡