Suriname

Join the Hipporoller Challenge

Help the Travel Guide reach 20,000,000 characters and we'll donate 63 hipporollers worth over $6000. Read more.

Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Paramaribo

Population

435,000

Government

Constitutional Democracy

Religions

Christianity (Catholic, Protestant), Hinduism, Islam

Languages

Dutch, English, Sranang Tongo, Hindustani, Javanese

Calling Code

+597

Nationality

Surinamese

Local name

Suriname

Contributors

• Utrecht (74%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com
• Herr Bert (18%)
  from A Dutchman in Madrid

as well as Peter (7%), dr.pepper (1%)

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Apetina village

© All Rights Reserved tarmo

Suriname is a fascinating blend of cultures. Dutch colonial times have left an indelible mark on the capital, Paramaribo, with Dutch architecture lining the streets. Surinamese cuisine blends the diverse flavours of the major ethnic groups which make up Surinam's demographic; take one part East Indian, one part Indian, sprinkle on a dash of Creole and stir in some Chinese and you kind of get the picture. The ethnic diversity also derives from Dutch colonial times. In order to man their plantations, the Dutch first used West African slaves and then, when slavery was outlawed, Indonesian, Indian and Chinese workers.

Suriname's national parks and unadulterated inland forests make it an ideal setting for a South American adventure. Its frontier-style lack of development establishes it as a perfect destination for the hardy traveller.

Brief History

Geography

Suriname shares international borders with Guyana, French Guiana and Brazil, Most of the bigger towns can be found along the 368 kilometer long coastline, or along the rivers. The main rivers all run from the south to the north. The Surinam, Coppename, Tapanahoni, Saramacca, Marowijne and the Corantijn are the most important ones. The Marowijne is Surinams border with French Guiana, and the Corantijn is the border with Guyana. There are however large parts in the south-east, and the south-west that are disputed by Guyana and French-Guiana.

Inland there are not many settlements, because a large part of the country is covered by tropical rainforests. Rainforests that are slowly turning into savanna, because of the deforestation of this area. There are two main mountainridges: The Bakhuys Mountains and the Van Asch Van Wijck Mountains, The highest peak of the country in the Julianatop (1,286 metres).

Regions

• North - a lowland coastal area where most of the population lives.
• South - the other roughly 80% of the country consists of tropical rainforest and sparsely inhabited savanna.

Cities

• Paramaribo
• Nieuw Nickerie
• Apoera
• Wageningen
• Brokopondo
• Albina
• Nieuw Amsterdam
• Paranam
• Moengo

Sights and Activities

Historic Paramaribo

London tuf tuf

© All Rights Reserved tarmo

The Historic Inner City of Paramaribo is on the Unesco World Heritage List. As a Dutch colonial town from the 17th and 18th centuries, nowadays there still are original and highly characteristic features including the street plan of the historic centre remains. Its buildings illustrate the gradual fusion of Dutch architectural influence with traditional local techniques and materials. Read more in the Paramaribo article.

The Central Suriname Nature Reserve

The Central Suriname Nature Reserve is located in the central parts of the country and consists of more than 1,6 million hectares of primary tropical forest and is therefore places on the Unesco World Heritage list as well. It protects the upper watershed of the Coppename River and the headwaters of many other rivers. It has several different ecosystems and some hills, mountains and waterfalls to preserve. It also contains a high diversity of plant life with more than 5000 plant species. The animals that are living here are typical of the region and include the jaguar, giant armadillo, giant river otter, tapir, sloths, many species of primates and over 400 bird species have been recorded as well including endangered ones like the harpy eagle and scarlet macaw.

Far South Expeditions

Tapanohany

© All Rights Reserved tarmo

When travelling all the way to the south, you sure are on an expedition. Getting here is only possible by a very rough and long trip by boat, but most people fly in first and than travel to many of the fascinating destinations towards the border with Brazil. Palumeu is one of the most southern villages to be reached by chartered plane and it is best to arrange everything in advance in Paramaribo. From here, you can visit some indigenous villages, walk trough pristine forests, travel the rivers or go even further south to climb the magical Kasikasim mountain range. At the top you are able to view across the border with Brazil, one green field of broccoli.

