lts name may be synonymous with a canal and a hat, but this little-visited isthmus nation has some of the finest birdwatching, snorkeling and deep-sea fishing in the Americas. Proud Panama celebrates its Spanish heritage with frequent and colourful festivals, seasoned with the influence of the seven remaining indigenous groups and the West lndian culture of its black population. lt’s difficulf to leave the country without feeling you’re in on a secret the rest of the traveling world has yet to discover.

Mid-December to mid-April (the dry season)

Birdwatching at Cana, deep in the heart of Parque Nacional Darien Watching a huge ship nudge its way through the Panama canal Sampling the coffee in the cool mountain town of Boquete Diving with the sea turtles on Archipielago de Bocas del Toro photographing the Spanish colonial architecture of Peninsula de Azuero Hiking through Parque Nacional Volcan Baru in search of the elusive quetzal

Read When New Flowers Bloomed, a collection of stories by women writers from Panama and Costa Rica. Tekkin’ a Waalk by Peter Ford includes a stroll along Panama’s Caribbean coast.

Listen to Panamanian folk music on Samy and Sandra Sandoval’s Grandes Exito

Watch the Academy Award-winning documentary The Panama Deception by Barbara Trent, which investigates the US invasion of Panama

Eat sancocho (the nation dish: a spicy chicken and vegetable stew) or carimanola (a deep-frind roll of yucca filled with chopped meat)

Drink chicheme (a delicious concoction milk, sweet corn, cinnamon and vanilla) or seco (distilled from sugar cane, served with milk and ice )

Vamos, pues (let’s go)

The umbilical cord between central and SouthAmerica; the world’s most famous shortcut; Manuel Noriega; Swiss banks; corrupt politicians; Panama hats

The Kuna lndians of the San Blas Archipelago run the 378 islands as an autonomous province, with minimal interference from the national government. They maintain their own economic system, language, customs and culture, with distinctive dress, legends, music and dance.

The madness of Carnaval peaks on Shrove Tuesday with the biggest parade of all. Floats of all sizes rule the avenue, separated by bands of gaily dressed people walking slowly in themed formations-not the least conspicuous of which is the traditional formation of transvestites. Most of them carry a razor in eazor in each hand as a warning to macho types that a punch thrown at them will not go unanswered.