Venezuela has epic proportions: it has South America’s largest lake and third-longest river, highest waterfall in the world, and longest of all snakes. lt also has jaguars, armadillos and some of the most spectacular landscapes on earth. There are the snow-capped peaks of the hauntingly beautiful Gran Sabana plateau, with its strange flat-topped mountains, in the east; and miles of white-sand beaches fringes with coconut palms on the Caribbean coast.

Year-round

Hiking to the top of Roraima, a giant topped mountain with moonscape scenery of blackened rock, pink-sand beaches and bewildering plant life Driving from Maracay to Puerto Colombia-a short but dramatic ride through fabulous scenery The world’s highest waterfall, Salto Angel (Angel Falls), sheltered in a spectacular natural setting Los Roques, the beautiful archipelago of small coral islands and reefs Wildlife-watching in Los Llanos-an immense savannah filled to the brim with birdlife, caimans, capybaras, piranhas and anacondas

Read Dona Barbara by internationally renowned author Romulo Gallegos

Listen to the undisputed king of Venezuelan salsa, Oscar, D’Leon, or get funky with the irreverent Amigos lnvisibles (look for their fabulous The New Sound Of The VVenezuelan Gozadera)

Watch Elia Schneider’s Huelepega (literally meaning glue-sniffer), which pulls no punches in its portrayal of the lives of Caracas street children

Eat empanadas (deepfried cornmeal turnovers filled with ground meat, cheese, beams or baby shark) or pabellon criollo (shredded beef, rice, black beans, cheese and fried plantain)

Drink guarapita (a cocktail made sugar cane spirit and fresh juices) or the smooth, dark rum Ron Anejo Aniversario Pampero

Rumba! (party!)

Oil; beauty queens; tepuis (table mountains); Simon Bolivar; Caracas nightlife; Angel Fals; salsa

Whole bottles of spirits are commonly poured over coffins and coffin-bearers at Venezuelan funerals; almost half of the total population of Venezuela is younger than 19 years

The festival of the Diablos Danzantes (Dancing Devils) is a kaleidoscopic spectacle. Up to 1000 devil dancers clad in red costumes wearing monstrous masks strut around in everything from ceremonial march-like movement in double file spasmodic squirms accompanied by the stirring clamour of drums. The devil dances take to the streets Corpus Christi, held in honour of the Eucharst.