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Surinamese people like to talk about their country as the ‘beating heart of the Amazon’, and this is true: the tiny South American state of Suriname is made of a dense convergence of rivers, tropical rainforest and a unique ethnic and cultural diversity: the Surinamese people are the descendants of Chinese, Javanese and Indian workers, West African slaves, indigenous Amerindians and Lebanese, Jewish and Dutch settlers.

Suriname was the last Dutch colony in South America. Colonial past can be remembered easily walking on the streets of Paramaribo, a capital full of restaurants, shopping venues and night spots. This is where Amsterdam meets Wild West: black and white colonial buildings line the squares, while the smell of car exhausts mingle with wafts of spices from Indian roti shops. Near the somber Dutch forts maroon artists sell their colorful paintings, mosques and synagogues are standing near each other, and everybody is proud of their multi-ethnicity. The historical inner city of Paramaribo was listed on the Unesco World Heritage site in 2002.

While Paramaribo has everything a western traveler would dream about, not far away there is the untamed jungle, where the amenities of civilization can not be found. The costal areas have good road system so everything can be easily accessed by cars or buses.

However, the rest of the country can be visited only by light aircraft. There are about 50 small airstrips in the jungle, served by local air charter companies, but reaching the destination very often means some traveling with a local dug-out canoe. Aircraft and canoes are the only means of transportation in the Surinamese jungle.

Suriname was one of the Dutch colonies in South America. Some time ago the Netherlands had large parts of Brazil and most of the Guianas under their control, but after territorial conflicts with Britain and France, only Dutch Guiana and a few Caribbean islands remained under Dutch supervision.

In the 19th century many Hindustanis, Indonesians and Indians came to Suriname to work on plantations. Suriname became a self-governing state in 1954, and gained its independence in 1975. In the ’80-s and ’90-s there was quite a lot of political turmoil in Suriname, with military coups and elections held ahead of schedule.

Today, Surinamese government makes great efforts to promote ecotourism. There is a wide variety of specific activities available: the most popular is trekking in the jungle. It is not advised to go alone: a local guide must be hired. He can explain the ways of living in the jungle, and how the different plants and trees ca be used to make a living. A very popular activity is bird watching: there are 700 species of birds in Suriname, living in the great mudflats and mangrove swamps on the coast, as well as savannah and rainforests.

There are also opportunities for tourists to stay for a few days in a traditional Amerindian or Maroon village. Besides the specific activities, travelers can choose from a wide range of outdoor activities, from mountain biking to fishing, diving, rafting or canoeing, horse riding and turtle watching.

Isabella Olsen is a travel writer who has toured major destinations worldwide, including many European countries by car. To book a car rental Czech Republic, or learn more about car rental worldwide, visit www.zencarhire.com