As a Canadian, Suriname doesn’t typically come up much when discussing travel destinations, though I think it deserves far more attention than it gets, especially as an ecotourism destination. As a former Dutch colony, the country does receive a fair number of visitors from the Netherlands. But while I was there over two weeks in April 2025, I only met two other travelers from North America. For me part of the appeal to Suriname is its relative anonymity. It’s nice to visit a place that doesn’t have a lot of preconceived expectations with greater opportunities to surprise. I’ll also add that Suriname is not going to be your top choice if you are looking for a blue water beach or golfing vacation (although there is one 9 hole golf course in Paramaribo!)
You can also hear about my travels to Suriname in episode #953 of the Amateur Traveler Podcast, or click on the link below to listen to the podcast direct from this site:
Travel to Suriname - Amateur Traveler Episode 953
I can definitely say that I found Suriname to be an amazing place to visit, especially for its untouched nature and its diverse population. Over 95% of the country is covered by rainforest, the highest proportion of any country in the world. It has a remote interior with no major roads heading south to the border with Brazil. The only way to reach eco tourist destinations in the deep interior is by boat or more realistically by flying in. However, there are definitely some worthwhile nature destinations located within driving distance of Paramaribo. You’ll see an amazing variety of wildlife, with an especially large variety of birds - including macaws, parrots, toucans, kingfishers and many herons and egrets. But I saw so much more than birds - including sloths, monkeys, tapirs, tortoises, caiman, colourful butterflies, poison dart frogs, big tarantulas, interesting rainforest insects. I posted close to a hundred wildlife photos on my Instagram account.
The cultural diversity of Suriname is another draw. I was especially intrigued by the Maroon community in Suriname. The Maroons are descendants of former slaves who escaped from plantations as far back as 350 years ago. It’s one of the few Maroon populations in the world that has not been largely assimilated. While they are increasingly influenced by outside forces, they seem to have retained a strong identity with African influences yet anchored in a unique culture that has evolved over the centuries in relative isolation deep in the rainforest of Suriname. To this day, many of the Maroon communities have no road access and can only be reached by boat.
Suriname gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1975, and has evolved considerably since then. It’s diverse communities include indigenous peoples, East Indian, Javanese, Chinese, Dutch and the aforementioned Maroons. The 1976 Suriname film Wan Pipel (One People) provides an insight to a young independent country trying to come to terms with this diversity. You’ll see this diversity most visibly in the varying religious structures while driving through the city. It seems these communities remain somewhat insular, yet are able to interact peacefully with other communities. Perhaps this was most evident when the large synagogue and mosque being neighbors in downtown Paramaribo.
There is lots to see in Paramaribo with its historic Dutch influenced architecture now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are also interesting sites that can easily be reached during day trips from Paramaribo. For nature, there is the Peperpot Nature Park, Green Heritage Fund Sloth Sanctuary, Neotropical Butterfly Park and dolphin and sea turtle tours. Or you can take a step back in time with a visit to one of the old plantations and learn about the daunting slavery past. Fort Nieuw Amsterdam provides more lessons on the history of Suriname’s colonial past.
With the recent discovery of oil offshore, I expect the country is going to continue to evolve. I met employees of the big French company Total who think the country will double in population over the next ten years. I suspect this will increase tourism to the country, so now may be a good time to visit before tourism really takes off.
I spent two weeks in Suriname and could have happily extended it longer. But if you are on a tight timeline, you could probably see a few highlights in a week, though I’d suggest trying to stay at least for ten days. I say this in part because you’ll need to devote full travel days to reach internal destinations and another day for the return trip.
Normally when I travel I’ll rent a car and usually do a loop trip through the country. But Suriname isn’t really set up that way. While independent travel is possible, it’s quite a bit easier and likely cheaper to take tours. In my case I set up separate tours through Orange Travel for each destination I wanted to visit. Orange and the handful of other travel agencies in Suriname tend to offer a menu of tours you can take, and scanning through their tour options is a good way to supplement your planning. I can vouch for Orange Travel - I took three tours through them and everything went according to plan.
