Venezuela lurked in the shadows of the Spanish Empire through most of the colonial period. The country took a more primary role at the beginning of the 19th-century, when Venezuela gave Latin America one of its greatest heroes, Simon Bolivar. A native of Caracas, Bolivar led the forces that put the nail in the coffin of Spanish rule over South America. He is viewed as being largely responsible for ending colonial rule all the way to the borders of Argentina.

Previously named Angostura, Ciudad Bolivar was the base for Bolivar's military operations that led to independence in 1817 . Bolivar's 'Gran Colombia' dream of a unified republic comprising Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador lasted only 10 years before the countries split.

The 'Casco Historico' (historic centre) is one of the country's finest - a gorgeous ensemble of very brightly painted colonial buildings, shady squares and a lively waterfront overlooking the country's largest river, Rio Orinoco. We stood in the very room where independence was declared and enjoyed an informative tour from a young and enthusiastic historian (who had heard of Colchester!) We didn't venture out after dark - the area is said to be infamous for muggings at night. An early evening power-cut as a result of a massive thunderstorm didn't help matters.

We used Ciudad Bolivar as our stop-over point to Canaima and Angel Falls. In front of the airport terminal we saw the restored 4-seater aeroplane of gold-seeker Jimmie Angel, who landed atop what was eventually named 'Salto Angel' in 1937.

Onward flight to Canaima, 1hr.