The crocodiles here," said Yanks winking, "are vegetarians." Huddled at the bow of the canoe, Yanks heaved one stumpy oar through the River Gambia.

His strokes slowed as we passed a man on a mudflat, his figure a blackened silhouette against the cerise sky. It was intoxicating; nothing but saltwater and smouldering wood scents mixed with dust, and sometimes, the sound of a passing vulture, its wings cutting through the air. And for a moment, I believed Yanks.

We were in a pirogue, a flat-bottomed canoe more akin to a hollow coconut shell than a boat. "There are sea-snakes and crocodiles in the water also," Yanks added. But more worrying are the hippopotamuses – they ate two men in the same river a few years ago, according to ex-pat Andrea who worked in The Gambia for two years.

Blissfully ignorant, I reclined in the boat, my life in the hands of a 50-something-year-old Gambian man and his oar. That is, until the pirogue beached on a sandflat and we had to step into the water barefoot and push – and I was millimetres from stepping on a crab.

This is as fast as life gets in The Gambia – a six-hour flight from Bristol but in lifestyle, at least six decades apart. Ask someone to describe The Gambia and words like "beach", "sunshine", and perhaps "malaria", will probably feature. Only a handful of tourists step outside the package hotels with their kidney-shaped pools, sunbeds and bottles of Sprite and Coca Cola, behind which is hidden a Gambian-made tropical juice fizzy drink with squashed fruit pulp visible in the liquid.

It's a pea-sized country on the West-African coast with a population of 1.5 million – about a third of the South West. And beaches are only half the story: The Gambia is home to more than 560 species of birds, and between the dusty tracks and river are acres of green bush with mongoose, hyenas, fruitbats and countless types of lizards.

Gambian families build their homes or "compounds", balancing rusting corrugated metal sheets as makeshift rooves atop. It smells of hot, sweet wood, and sometimes mango trees and mint plants. If you're walking the road hot and thirsty, it's etiquette to walk right into the home of a stranger and scoop up water from the huge clay urns to refuel.

This is what I'd come for – a complete cultural overhaul. I couldn't resist a stop at Albert Market in Banjul. It's a maze of carved wooden statues of African women (all called Fatima), kaleidoscope-coloured fabrics, men cradling silver teapots of black-green leaves, ladies selling sponge cakes, discoloured brassieres, fish slapped on wood and balancing hunks of wood atop their heads.

But when I stepped outside the hullabaloo of the market, the pace slowed. In an open-air lorry whipping past the mangroves, the people we passed unfailingly smiled.

At Campama School in Banjul, four-year-old children gathered to wave. They sang a song in English about "buying flowers for my best friend", and when a circle of about 100 children gathered, clapping and singing on the baking midday heat, the headmistress, Ida, invited me to the middle of the circle to dance.

It's a fee-paying school that costs a Gambian family more than £80 per year for one child. Some children wore greying vests and underpants instead of the blue cotton uniform. Our small tourist party donated pencils, exercise books and colouring books that are to be distributed among the children – but kept the charity out of view of the children.

The facilities at Campama are much better than February 2007 when Projects Aiding Gambian Education and Natural Talent charity workers reported that children had to urinate in the corner of the school yard or on floors because the toilet blocks were dilapidated.

Travel 45 minutes south to Makasutu and dissolve into the Makasutu Cultural Forest – a swamp and bush that is home to Nile crocodiles, wild Guinea baboons and bright bee-eater birds. It was conserved by Westerners Lawrence Williams and James English about 10 years ago.

At nightfall, the Zin Zani cultural troupe descends from a boat to a clearing in the forest near the Madina Lodge hotel: a party of stilt-walkers, fire-eaters and dancers who stamp their feet and jiggle their bottoms with such vigour they could be stepping on rattlesnakes.