The other important point is most tours start and end in Paramaribo. So you’ll find yourself repeatedly driving out to a remote destination only to return back to Paramaribo before your next tour starts. For this reason you may want to plan some activities around Paramaribo for those shoulder days between excursions. I’ll provide two separate maps below showing some of the more popular destinations around Suriname, and another with destinations more locally around Paramaribo. For a more in depth look at destinations to help with planning, I highly recommend downloading the Brandt Guide to Suriname. I used it for my own planning, and it’s very thorough and easy to read.
I’ll also mention that I flew in on Surinam Airways Miami flight. It makes a quick stop in Guyana before heading on to Suriname. It was tempting to stop over and see some of Guyana, however I tend to focus my time in one destination so as not to spread myself too thin. The plane lands at the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (PBM) which is about an hour’s drive south of Paramaribo.
Guide books will suggest the best time to visit Suriname is during the dry season between February to April and August to November. I visited during mid- April and the weather was favourable. It did rain a few times, but it tended to come down in short heavy downpours and often the sun would be out again within a couple hours. Just be aware that if you are flying into a remote lodge on one of the smaller planes, flight delays can be more common due to weather. So it’s best to leave a shoulder day after your return flight in case of delays getting out of the rainforest.
One limitation to travel during the rainy season is few other tourists are likely to venture there, so some resorts will simply shut down. Even during my visit in mid-April, bookings for some sites were fairly low which limited some of the tours I could take. I had originally planned to stay at Danpaati Resort along the Suriname River, but they did not have any bookings during the window I planned to visit. So Orange set me up with a visit to Anaula Nature Resort instead which turned out to be an amazing visit regardless.
I did get a few mosquito bites during my visit, and you’ll also need to be on the lookout for ticks especially in the interior. I used bug spray only occasionally as I didn’t find them to be that bad. During rainy season I understand you’ll likely experience more mosquitos. I did visit a travel doctor before leaving Canada and they suggested taking malaria meds for some interior destinations. There was no need for a yellow fever vaccination, though I already had one from previous trips to South America. I would suggest consulting with a travel doctor as things can change based on the timing of your stay and specific destinations.
I’ll summarize the key destinations in Suriname under three headings:
- Remote Destinations - requiring a day trip from Paramaribo to reach
- Near Paramaribo - attractions located within an hour of Paramaribo
- Central Paramaribo - sites clustered in central Paramaribo
Please don’t take this as a comprehensive guide to Suriname. There is certainly more to see. But I do think I’ve included some of the more popular destinations, especially for those interested in nature and wildlife. As I mentioned previously, the Bradt Guide is a more in depth guide that I would recommend reading and downloading onto your mobile device so you can easily access it while traveling.
Remote Nature Lodge Stay
I highly recommend travelling to one of the more remote nature lodges in the interior. The most remote lodges can only be reached by flying in on a smaller plane, with Kabalebo and Paloemeu being more common options. These remote lodges deep in the interior allow you to really immerse yourself in pristine nature. There are also some lodges reachable by road that are popular, including Brownsberg Nature Park and Voltzberg. They are a little closer to Paramaribo but still allow you to experience pristine nature.
I chose to fly into Kabalebo Nature Resort for three nights, and can highly recommend a visit here! You will fly out of the domestic airport on a Gum Air flight, my plane was about a twelve seater. We departed in rain but it was clear when we arrived at Kabalebo and touched down on the grass runway. The flight was quite smooth including the landing.
There were two groups of 7 guests staying at the time I visited, though the resort certainly has capacity to support more. Each group was supported by two guides. Many of the staff here including our Guides appeared to be of indigenous descent.
The lodge is literally located in the “middle of nowhere”. There were no other villages nearby and the few other people we saw along the river were either guests or employees of Kabalebo. Even though the lodge is not technically in a National Park, it may as well have been. You are surrounded by pure nature here, with lots of wildlife. We went on excursions along the river and its smaller tributaries each day, typically with either a waterfall or hiking path as the destination. The visit to Moi Moi Waterfall (meaning beautiful in Dutch) was especially nice.
