There is much to visit in Suriname. It is important to know that you can visit a lot of the places yourself if you prefer this. It’s also possible to rent a car, take busses, a taxi, a boat or you can book tours.
In this blog the must visits from Suriname will be discussed:
If you decide to do tours, then you should compare different tour operators. It is important to get a lot of information from different operators first. You should not immediately give in to a tour, compare prices and then decide. There are many tour operators like Jenny Tours, All Suriname Tours, SU4You and Knini Paati but there are many more. Look around for the right tour operator that matches your vision.
To learn more about Suriname read the blog What to know about Suriname. If you want to read about my months living in Suriname read the blog No spang in Suriname.
Below all the must visits will be discussed so you can explore this amazing country.
The capital Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital of Suriname but it’s different than most other capitals. You must visit the following 15 places in Paramaribo:
- Independence square
- Presidential palace
- Discover the historic wooden white buildings
- Palm garden
- Fort Zeelandia
- Waterkant
- Maagdenstraat and Domineestraat
- Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral
- Buy local products on the markets
- Mosque & Synagogue next to each other
- Hindu temple (Arya Dewaker Mandi)
- Eat Javanese food at Blauwgrond
- Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam
- Drink Borgoe at the rum house
- Partying in Paramaribo
To know more about these places, read the blog What to visit in Paramaribo.
Brownsberg and Ston island
You can easily visit these places by yourself or, if you want, book a tour. For Brownsberg you need some driving experience and a good car, best a 4×4 car because it’s up the mountain on a small road with a lot of rocks. On the Brownsberg, mountain, there are many hiking trails even to a waterfall which is nice to hike around.
Ston Island is an island that lies on the Brokopondo lake. This lake is made because of a dam. You have amazing views at Ston island and it’s nice to relax and swim in the lake. You can always stop at the dam to have a great view and pass by the Jodensavanne which used to be a plantation.
Places for locals: Bergendal zipline, Parabello, and Colakreek
These three places are possible to visit on your own.
Bergendal and Parabello are two amazing places where you can relax the whole day in your hammock and swim to cool off. An adventurous thing you can do is ziplining which is worth a try.
Colakreek is also a relaxing place to hang in a hammock or swim in the water that looks like the soda drink coca-cola.
Relax and enjoy nature in Bigi Pan
Two days are perfect to enjoy this area with a tour. This place lies in the West of Suriname and is known for the amazing bird life. You can see many different birds here from an owl to flamingos and ibises. More than 100 different bird species visit this area. You will sleep in a house on the water, spot birds, spot caimans, take a mud bath and relax.
Roaming around plantations
There are many plantations that you can visit while you are in Suriname. You should at least visit one plantation. You can visit the plantations on your own or book a tour. Some of the plantations you can go are:
- Commewijne plantation
- Frederiksdorp plantation
- Laarwijk plantation
- Peperpot plantation
Hiking in the jungle
There are two hikes that you should do in the jungle that will give you the best experience, you need to book a tour for those hikes because they are in the jungle. You should hike the two mountains Fredberg and the Voltzberg. The hikes are totally different, but the Voltzberg is the most known hike with the rock that you can find on some 20 SRD bills, so save one if you have one to take the picture.
You can do a three- or four-day tour to the Fredberg which is an experience of a lifetime. To hike this mountain, you need to be an okay hiker and not afraid of the wilderness. You will hike to the top of the mountain and sleep in a hammock, so you wake up with the most beautiful sunrise.
The first day you go in the jungle to the base camp which is around a four-hour drive. You have time to swim there and to eat. This day you hike to the top of the mountain which takes around 3 to 4 hours through the jungle. The views you will get are unbelievable. You will sleep in a hammock and have the basic needs. The second day you wake up with the most outstanding sunrise. You hike around in the jungle and end back at the base camp. On the third day you can hike back in the jungle or relax in the base camp before you drive back to Paramaribo. If you take the four-day tour, you go further in the jungle after sleeping in a hammock on the mountain and sleep another night in the jungle in a hammock in a cave before you head back to the base camp.
Another amazing hike for a three- or four-day tour is Voltzberg and Raleighvallen.
The first day you’re on the road deep in the jungle. A part will be done by bus until Witagron and after that village you hop on the boat in the direction of the South. After a few hours you’ll arrive at Fungu island. The second day the hike starts through the jungle, up the mountain, which is around 8,5 kilometers. On the third day the raleighvallen which is a river with a current which is nice to enjoy and relax. After this you head back to Paramaribo. If you choose for a four-day tour, you have one more day to enjoy in the nature and discover the jungle.
Unique tours and adventures
In Paramaribo you can do a helicopter flight over the capital and enjoy the many beautiful views. Doing a helicopter flight in Suriname is much cheaper than in many other countries so if you ever wanted to do this, now is your chance.
Some other tours that you should do while you are in Suriname are a quad tour or buggy tour through the jungle or do a Jeep Safari. A dolphin and caiman tour is nice to spot dolphins and caimans or spot the biggest turtles on Braamspunt or at Galibi from February until July.
A back to basic tour is perfect if you love adventures or book a kano and kayak tour in the jungle.
If you want to learn about the locals in the jungle in Suriname, you can go on a multiple day tour to Botopasi or Isadou where you learn about the lifestyle of the Saramaccaanse population. Another place where you can go is to the Knini Paati resort to learn about the Saamakaanse culture. Blanche Marie is another resort where you can visit little waterfalls and learn about the culture of the village Apoera and you also have Gunsi which is a village where you can go with a tour to learn everything from the locals. Of course, there are many more tours that you can do.
Kumala is another place you can visit where you can do many activities. If you book a tour to this small, green island then you will do many different activities like learning about the Marron culture, hike the Ananasberg (mountain) and enjoy many water activities.
If you have the budget, you can do a tour for 6 to 8 days and explore the deep jungle like for example expedition Sintiadam which lies in the Amazon rainforest or Kabalebo Nature Resort.
There are also many workshops you can follow like the lamp workshop to make a lamp from a calabash, a cacao workshop, Surinamese cooking workshop, a coffee workshop or even a snake workshop. You can find a lot of workshops to do in Suriname.
Have a laid-back time in one of the many resorts
There are many resorts where you can relax and enjoy the beautiful nature. Depending on the resort you choose there are activities to do like kayaking, supping, visiting a tribe, etc. Some resorts are more luxurious than others. Some resorts you can go, outside Paramaribo are:
- Houttuyn Welness River Resort
- Seliba River Glamping
- Afobaka resort
- Anaula Nature Resort
- Danpaati River Lodge
- Kabalebo Nature Reserve
Guyana and French Guiana
There are many tours that take you to Guyana and French Guiana.
Visiting Guyana for a few days is amazing to understand that this country also has a lot to offer. In most tours you’ll visit Georgetown and the Kaieteur waterfalls, which are mesmerizing.
From Suriname there are also tours to French Guyana that most of the time stop for a night at Galibi to spot turtles, which is an amazing adventure.
