Suriname is a small country in north east South America. It’s a combination of tropical rainforest, roaring rivers, Dutch colonial history, and great ethnic diversity. You can divide your time between the dense and untamed interior jungles and the lively modern cities with shopping, fantastic restaurants, and surprising night-spots. Locals include descendants of British and Dutch colonialists, African slaves, Indonesians, Indians, and Chinese indentured servants, and indigenous Amerindians. Communicating is fun with so many languages floating around, and so is the eating. Be prepared for spicy and fantastic everywhere you go. Here’s the best places to visit in Suriname!

Mariënburg
Founded in the 18th century as a sugar cane plantation, Mariënburg now has a production factory on site and is primarily a tourist attraction. The first railroad in Suriname was built to bring the sugarcane from the village into the city and you can still travel by train to get there. It’s a good way to see the country and a fun day excursion from Para.

Around Paramaribo
Just outside of the city you’ll find a phenomenal savannah white-sand forest, a jungle full of wildlife, and cold streams where the clean water runs black thanks to the fallen leaves. You can see saki monkeys, giant anteaters, tamarins, and a large number of exotic birds (maybe you’ll even spot a sloth). If you really want to leave the city behind for a bit, you can camp near Colakreek for a few days while you explore the forest and savannah.

Central Market
As far as markets go, this one is fairly intense. This frenzied area in the inner city sells fish, meats, vegetables, and fruits, just like any other market and upstairs you’ll find a clothes bazaar. But this market also has a “Witches Market.” Also known as the Maroon Market, there is a separate entrance on Waterkant. Here you can buy shells, bones, herbs, and various mystery concoctions. If you want to come out of this frantic area intact, it’s best to go before noon.

Onafhankelijkheidsplein
Also known as Independence Square, Onafhankelijkheidsplein, is home to some of the most important buildings in Suriname: the colonial government buildings as well at the stately presidential palace. In many ways, it’s an average square which is perfect for an afternoon nap or a picnic lunch, you also might be lucky enough to stumble upon a signing bird competition. The birds, known as twatwa, are popular in Suriname and enthusiasts like to bring them together to compete. Don’t look to understand how the winner is chosen; the mystery is part of the fun.

St Peter and St Paul Cathedral
Another part of Para’s UNESCO World Heritage site is the Roman Catholic St Peter and St Paul Cathedral. It’s the largest wooden building in the Western Hemisphere and was built in the 19th century. The exterior of the cathedral has long intrigued visitors. Painted grey and yellow, no one seems to know the exact reasons behind the colour scheme. In 2015 Pope Francis designated it as a minor basilica.

Suriname Mosque and Neveh Shalom Synagogue
The largest Mosque in the Caribbean is Mosque Keizerstraat, located in Paramaribo. It is a beautiful building with stunning gardens around it. No machinery was used during construction and thus it took 20 years to complete. Not only is it an impressive place of worship it’s unique because of its next door neighbour, the Nevah Shalom Synagogue. Built in the 19th century it has a sandy floor as a symbol of the Hebrews 40 years in the desert. Locals take great pride in the location of these two places of worship and feel it’s a reflection of their multi-ethnicity community.

 

Presidential Palace of Suriname and the Garden of Palms
Located in the capital across from Independence Square, the presidential palace is one of the best examples of Dutch colonial architecture in Suriname. Part of the inner city’s UNESCO World Heritage designation, it was built in the 18th century, and is still the presidents home. Most commonly used for diplomatic events thanks to the Garden of Palms attached to the property. This palm tree landscape has a wide variety of trees as well the capuchin monkeys and many tropical birds.

 

Arya Dewaker
This Hindu temple is the largest in Suriname and is located in Paramaribo. It’s arguably the most important in the country to the 30,000+ Hindu’s who live there. Designed by a Dutch architect, the building is a two-story octagonal building with meeting rooms, a library, and ceremony room. Everything in the temple is designed to reflect aspects of the sun and though there are no images of deities, you’ll find plenty of Sanskrit and Hindi symbolism. The architect works to combine the Dutch style with the ancient Moghul style from India, as well as a bit of Moorish design. The result it truly unique.

 

Joden Savanne
Just south of Paramaribo, on the Suriname River, is Joden Savanne, or Jews’ savannah. Established in the 17th century, it was originally an agricultural community that was developed by Spanish Jews fleeing persecution. Sugarcane plantations were the main crop and slaves were used here for a long time. From the beginning, the community faced difficulties from nearby sugar beet plantations They also dealt with disease, revolts by indigenous people, and heavy taxation. Eventually the community relocated to Para. You can visit the ruins of the first synagogue in the Western Hemisphere as well as the old gravesites there.

