Showing results by author "Aime Bonpland" in All Categories

In the final volume of the captivating Personal Narrative, we follow the extraordinary journeys of Alexander von Humboldt and botanist Aimé Bonpland as they explore the rich landscapes of South and Central America and the Caribbean. Starting in Angostura, the capital of Spanish Guiana at the time, both men recover from a serious illness contracted during their travels along the Orinoco River. Once restored, they set off again, traversing Spanish Guiana and Venezuela before reaching the coastal settlement of Nueva Barcelona, from where their adventures lead them to Cuba and beyond. As in ...

In Volume 2 of “The Personal Narrative”, Alexander von Humboldt and the botanist Aime Bonpland continue their travels, beginning at Lake Valencia in the llanos of Venezuela and then travelling the mighty South American river, the Orinoco, and its tributaries, for 75 days in a dugout canoe, guided by local Indians and accompanied by one of the local missionaries. As in Volume 1, von Humboldt describes the people, plants, animals, geography and geology of the region. These descriptions include his famous experiments on electic eels as well as descriptions of the arrau tortoise, river...