Haiti

Warning: the foreign office currently advises against travel to Haiti due to the current political situation.

Nestled in a horseshoe bay fringed with beaches, Jacmel is a picturesque town, brimming with artists, famous for handicrafts, and host to major Carnival celebrations each year. It's also, as it happens, the centre of Voodoo.

While colonial architecture, artisans' shops, galleries and bars are helping to revive what was once a thriving coffee port, the town's important Voodoo temples continue to perform rituals involving drumming, dancing and communicating with spirits.

After a crippling few centuries, today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, shackled with unemployment, and political unrest.

Savvy travelling, therefore, is the order of the day (particularly in the colourful but chaotic capital, Port-au-Prince) and those who venture off the beaten track should be prepared for scenes of poverty.

Do things smartly and sympathetically, though, and you'll discover that Haiti is also a land of great beauty, history and culture.

Sharing the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, Haiti's geography is mountainous, with handsome ranges in the west descending to a lush, beach-speckled coastline and enchantingly clear waters.

After taking in the museums and markets of the capital, it's best to hire a vehicle (ideally a 4x4) to explore.