We saw and heard more birds than I can name, with the macaws, parrots, kingfishers and screaming piha being my favourites. The Harpy Eagle is somewhat common here, though I didn’t see one during my visit. We saw monkeys - including Spider, Squirrel, Brown Capuchin and Howler. The fan favourite though was the semi-tame momma and baby tapirs that came by for a visit and snack each evening. We were even able to pet the baby tapir. I was amazed by the colourful poison dart frogs we saw - the dyeing poison dart and three-striped poison frogs. Our guide even picked up the poison dart frog, but not something I would necessarily recommend! We saw plenty more, including capybara, agouti, bats, tree frogs, butterflies & moths, tarantulas, tortoises, scorpions, interesting insects, river crabs and lizards. Jaguars are also seen here on occasion. We also saw huge rainforest trees and many bright flowers. Our head guide Terrel also explained how many of the rainforest plants are used by the indigenous peoples. We visited the site where they were constructed a new river canoe and learned about the boat building process.
To get a better sense of what I saw you can view close to a hundred wildlife photos on my Instagram account (@mikeupowers). My one regret was not investing in binoculars or wildlife photography equipment for this trip. It’s difficult to get good wildlife photos without good gear, although I did manage to capture a few decent photos and videos with my iPhone. Fortunately a couple fellow travelers with better camera equipment sent me a bunch of bird photos which are extremely difficult to capture without a telescopic lens.
You’ll have to budget more for a visit to Kabalebo ($1,235 USD for 4 days/3 nights includes flight, accommodation, meals and guided excursions), but I do think it’s worth it. It was simply an amazing visit. It’s not every day you have a chance to visit a place as pristine and isolated as Kabalebo. The staff and guides were super friendly, and my room in the most basic category (main lodge) was very comfortable. The food was tasty with a bit of a reliance on chick and rice (seems common at all the lodges I stayed at in Suriname).
Suriname River
Also very high on my list of must see destinations is a trip to experience Maroon culture. The most popular destination for this is along the Suriname River just south of Antjoni. Typically you’ll be picked up at your resort in Paramaribo and driven three hours by minibus to Antjoni where you transfer to a powered dugout canoe for the ride to the lodge. In my case it was about an hour long boat ride to Anaula Nature Resort. Danpaati Resort is another popular destination here, and likely closer to a two hour boat ride. There are many other lodges along the river here and it would be possible to travel independently to one of the lodges. But I found it much easier to simply book the all inclusive excursion through Orange Travel.
While you’ll find lots of nature and wildlife along the Suriname River, it’s not quite as pristine as the more remote destinations I mentioned above. But you absolutely will see lots of wildlife here, especially birds.
But what made Anaula especially interesting was its connection to the Maroon culture. The Maroons are descended from slaves who escaped from plantations as far back as 350 years ago, and fled to the remote interior. About 20,000 Saramakan maroons live in a series of villages stretching along the Suriname River. To this day the communities are fairly isolated and only accessible by boat, and have retained a traditional way of life. Our primary Guide Alberto along with most of the resort’s staff were Saramakan. Alberto grew up on the river and shared first hand stories and insights about his community, though he also completed his formal education in Paramaribo.
The highlight was a visit to the Saramakan Maroon community of Aurora. We learned so much more by touring the village with Alberto, and I would highly recommend joining a guided tour if visiting one of the villages. We stopped by a home owned by Alberto’s grandfather. It’s not uncommon for men here to have multiple wives, including his grandfather who had 53 children! The Saramakan are typically made up of a clan of matrilineal descendants from an original band of escaped slaves (approx 2,500 people in Aurora). The clan consists of several lineages descended from more recent ancestors (there are 8 main families in Aurora).
Women will maintain a home in their ancestral village, and usually have a home in their husband’s village. They have primary responsibility for raising children, and also grow and collect the food needed which is plentiful. Cassava bread is a key staple which can be stored for up to six months. Every morning they will leave a basket of food at their husband’s home. The husband generally receives more food than they need, and will often share their food with the bachelors of the village. Traditionally the men are responsible for hunting, fishing, carpentry and boat building, though it’s increasingly common for them to seek paid work in Paramaribo, illegal gold mining and other pursuits.
