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Suriname✨ 9 best things to do in Suriname

Things to do in Suriname

1. Walk Paramaribo's historic centreStroll among white wooden colonial houses, Fort Zeelandia and the riverside Waterkant.
2. See a mosque and synagogue side by sideVisit Keizerstraat, where a mosque and a synagogue stand next to each other.
3. Cycle the Commewijne plantationsCross the river by boat and bike through old plantation estates and quiet villages.
4. Spot river dolphinsTake a sunset boat trip to see Guiana dolphins where the Suriname and Commewijne rivers meet.
5. Explore the Central Suriname Nature ReserveVenture into a vast UNESCO-protected rainforest with waterfalls and abundant wildlife.
6. Stay in a Maroon villageTravel up the Upper Suriname River to stay in a lodge and learn about Maroon culture.
7. Watch nesting sea turtlesSee leatherback and green turtles nesting at Galibi beach in season.
8. Climb the VoltzbergHike through jungle to a granite dome with sweeping views over the rainforest.
9. Eat your way through the culturesTry roti, Javanese bami and saoto soup, pom and Chinese-Surinamese dishes.

Suriname🗺️ Where to visit in Suriname

Where to go in Suriname

• 📍
  ParamariboCapital · colonial architectureA UNESCO-listed city of wooden buildings, markets and multicultural life.
• 📍
  Commewijne DistrictCoast · plantationsHistoric plantations, Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and countryside cycling.
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  Central Suriname Nature ReserveInterior · rainforestHuge pristine rainforest with Raleigh Falls and the Voltzberg dome.
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  Brownsberg Nature ParkInterior · mountain viewsA hilltop park with monkeys, waterfalls and views over the Brokopondo Reservoir.
• 📍
  Upper Suriname RiverInterior · Maroon villagesRiver lodges and traditional villages reached by dugout canoe.
• 📍
  Galibi Nature ReserveNortheast · turtle beachesImportant nesting beaches for sea turtles near Indigenous Kaliña villages.
• 📍
  Bigi PanWest coast · wetlandsMangrove lagoons famous for scarlet ibis and other birds.

Suriname🌦️ Weather & best time to visit Suriname

Best time to visit Suriname

Suriname is hot and humid all year, with temperatures around 30-33°C and two rainy and two dry seasons. The interior can be wetter and is best visited in the drier months.

Typical daytime highs and rain in Paramaribo (approximate averages).

Suriname🎉 Festivals & events in Suriname

• 1 July
  Keti KotiEmancipation Day celebrates the abolition of slavery with music, traditional dress and food.
• 31 December
  Owru YariParamaribo's New Year's Eve celebration, famous for massive firecracker displays.
• March
  Phagwa (Holi)The Hindu spring festival brings coloured powder and joyful celebrations.
• 25 November
  Independence DayNational celebrations mark independence from the Netherlands.
• 9 August
  Indigenous Peoples DayA public holiday honouring the culture and rights of Indigenous communities.

Suriname🧭 Suriname itinerary ideas

How many days in Suriname?

Suriname🎒 Backpacking Suriname – tips & hacks

Backpacker budget: about $40–60 a day

• Shared minibuses run between Paramaribo and towns along the coast cheaply, but trips into the interior usually need an organised tour.
• Cycling is a great way to explore Paramaribo and Commewijne, and bike hire is easy to find.
• Eat at warungs and roti shops for cheap, filling meals.
• Budget guesthouses can be found in central Paramaribo near the historic centre.
• Dutch is the official language and Sranan Tongo the lingua franca, but English is widely understood in tourist areas.

Suriname🛡️ Safety & money in Suriname

Emergency: 115 police · 113 ambulance · 110 fire

Suriname🛬 Getting to Suriname

Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport near Paramaribo has flights from the Netherlands, the Caribbean and South America. Ferries and boats cross the border rivers to Guyana and French Guiana.

✈️ Cheap flights to Suriname: airports, flight times & best time to fly →

Suriname💡 Did you know? 5 facts about Suriname

• Suriname is the smallest sovereign country in South America by area.
• Rainforest covers the vast majority of Suriname's land.
• The Dutch exchanged New Amsterdam (now New York) for Suriname in the peace settlement of 1667.
• Suriname is the only country in South America where Dutch is the official language.
• People drive on the left in Suriname, unlike most of the Americas.

Suriname❓ Suriname travel FAQ

Suriname travel questions