 

Brownsberg Nature Park
Roughly 80 miles from Paramaribo you’ll find the Brownsberg Nature Park. It’s 500 metres above sea level and was established in 1969. It’s mostly neotropical rainforest and is home to hundreds of unique and rare plant and animal species. You’ll enjoy a day of hiking through this wonderful stretch of nature.

 

Commewijne River
All along the Commewijne River, you’ll find old plantation properties as well as cacao, coffee, and sugar cane facilities. A tourist favourite is to rent a bike for the day and cycle the well-maintained routes around the plantations. Though, the most popular route to cross the river from Paramribo is by water taxi. They mostly take you to Frederiksdorp, an old restored plantation that is now a hotel and restaurant. It’s the perfect place to have lunch. You’ll also find Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, where you’ll discover artefacts left from the slave trade as well as Dutch engineered locks that hold back the river. Other places worth visiting include Peperpot Nature Park and Meerzorg bridge (popular with bird watchers).

 

Nieuw Nickerie
This busy border town was once one of the country’s main balata collecting centres. These days the port remains active and the economy is served by the banana and rice plantations here. If you’re hoping to explore Bigi Pan, a swamp and reservoir with over 100 bird varieties, Nieuw Nickerie is the last stop before Guyana. Be sure to tour the plantations and check out the port before heading on.

 

Central Suriname Nature Reserve
The largest of Suriname’s nature reserves, Central Suriname covers about 12% of the country’s total land mass and 40% of the plants and animals here are to be found only in the Guianas. One of the most beautiful attractions in the reserve is Raleighvallen, Raleigh Falls. It’s a long and low staircase of water that cascades down from the Coppename River. You’ll see spider monkeys, Guiana cock-of-the-rock, electric eels, and spectacular exotic birds. STINASU runs tours here as well and has lodging within the park. If you’re a hiker, you must make your way to Voltzbergisa, a 240m granite dome. It’s a two and half hour steep ascent, but you’ll be rewarded with a 360 degree view of the entire jungle. Not to be missed.

 

Galibi Coppename Nature Reserve
This lovely nature reserve was established in 1969 and is situated at the mouth of the Coppename River. It’s a haven for birdwatchers, home to the endangered manatee, and attracts hundreds of turtles during laying season (April to August). STINASU, The Foundation for Nature Conservation in Suriname, organizes several tours to and through the reserve. Their aim is to promote nature conservation, research, and responsible tourism. You’ll definitely get an education from your tour guide. If you go during laying season, you’re sure to see the giant leatherback turtles who return here year after year.

 

Paramaribo
If you could combine the American Wild West with Amsterdam, you’d get Paramaribo. A high energy city filled with things to see and do, it’s the most incredible capital in the Guianas. Roam around the inner city, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, and discover grassy squares lined with black and white Dutch colonial buildings, have lunch at one of the many Indian roti shops, and buy a few pieces of artwork from the Maroon artists selling their art outside the old Dutch forts. Parbo, as the locals call it, is a multi-ethnic city where synagogues and mosques are next door neighbours.

Downtown
Good shopping opportunities are always nice to vacations in any country. Tourists wishing to do standard shopping can explore the Surinamese shopping centers, which are not much different from typical shopping centers in other countries. Most stores are concentrated in the downtown area of Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname.

Crafts
Paramaribo has an incredible number of souvenir shops including a local Craft and Art Gallery that is specialized in local arts, crafts, high-quality T-shirts, beautiful postcards, and much more.

Malls
In the capital’s malls, you will find stores of luxury international and local brands selling clothes, accessories, electronics, cosmetics, jewelry, shoes, and souvenirs at reasonable prices. Some of these shopping malls houses lots of fast-food restaurants and playgrounds where parents can leave their kids while shopping.

Markets
The most popular place to buy groceries in Suriname is at the capital’s Central Market. This market is located by the riverside and it sells fresh meat, local fruits and vegetables, clothes, cosmetics and much more. The ambiance in this market place is noisy yet colorful because of the different population groups that are selling and buying goods from each other.

Wellness is a word that includes both well-being and fitness. It is said that wellness is searching for a balance between mental and physical health in a hectic society. By now we are well known with wellness in Suriname. There are hundreds of Gyms and fitness centers in Suriname. Furthermore, Suriname is enriched with sauna and massage accommodations. In our luxurious hotels we have saunas and spas. We have spa houses that offer us the opportunity to make use of Thai and Indonesian massages.Yoga is a part of wellness and is largely developed in Suriname.The international yoga day is grandly celebrated each year and attracts a great amount of people.

Amerindian Cuisine

The first inhabitants of Suriname are the Amerindians. They were very devoted to nature and earned their food and living of the land, water and the bushes. Their way of providing for food was through fishing and haunting with a bow and a arrow.

