• Go to the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba (Islendingadagurinn) in Gimli (website: www.icelandicfestival.com), the largest Icelandic gathering outside Iceland itself; the province has strong historical connections to the country. It is a surreal experience eating Icelandic food and watching people wearing Icelandic garb in typical Canadian land.

• Enjoy watersports on the province's two huge lakes, Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. Rivers offering great canoeing include Bloodvein River in Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park, and Seal River in the north, one of the most challenging canoe routes in Canada.

• Relax by the lakeside; the best known spot is Grand Beach on Lake Winnipeg, one of North America's top 10 beaches. Backed by high, grass-topped sand dunes, it is a favourite swimming spot amongst local people, owing to its shallow water and easy access. Sailboarding, windsurfing and sailing are also available here.

• Go fishing for trout, northern pike, walleye, channel catfish and Arctic grayling. Several of the northern lakes are only accessible by air, and remote fly-in lodges are the answer for an angler's wilderness dream.

• Attend Folklorama in Winnipeg (website: www.folklorama.ca), Canada's primary cultural celebration, each August. Go and be entertained and educated by a rich and diverse spread of food, music, dance and history from around the world - in particular, Canada's ethnic communities.

• Walk across the River Souris on Canada's longest free suspension foot bridge. It is over 100 years old and is a massive 177m (582ft) long.

• Use Manitoba's national parks, such as the vast recreational area of Riding Mountain National Park, to be active surrounded by stunning scenery: wildlife viewing, biking, backpacking and horseback riding are all available.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.