Venezuela
Following the footprints of great explorers and poets
Alexander von Humboldt, historian, explorer, natural scientist and cartographer, is closely associated with Venezuela. He travelled the river Casiquiare in order to prove his theory that the Casiquiare links the Orinoko river with the Rio Negro, and ultimately the Amazon. The Yanomami near the upper Orinoko, Casiquiare, Siape and Pasimoni and their extraordinary way of life have been documented by ethnologists such as Heinz Kindlimann, Rüdiger Nehberg, Kenneth Good and others. Up until today, this ethnic group has remained largely untouched by civilisation.
Arthur Conan Doyle, author of "The Lost World", introduces his readers to the Tepuis, small clusters of table mountains located in the Grand Sabana, the southeastern part of the Guyana highlands, where they rise steeply from the flat land, reaching altitudes of up to 1500 metres. From Canaima, the journey continues up the Rio Carrao across the Salto Hacha and Salto El Sapo, through the rapids of Raudal Mayupa, deeper and deeper into a maze of Canyons, and finally takes us to the foot of the Auyan Tepuis mountain. Here, the Salto Angel turns into a waterfall plunging 1000 metres into the depths.
In his novel "Donna Barbara", Romulus Gallegos describes the hardships of life in the territory of the Llanos, lush lowlands reaching from the Rio Apure river in the North to the Rio Meta in the south. These lowlands are marked by numerous streams which, depending on season, flow into ample lakes or almost dry out completely. Hence the Llanos provide a sanctuary to numerous bird species and other wild animals, or grasslands for the large herds of the land owners.
The images follow the paths and thoughts of the aforementioned scientists, ethnologists and authors.