Half of Aurora practices Christianity while the other half practices Winti, a ritualistic religion with African influences that draws on nature and the worship of spirits. There’s a small primary school in the village which is unfortunately under-staffed. In recent years, teachers have left Suriname for better paying jobs overseas, often in the Netherlands where there is a sizable expat community. A secondary school was built in the area in 2010. Prior to that students had to go to boarding school in Paramaribo where they were often discriminated against and called monkey children even by other black children.
Alberto took us for a walk along the nature trail at Anaula. While the maroons do use modern medicine, the health clinics along the Suriname River are chronically under-staffed and lack adequate supplies. So they also turn to medicinal remedies using local plants. When Alberto was young he was given a shotgun for hunting and he accidentally shot himself in the foot. Three of his toes on his left foot were badly mangled and the Dutch doctor suggested that they be amputated. But his family did not agree, and instead they applied Amana Pit oil from the yellow Amana fruit to his foot and eventually it healed after a few months. He even showed us the foot and his big toe looked fully healed while the two next to it looked pretty mangled but intact.
While the maroon community in Suriname is evolving, they definitely retain a unique cultural identity that was really fascinating to see first hand.
Bigi Pan
Beyond the rainforest, Bigi Pan located in the north-west corner of Suriname is another marquee nature destination. Reflecting back, it's the perfect image in my mind of a stereotypical bird sanctuary - swampy shallow water with sporadic patches of White Mangrove as perfect perches. There were literally many thousands of water birds flying around every part of the lagoon. It was truly a genuine National Geographic moment, and simply amazing. Some of the wildlife we saw included Scarlet Ibis, herons, storks, egrets, snail kites, parrots, anteaters and caiman.
I stayed at the Akira Overwater Resort for two nights in the north-west corner of Suriname. We were picked up by minibus in Paramaribo and drove about four hours to Nieuw Nickerie - with the last hour being along a slow pot-holed road running through Suriname’s rice growing district. We transferred to a boat for the final hour-long ride to the resort.
The lodge lies in the middle of the Bigi Pan lagoon which means “big lake”. It is indeed a big lake although so shallow that you can walk across the entire length of the lake (though not advised!). The one challenge during drought conditions is the difficulty getting around by boat, although you’ll get to see more birds along the mud banks. As the lodge name suggests, Akira is a series of overwater cabins in the middle of the lagoon. There is always a nice refreshing breeze and each cabin has a nice sitting deck.
As a nature enthusiast, it’s hard for me to think of a trip to Suriname being complete without a visit to Bigi Pan.
Between March to July sea turtles come ashore and lay their eggs at beaches along the coast. The beaches around Galibi in the north-east corner of Suriname is the premier destination for seeing sea turtles. Getting there requires about a two hour drive from Paramaribo to Albina where you’ll transfer to a boat for the 30 minute ride to one of the lodges near Galibi. The turtles will lay their eggs in the evening, so you’ll head out at dusk towards the beach where the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. In Suriname, there are four breeds of turtles that lay their eggs here. The most common are the Green and Leatherback turtles. Less commonly you may also see Hawksbill and Olive Ridley less frequently.
The turtles can be surprisingly large - 3' long and weighing up to 400 lbs - yet they somehow manage to pull themselves up through the surf and to the beach head using their large flippers. After digging a deep hole, they lay somewhere close to a hundred eggs which they cover with sand before returning to the water. It’s indeed an impressive site.
You’ll need (and want) to join a tour with a trained guide. They’ll ensure your visit does not intrude on the turtle’s nesting. It is also possible to see the sea turtles nesting closer to Paramaribo. I’ll discuss that further below.
