Los llanos are the floodplains of one of Latin America’s great river systems, the Orinoco. Like the Pantanal in Brazil, this area of sweeping grasslands and marshes cut through by rivers and punctuated by stands of tropical trees is shared between a vibrant wildlife (capybaras, anacondas, toucans, Scarlet ibis, Hyacinth macaws, parakeets all abound) and the livestock of the cattle ranches, or hatos, which colonise the region. Sparsely populated (cattle outnumber people) it’s the heart of the llanero cowboy culture, where rural human society lives harmoniously alongside one of Latin America's most extraordinary wildlife habitats.