They prepared their foods with lots of salt so it could be conserved for a longer time. They often used a lot of pepper in the food. Fish, wild meat, seafood,Cassava and other earth-fruits.

There food was often grilled, cooked in a clay pot or roasted above a fire on a stick. Cassava bread was put to dry in the sun on the roofs of their cabins were made of wood.

There are 3 most popular foods of the Amerindians which are still integrated in the whole society of Suriname. These are; pepre watra, Kasiri and Cassava Bread.

Creole Kitchen
The Creole kitchen is a mix of the African and European cuisines.The dishes from the Creole cuisine are delicious and refined. Sweet and salty flavors alternate; fruit or sugar in meals are therefore uncommon. Sometimes red pepper is served separately. The secret of the Creole cuisine lies in the food seasoning.

The dishes are very healthy and sometimes meat and vegetables are mixed up in the dishes. The dishes are not difficult to prepare, everything lies in the preparation and finding the right ingredients. In Suriname the Creole cuisine is very popular. There are various restaurants in Suriname that are serving the Creole cuisine.

Marron Cuisine
The Maroon brought their lifestyle and cuisine from Africa to Suriname which they have kept until today.Their food was mostly direct out of Nature. Mostly earth-fruits, fish and wild meat. Small scale agriculture, fishing and haunting are parts of their lifestyle. Nowadays there are restaurants in Suriname that are serving the Maroon cuisine where everyone including tourists can try the traditionally Maroon dishes.The podosiri is a delicious Maroon drink that is very healthy. The Afiingi soup is the famous traditional soup of the Maroon made with grinned cassava and wild meat. The Bravoe soup is a mix-soup which contains earth-fruits , vegetables and meat. Sometimes it contains dried fish as well.

Javanese Cuisine
The Asian Cuisine is an all around the world well known cuisine. It was brought to Suriname by the former Javanese laborer from Indonesia. The Bami (fried noodle), Nasi (fried rice) and Pitjel (mixed vegetables with peanut sauce) are some of the well-known Javanese dishes in Suriname. Suriname has plenty Warungs (food courts) that are serving the traditional Indonesian cuisine. Apart from the regular Warungs in Suriname there are exclusive Indonesian restaurant with Asian ambiances. These restaurants offer a larger menu of traditional Indonesian foods made with original spices and Herbs from Indonesia.

Other Cuisine
The Surinamese cuisine is a combination of a large number of international cuisines including the African, Asian, European and the American. This is due to the fact that the population of Suriname has come from almost all the continents of the world.

The Surinamese cuisine is very unique due to the mixing of dishes and ingredients by the different population groups. This has ensured that the Surinamese cuisine has many dishes with delicious discoveries. The Surinamese cuisine can be enjoyed in a pleasant atmosphere in one of the country’s many cafés and restaurants.

Suriname is a country that knows how to live together peacefully in a historic city. A synagogue, next to a Mosque and a few streets away the Mama Kerki and full gospel church. Different religions and movements that all come together to work on building the country. The majority of the buildings in the historic city center are built in a unique Surinamese style with many Dutch influences. The most important building material was wood, which was abundantly available, but which requires intensive maintenance due to the humid tropical climate. A large part of the still existing wooden buildings has a monument status and have been the reason for the recognition of the historic city center by UNESCO.

Most buildings in the city center are on the Monument list of Paramaribo. These buildings formally belong to the built heritage of Suriname. The historic buildings that are not on the List of monuments, have an image supporting function and provide a contribution to the historic face.

Suriname has a tropical vegetation. The vegetation has great affinity with that of the neighboring Guianas and with the Amazon region. The number of plant species is about 5000. For an area of ​​this size and without high mountains, that is pretty much. Characteristic for Suriname is the coastal forest consisting of mangrove (flood forest), with mainly the Parwa.The Surinamese interior is known for its impressive rapids, where one can enjoy the running water in peace. To protect nature, many areas have been designated as nature reserves. One of the important forms of tourism is nature tourism. In Suriname, nature tourism focuses on recreation in nature reserves. In this form of tourism, river cruise, sport fishing and bird watching in particular are well expressed, with a focus on sustainability, the protection and preservation of our heritage.

Suriname has countless varieties of natural attractions such as rain forests, woodlands, mountains, beaches, rapids and rivers, as well as the unique life forms that inhabit those environments (animals, birds, insects, and plants).

Reasons to visit these natural attractions are:
– To enjoy the beauty of nature.
– To escape from the pressures of urban life.
– To explore different landscapes.
– To experience outdoor adventures in a natural setting.
– To learn more about the environment.
– To participate in conserving the environment.