South & Central America
- Caracas
- The Mainland Coastline
- The Orinoco Delta
- The Llanos
- Gran Sabana
- The Andes
- The Amazon
- Los Roques National Park & Margarita Island
The Llanos
The Llanos, the vast, blistering plains in the center of the country, are Venezuelas 'cattle country'. The area is scarcely populated but is home to about 12 million cattle and the 'llaneros' (cowboys) who still chase their herds on horseback across the plains.
There are just two seasons in this area, the dry and the rainy seasons and the climate reaches extreme temperatures in both. Due to the many rivers that run through the region the plains are completely flooded during the rainy season.
The Llanos is also a fantastic place to see wildlife and rivals Brazil's Pantanal. There are more than 300 bird species, including macaws, egrets, herons, storks and fish eagles, white, scarlet and glossy ibis, osprey, parrots, hawks, black vultures and hummingbirds. There are 50 mammal species, including the well-known capibara, opossums, tapirs,deer, anacondas, monkeys, armadillos, ant eaters, otters, ocelots and some magnificent jaguars, while local rivers are inhabited by fresh-water porpoises, alligators and by the largest American crocodile, the Orinoco caiman and the large tributaries, by toninas or pink dolphin.
