Venezuela's oldest and most diverse national park offers something for everyone - a gorgeous coastline for beach lovers, a huge variety of species for bird-watchers, a few trails for hikers, colonial towns for architecture buffs and rolling African drumbeats for rumba (party) ravers.

Created in 1937 and named for Swiss botanist Henri Pittier, the park is famous for its birds, with almost 600 species identified. The animal world here is also rich and includes tapirs, deer, pumas, agoutis, peccaries, ocelots, opossums, armadillos, monkeys, snakes, frogs and bats.

Many splendid and secluded beaches line the park's coastline - some accessible only by boat. The park is also home to some charming colonial towns such as Puerto Colombia, now the main traveler haunt.