Venezuela

Venezuela must be one of the most thoroughly underrated countries in the world, or at least we at Original Travel think so. Unlike other Central and South American countries, Venezuela is not famed for its ancient ruins like Peru’s Machu Picchu or Guatemala’s Tikal, but it certainly has its own exotic allure.

This is a country of outstanding diversity. In some areas, tepuis - flat-topped mountains – pierce the skyline and tower over savannahs, plains, rivers and marshlands. Elsewhere, the tropical Amazon rainforest can be explored by travellers keen to venture deep into the humid jungles accompanied by the parrots, monkeys and creepy crawlies that reside there.

All this is bordered to the north by an unspoiled coastline that stretches out into the tranquil, blue waters and secluded off-shore islands of the Caribbean Sea. The world’s highest waterfall is to be found here too, with the majestic waters of Angel Falls falling a vertiginous 3,212 ft from the top of a tepui in Parque Nacional Canaima.

And with a landscape this dramatic there is certainly no lack of exhilarating activities in Venezuela; those on a quest for some heart-racing adventure can embark on treks, snorkelling, diving, kite-surfing, windsurfing, or paragliding.