Suriname is a unique cultural enclave whose extraordinary ethnic varity derives from indigenous cultures, British and Dutch colonization, the early importation of African and, later, workers from China and indentured labourers from lndia and lndonesia. Paramaribo, the capital, retains some fine Dutch colonial architecture, but the country’s greatest attractions are the extraordinary nature parks and reserves, notably the enormous Central Suriname Nature Reserve.

Early February to April or mid-August to early December. Sea turtles come ashore to nest March to July.

Reaching the of the Voltzberg at sunrise for a breathtaking panorama Visiting Galibi Nature Reserve, one of the world’s few nesting sites for giant leatherback turtles Mooching around Paramaribo (Parbo) a curious hybrid city of northern Europe and tropical America Taking a stroll through Brownsberg Nature Park tropical rainforest Conquering Mt Kasikasima after days of canoeing, trekking and becoming one with nature Venturing into the interior in a small plane to survey the mindboggling expanse of the unspoiled rainforest

Read Tales of a Shaman’a Apprentice by Mark Plotkin, or Suriname: Politics, Economics-Society by Henk E Chin and Hans Buddingh

Listen t o ‘the most swinging flautist’ Ronald Snijders Watch the documentary Cowboys and lndians about the Guiana Shield, directed and produced by Ray Kril and Terry Roopnaraine

Eat a djogo of Parbo beer; Borgoe and Black Cat are the best local rums

Tof (cool) in Dutch, vissa (party) in Sranang Tongo, the lingua franca

The interior; bauxite; the second-worst national football tean in South America

Under the Treaty of Breda (1667), the Dutch retained Suriname and their colonies on the Guyanese coast in exchange for a tiny island Manhattan; Paramaribo’s Javanese neighbourhood, Blauwgroud, features people cooking in their kitchens and serving dinner to customers on their patios

On Sunday people engage in peaceful yet underlyingly cutthroat bird-song competitions on the Onafhankelijksplein. Everyone brings his or her favourite ‘twatwa,’ usually a seed finch purchased from Amerindians in the interior. The twatwa that can best belt it out wins it. Something of a national obsession, this competition is well worth observing, though its popularity is petering out. lt tends to be a male-oriented gathering.