There is a shady underbelly to The Gambia. It's a split-class society that a fellow holidaymaker likened to an apartheid. I had arranged to meet a Gambian man who is a family friend to give some gifts, but was told he would have to fill out a form to enter the hotel I stayed in if we were to meet in the lobby.

Inside the Ocean Clipper restaurant in Cape Point (the Mayfair of the country) is a menu of thick griddles of lamb and exquisite steaks that can cost upwards of £20, while outside, a nation lives in makeshift huts with bare concrete walls and often a monthly wage of £20.

Beneath the smiles, the Press is tightly controlled, and President Yahya Jammeh has ruled since a bloodless military coup 14 years ago. He was criticised by the World Health Organisation for claiming he had a "secret" cure for HIV last year, and in May, threatened to behead any homosexual who didn't leave the country in 24 hours.

Mucki is a former journalist who became a tour guide after criticising the government. He talks about bird species and football teams – but won't go into details about the political situation. And ex-pat Andrea added that it's not unusual for journalists and those who publicly hold the government accountable or discuss taboo topics, such as female genital mutilation, to go missing.

But The Gambia – known as "the smiling coast of Africa" – does earn its nickname. And those who do venture outside hotels will contribute to a much-needed boost to the economy that tourism could provide.

It's a country that offers Brits an exclusive and unadulterated immersion into a segment of African culture, an insight into an alien climate, into an otherworldly culture, and a close encounter with colourful species of wildlife – or sometimes, too close an encounter.

Where to stay

For a beach-based or family holiday: Corinthia Atlantic Hotel in Banjul. A beach-side large hotel with a full entertainment programme, and a short walk from the capital, Banjul. Prices from £399 per person based on seven nights' B&B departing January 23 and 30, 2009, inclusive of flights from Bristol and East Midlands (www.gambia.co.uk/Hotel/6002/45006/Corinthia-Atlantic.aspx).

For an eco-friendly experience: Sandele Bay Eco-Retreat in Kartong. A family-run eco-retreat run by British couple Maurice and Geri with light, airy rooms and furniture made on site and a private plunge pool for every two suites. Prices from £1,099 per person based on seven nights' full board in January 2009 inclusive of flights from Bristol and East Midlands (www.gambia.co.uk/Hotel/6001/51475/Sandele-Bay-Eco-Retreat.aspx).

For off-the-beaten-track: Mandina Lodges in Makasutu Cultural Forest. It offers the "Makasutu by Night" excursion with West African Tours, which can be booked locally through hotel reps. From £1,075 per person based on seven nights' half-board in a floating lodge, departing from Gatwick (www.gambia.co.uk/Hotel/6001/45049/Mandina-Lodges.aspx).

For elegance and luxury: Coco Ocean Resort and Spa in Kololi. A newly opened 24-bed hotel with Moorish decor, light and airy indoor areas, infinity pools and restaurants overlooking the beach. From £955 per person based on seven nights' B&B in a junior suite, departing from Gatwick (www.gambia.co.uk/Hotel/6001/51261/Coco-Ocean-Resort-Spa.aspx.

Where to eat

Ocean Clipper, an a la carte restaurant, part of the Ocean Bay hotel in Cape Point. A menu of steaks, fresh fish, Mediterranean and Asian dishes.

Avacado restaurant in Coconut Residence Hotel, Kololi. An upmarket boutique hotel with one of the premier restaurants in the country.

Ngala Lodge in Fajara. International cuisine with a French influence.

Boss Lady in Kotu. A Gambian open-air restaurant and cafe.

Factfile

Laura Powell travelled to Gambia courtesy of the Gambia Experience (0845 330 2087 – www.gambia.co.uk/travel).

West African Tours (www.westafricantours.com/index.php?page=Home) offers short and long excursions and expert guides. Our guide's name was Mucki (Muctarr Yankuba), and he injected humour into a thoroughly insightful guide to The Gambia.

Bradt Travel Guide: The Gambia (£13.99) offers a more detailed insight into the country (www.bradtguides.com).