Taking a boat tour out towards the confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne Rivers is a popular way to see the Guiana Dolphins. The boat will also pass by mangrove lined banks with good bird spotting opportunities. I saw scarlet Ibis on my tour here. If you are visiting between March to July, you can combine this with a visit to see sea turtle nesting at Braamspunt Beach, a small beach at the mouth of the Suriname River as it enters the Atlantic Ocean. The beach here is smaller than Galibi, and is actually shrinking due to climate change. So there’s unfortunately no guarantee how much long you’ll be able to view the turtles here as a lot of beach along this section of coast has already been lost.
We reached the beach just after sun down. We passed about a dozen large Green Sea Turtles as we walked along the beach with our Guide. Our Guide picked one turtle where we could get a close look, and watched as it dropped its eggs. I didn’t capture very good photos as I didn’t want to disturb the turtle, although they apparently go into some type of trance while laying the eggs and are pretty oblivious to their surroundings.
Following the discovery of the new world, there was intermittent jostling over Suriname by the English, French, Spanish and Dutch. But the Dutch came to dominate Suriname following a treaty where they traded New Amsterdam (today’s New York) to the British for Suriname. Some would say the British got the better deal, though they’ve probably never visited Suriname! During the peak colonial era (mid 1800’s) there were close to a thousand plantations producing sugar, coffee, cocoa, cotton, indigo, lumber and other products.
A few former plantations near Paramaribo have been preserved including Frederiksdorp where I stayed over for a night. Peperpot is another popular plantation destination, among others in the area. While today they are pleasant sites to visit, they have a dark past. We heard some pretty horrific stories from our Creole Guide whose descendants also once worked on these plantations, though under very different and cruel conditions. I really enjoyed my stay here, and although some stories were harsh, I think it’s important to remember the difficult chapters in human history with education being an important deterrent to preventing repeats in the future.
Peperpot Nature Reserve is located on the former Peperpot Plantation which has reverted back to nature. Even though it’s very close to the city, it has lots of wildlife. I saw Squirrel and Guianan Brown Capuchin monkeys and lots of birds while walking along the nature trail. If you are only in Suriname for a few days, this would be your best option, and quite honestly you will leave here with a fairly impressive authentic Surinamese nature experience. However, I would obviously still suggest going to one of the more remote nature destinations.
You can get to Peperpot easily from downtown Paramaribo by driving over the bridge that crosses the Suriname River. You can also catch one of the water taxis at the Platte Brug docks, and then take a taxi or bike from the other side of the river.
If you venture over to Peperpot or one of the plantations near Commewijne, it’s worthwhile stopping to visit Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and the adjoining open air museum. Not much of the Fort remains though you can still walk along the star-shape outline of the Fort’s riverside embankment. The open air museum had more to see, including old gunpowder storage buildings, a prison complex and prison hospital and various plantation era artifacts, though many of the displays were Dutch language only. There are also some old WW2 guns that the Americans installed here to protect the bauxite mining, which was crucial for making aluminum needed to manufacture airplanes.
Green Heritage Fund Sloth Sanctuary
Green Heritage Fund Suriname runs a sanctuary where they rescue sloths, anteaters and armadillos that are often victims of urban sprawl around Paramaribo. When I visited they had both a Three-Toed and Two-Toed Sloth. They had an excellent Guide where i learned a lot about sloths and the conservation work in Suriname. It is a very worthwhile cause, and their services are increasingly needed as the city continues to grow. You have to contact them in advance to arrange for a visit.
This butterfly park provides an opportunity to see some of Suriname's 1,500 species of butterflies and learn about their unique life cycle. It was on my list of places to visit, but unfortunately I was not able to find a time to visit. You will need to make arrangements to visit in advance. They are located about 30 minute drive from downtown Paramaribo.
This historic site is located about an hour and a half from downtown Paramaribo. It’s a less visited site although it listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. For that reason I had wanted to visit, but frankly didn’t have time for it. From what I’ve read there’s not actually a ton to see at the site beyond some ruins and graveyard. But it is considered an important historic site for the early Jewish settlement here. If you decide to visit, I’ve heard that Marina da Costa of Tours with Flair provides an interesting guided tour of the site.