Fort Zeelandia

Fort Zeelandia is a fortress on the banks of the river Surinam. It was build in 1651 by the British who conquered the trade post that was erected by the Dutch, and called it Fort Willoughby. In 1667 the Dutch recaptured the fortress and changed the name to Fort Zeelandia. During it's history the fort, has functioned as a fortress, barracks, as a prison, and most notoriously as the military headquarters of Desi Bouterse in april 1982. In december of that year, fifteen opponents of Bouterse were liquidated on the courtyard of the fort, after a failed countercoup against the military leadership that came to power through a coup in 1980. An event that became known as the decembermurders. Since 1995 the fortress is a museum, and houses the Surinam Museum.

Brownsberg

Brownsberg Nature Park is home to a diverse variety of wildlife. Located on the 500 metre high Mazaroni Plateau, this reserve is a great place to see some of the diverse natural wonders of the country. The area has great views over the Brokopondo Reservoir as well. It's a paradise for birdwatchers (over 200 species) and there are great tails along the area, offering creeks and waterfalls as well.

Other sights and activities

• Galibi - famous because of its giant leatherback turtles laying their eggs in the March to July period.
• Brokopondo Lake - the best inland destination reachable by car or minibus.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Suriname enjoys a hot and humid tropical climate, with temperatures around or above 30 degrees Celcius at night and 'cooling' of to 23 degrees on average at night. There are two rainy seasons, of which the April to August one is the longest and wettest. There is a shorter one from late November to January. Therefore, February - March and September - early November are the best times for a visit although the latter one sees the highest temperatures with 34 degrees on average making things even worse.

Getting There

Plane

Suriname Airways is the national airline of Suriname with its base at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (PBM) near the capital Paramaribo. International destinations include Amsterdam, Aruba,Curacao, Belém and Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. KLM and Martinair have flights to Amsterdam as well and with prices of around €600 including taxes it's a relatively affordable way of getting from Europe to South America. Air France has flights to Cayenne in French Guiana, while LIAT (Leeward Islands Air Transport) flies to Georgetown.

Land

The only options of travelling overland to neighbouring countries are to cross the border rivers with Guyana (Corantijn River) and French Guiana (Marowijne River). It is not possible to travel overland to Brazil.

By Car

You can cross by car into French Guiana and Guyana though have your international driving permit, insurance and all documentation in order. Roads are quite good along the coast.

By Bus

Direct buses and/or minibuses travel between Paramaribo and both Cayenne in French Guiana and Georgetown in Guyana.

By Boat

The only options of travelling overland to neighbouring countries are to cross the border rivers with Guyana (Corantijn River) and French Guiana (Marowijne River). It is not possible to travel overland to Brazil.

Getting Around

By Plane

Suriname Airways offers scheduled flights to several inland destinations. Several other charter airlines offer flights as well, mostly as part of a package deal as travelling around by yourself after your flight into Suriname's interior is not much of an option in most cases. Most flights are in small planes only.

By Train

There are no rail services in Suriname.

By Car

Only roads along the northern coastline and several (parts of) roads going a bit more into the interior are paved, some of them potholed. Many other roads are gravel roads, if there are at all roads. The southern part of Suriname hasn't got any roads at all. If you feel the need, you can rent cars with interntional firms at the airport and several local companies have offices in the main hotels in Paramaribo. Traffic drives on the left and you will need an international driving permit.

By Bus

Buses, minibuses and taxis ply the main routes along the northern coastline and few services go south. Taxis are more expensive, but if you can share the cost with several people, you will be glad to find them much more comfortable. Buses and minibuses are cheap but crowded.

By Boat

If you want to visit the interior, you will be likely to get around by boat a lot as this is often the only means of transport. This also applies to the border rivers penetrating into the interior. Most services are not scheduled but are part of a package deal, including flight, accommodation, food and local transport.

Red Tape

Nationals of the following countries do not need visas to visit Suriname:

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Equador, Gambia, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands Antilles, Phillippines, Singapore, South Korea, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago.

All other nationalities will need to apply in advance for a visa at the nearest consulate.

Money

See also Money Matters

In 2004 the Surinam Guilder was replaced by the Surinam Dollar (SRD), which is further divided into cents (100 cents = 1 dollar). There are coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 100 and 250 cents, and notes of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 SRD. Their are however also notes of 1 and 2,5 dollar, which go under the name of a muntbiljet. (translated a coinnote)

1 Surinam Dollar is worth about 0.27 - 0.28 Euro.

Work

Study

Language

Dutch is the official language of Suriname. For some basic Dutch see the Dutch Phrasebook

Besides Dutch there are over 20 other national languages spoken in Suriname. Most of the people talk a couple of these languages, and also English.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See als International Telephone Calls

Post