The German naturalist, explorer, and geographer Alexander von Humboldt (1769 - 1859) wrote this fourth volume of his travels in 1844. In it, he vividly and thoroughly describes his journey through Central and South America, his experiences meeting with indigenous people, cannibals, and missionaries. His travels take him from San Fernando de Atabapo along the Rio Negro and the Orinoco to Esmeralda and further on to Cumana and Havana on the island of Cuba. It is an exciting and simultaneously informative read.