Venezuela

DVD. Globe Trekker. Globe Trekker Ian Wright travels to Venezuela, the country where Christopher Columbus first set foot on South American soil. His journey begins in the state of Merida located high in the Andes, home to the country's 5 highest peaks it is known as the roof top of Venezuela. He then heads south by bus to Hato Pinero, a 500 square mile ranch situated in the flat grasslands that cover almost a third of the country. The region is inhabited by the Llaneros, some of the toughest cowboys on the planet as well as an abundance of wildlife including, crocodiles, piranhas and the infamous anaconda. Leaving the wilds of Hato Pinero, Ian travels to Caracas, the nation's capital and home to a quarter of the country's population. He meets up with the reigning Miss Venezuela and learns about the city's famed beauty schools that have groomed a record number of Miss Worlds and Miss Universes. His next destination is Los Roques, an archipelago of 300 sun-kissed islands, coral reefs and sand bars that was designated a national park in 1972. The final leg of Ian's journey takes him south to Gran Sabana, Venezuela's lush rainforest region also known as the Lost World because of its strange pre-historic landscapes. He embarks on a 3 day trip down river from Kamorata through the rapids of Devil's Canyon ending his journey with a trek to Angel Falls, the world's tallest waterfall measuring over 1,000 meters.

DVD. Cosmos Global Documentaries. 52 Minutes. Venezuela is a land of beauty and contrast, a country that contains several unique habitats and is one of the last great natural paradises on Earth. It is also home to the legendary Orinoco, the second largest river in South America that also forms a natural border with Columbia. From Puerto Ayacucho we journey to the remote regions of the State Of Amazonas, the country's most southerly province. Extending for one hundred and eighty thousand square kilometres and with only a hundred thousand inhabitants it is one of the most sparsely populated areas in Venezuela. A short journey by motorboat takes us to the headwaters of the Rio Ventuari. Because the route leads through an extensive maze of canals it is important that this leg of the journey be taken with an experienced guide who is well versed with the local geography. Following a three hour journey on various tributaries of the Orinoco we arrive at the small village of the Makiritare Indians. The natural variety of the underground world of the Los Roques Archipelago manifests itself in the diversity of the numerous coral reefs that grow there. Apart from a particular fire coral each one of them belongs to a single species that is known as the `flower animal'. East of the Venezuelan Andes, in the vast plains of the Llanos, the scenery is entirely different. It is almost reminiscent of America's Old Wild West. The Llaneros is South America's version of the legendary cowboy and the use of the Llanos as pasture land was introduced in the eighteenth century and covers a third of Venezuela. It is believed that a number of Andalucian families moved into the plains in 1548 as they were more interested in agriculture and cattle breeding than the Conquistadores who sought only gold. There is almost no other country in the world that contains so many diverse and fascinating landscapes as Venezuela, the land of the Indios and Llaneros and a land full of outstanding cultural contrast and natural splendour.

DVD. Discover The World. 30 Minutes. This program looks at the people, history, culture and geography of: Venezuela.