The historic downtown area is fairly small and easy to wander around by foot. What really stands out is the Dutch colonial architecture in the downtown area, now declared a UNESCO world heritage site. There’s a mix of mostly wooden and to a lesser extent brick buildings in the protected area that date back to the 17th and 18th century. The historic brick buildings are made of bricks imported from the Netherlands which were generally more expensive denoting status. After dropping off the colony’s products in the Netherlands, they would load bricks on the empty ships to attain proper ballast for the return trip.
While most of the old buildings are truly impressive, there are a few that have fallen into disrepair, to the point they’ve had to fence off a few for safety. While awaiting hopeful restoration, they are susceptible to fire. In fact, while I was there a group of four old wooden buildings burned to the ground. Hopefully they will continue to preserve and protect these impressive old historic buildings.
The Presidential Palace (built in 1730) in the centre of town faces Independence Square, and just behind it lies the large Palmtree Garden (Palmentium). It’s a nice spot for a stroll. The little canal running along the northern end of the park is lined with little retail outlets serving food, coffee and souvenirs.
The large Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Basilica is said to be the largest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere. I happened to be there during the Easter weekend, so I was able to visit the church during and just after mass. But at other times I noticed the church doors were often closed, so you may need to check with the Parish Hall to find out when you can visit.
The larger Neveh Shalom Synagogue still holds services. It’s unique sand floor is a reminder of the time Moses led the Jews through the desert, but also helps avoid fires from falling candles. The large Keizerstraat Mosque located next door demonstrates the religious tolerance in Suriname. There is also an early Jewish Sephardic synagogue building still standing at the corner of Klipstenen & Heeren, though today it houses a computer repair company.
I always enjoy wandering through markets, and the large Central Market in Paramaribo was one of the larger markets I’ve ever visited. The central hall where they sold fish was especially impressive. Next door is the smaller Maroon market with a focus on medicinal and ritualistic plant based products from the rainforest, often sought out by Maroons who have left the interior to live in the city.
At the time I visited, major construction work was underway to upgrade the River Walk, and it was not accessible. But it will bring new parks and pedestrian/bike friendly trails when completed, and I’m sure will make for a nice stroll along the river.
Early on Sunday morning gas you can normally see songbird competitions at Independence Square. I was in Paramaribo during the Easter weekend, so it was cancelled that Sunday. It sounded like a unique experience which might be worth checking out.
Paramaribo is definitely the central tourist hub for Suriname, and most trips to the interior or coastal areas typically leave and return from here. So you’ll often find yourself staying in Paramaribo between excursions.
For tourists a popular hotel choice is the complex of three resorts operated by the Torarica Group downtown along the Suriname River. My favourite was the Royal Torarica with its serene tropical oasis full of colourful birds tucked in behind the resort. I also liked the artificial pond stocked with local fish. (Note: just don’t stay here on a Friday or Saturday night as the night club across the street played loud music until 6am.) I also stayed next door at the Torarica Resort which had a nice pool and a place to hang out along the river. The breakfast buffets at both locations were great, and was included in the price of a stay when I visited. They also had a promotion when I visited where I received a $75 (USD) meal voucher when I booked online direct with the resort.
Better value choices included Hotel Palacio in the historic area with its heritage look, and the comfortable Holland Lodge. I can definitely recommend both of these options as well. There’s certainly other options in town - as always just be sure to check reviews online.
Reflecting on my trip to Suriname, I would definitely encourage a visit. Just keep in mind Suriname’s tourism industry is not as developed as some other ecotourism destinations such as Costa Rica. To me this was a benefit as it meant fewer travellers and less crowding. There were less than 20 visitors at each of the four primary excursions I did to Kabalebo, Anaula, Akira and Frederiksdorp. It makes it easier to get to know fellow travellers, and you never feel like you're part of the “tourist herd”. I'd also say its a great choice for seasoned travelers who have already been to some of the more mainstream destinations in the Caribbean area, and are looking for a less frequented and unique destination to visit.
If you're still questioning whether Suriname is worth a visit, I encourage you to have a look at the photos I’ve posted on Instagram (@mikeupowers). As they say, seeing is believing…
