Vibrant Venezuela - Do you dream about a holiday which is excitingly different?

Where you can experience rain forests and waterfalls, wide fast flowing rivers and glaciers, Spanish colonial buildings, spicy food and wonderful beaches? Give Venezuela a try.

Situated on the northern coast of South America, with over 1700 miles of Caribbean coastline, a host of unspoilt off shore islands and a year round temperature of 20-30 degrees, Venezuela is unique.

I flew to the nation's cosmopolitan capital Caracas, with its exclusive shops, underground system, its stylish inhabitants, wonderful buildings and unfortunately a very poor shantytown. Easter Sunday was vibrantly colourful in the cathedral but sadly there were beggars outside its heavily carved doors. There was some amazing artistic graffiti on several walls in the city, which were spectacular enough to have been in an art gallery! Do watch your money in Caracas, as pickpockets are everywhere Ð and don't take photos of the police or the military. From Caracas I flew on to Merida in the High Andes. My hotel was sunny and peaceful, nestling by a mountain lake surrounded by tranquil gardens. Next day a visit to an Andean village took me back to a time when the pace of life was much slower. The mountain scenery was truly breathtaking on the drive back to Merida, with waterfalls cascading down the steeply wooded hillsides. Whilst staying at Merida, my most exciting experience was the seven- mile trip on the longest cable car ride in the world up to the glacier, where the view was spectacular. The snow capped peaks outlined against a cerulean blue sky more than made up for the intense cold. A Peruvian Pipe Group, whose music was evocative and haunting like the Andes themselves, serenaded me as I descended in the cable car to the valley below.

My next destination was the old Colonial city of Cuidad Bolivar, where I stayed in a beautiful hotel overlooking the Orinoco. Cruising up this wide brown river, I swam alongside Piranha fish and later enjoyed a champagne cocktail on a sandbank midstream! A hair-raising ride in a dugout canoe with a fast outboard motor completed a fabulous day out.

The highlight of the holiday was definitely the excursion to the Amazon jungle by light aircraft from Cuidad Bolivar. This took me over the amazing Angel Falls - the highest waterfall in the world. I flew so close to the canyon sides, it seemed I could almost touch the water.

Skimming over the rain forest to Canaima, deep in the jungle, it was possible to see the damage done by the gold prospectors and loggers. The landscape around the river looked like a patchwork of green and gold glinting in the morning sun. From the thatched roofed village of Canaima, my party of intrepid travellers took a jeep into the rain forest, past amazing waterfalls until we were taken on foot through thick undergrowth to an even more tremendous waterfall. That cool water cascading down my back was magic in the humid heat. Back in Canaima, we feasted on local chicken barbecued on the beach by young Indian boys and then wandered around the village where the men were asleep in hammocks whilst the women worked!

Everywhere in Venezuela I was greeted by friendliness. The food was good with wonderful seafood, big juicy steaks and mouth-watering fruit. The Spanish colonial influence is still strong in the architecture, the language and the religion but modern Venezuela has an exciting identity all of its own.

Margarita is a pearl of a Caribbean island, just off the mainland. It has wooded hills, mangrove swamps, beautiful beaches and a lively nightlife in the capital Porlamar, where the shopping is duty free. I celebrated a wonderful birthday in Margarita, when my handsome guide organised my participation in a local game with the local children. I was blindfolded and twisted around whilst I tossed out sweets for the children to catch! I was also given a gorgeous birthday cake and serenaded by the sexy singer at the hotel dinner dance. It was a night to remember, with fireflies dancing in the dark and the stars shining clear in a velvet sky. Margarita is a great place to chill out after a hectic tour of the mainland of Venezuela.

This South American country has so much to offer the adventurous traveller. Wildlife, exotic birds, magnificent unspoilt scenery, friendly people and exotic Spanish architecture as well as great beaches, terrific food and the best Pina Colada I have ever tasted!