Said by some to be the last remaining dictatorship in Europe, Belarus remains an enigmatic character. Shunning its near Slavic neighbours in favour of ever closer ties to Moscow and the East, the country seems determined to stay off-the-beaten-track. For many though, therein lies the charm. Belarus certainly lacks no beauty, boasting everything from the wild and primeval forests of Bialowieza on the Polish borderlands in the east (the home of the uber-rare European bison) to the sail-spotted lake waters of Narach, sandwiched in the north between the Baltics and Russia. In the cities, Belarus tour guides reveal a curious patchwork of Polish and Russian architecture, with sites like the mighty fortress at Brest, the onion cupolas of Saint Elizabeth Monastery and the grand Slavic spires of Nesvizh Castle each revealing connections with the tsars and Grand Duchy dukes alike. Away from the Soviet tenements of the urban outskirts, Belarus’ rolling backcountry takes over. This untapped land of undulating meadows and misty woods, rustic hamlets and endless grasslands might just be last unexplored swathe of the continent!