Suriname One-Week Itinerary

Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, has a population of 250.000 people, almost half of the country inhabitants. You can enter the country from Guyana or French Guyana overland or fly into the capital.

Most of the history and colonial dutch buildings are in the city of Paramaribo where you can spend 4 days. Other 3 days can be saved to visit the Brownsberg Natural Park that is a reserve with hikes and waterfalls.

Brownsberg Natural Park (3 days)

You can start your trip taking a bus (8.5 SRD) or shared taxi (5o SRD) from Paramaribo to the city of Brownsweg, 100km away. The Brownsberg Natural Park lays 13km from this city. You can either hike, hitchhike or pay for a private transport. The entry fee for the park is 35 SRD and you must bring your own hammock and pay 50 SRD per night (You can buy one starting at 70 SRD in the city center). Private rooms available starting at 200 SRD for 3 people.

This reserve encompasses tropical rainforest on Brownsberg mountain. There is plenty of wildlife and I was able to see an interesting group of trumpeters birds, some mammals and monkey movements in the trees. The waterfall on the picture is Leo Wall, one of the many in the park.

Paramaribo (4 days)

The population of Paramaribo has a diverse ethnic makeup, mainly Creoles, Indians, Multiracials, Maroons and Javanese. In the past decades a significant number of Brazilians, Guyanese and new Chinese immigrants have settled in Paramaribo.

There are plenty of things to see in this beautiful city, starting with admiring the dutch architecture that remain from the colonization period. In the main square the Presidential Palace and a few government buildings are open for visitation. Nearby, a coastal walk near the river is a good afternoon program.

The best place to stay is near the city center.

Not far from this place, the Fort Zeelandia is a fortress built in 1640. A few oficial houses are available for visitation and the middle one in the picture is the Surinamese museum.

The Garden of Palms or Palmgardens was open to the public in 1685, Royal palms were planted between 1683 and 1688 by order of a Governor of Suriname.

Another beauty of architecture is the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul, originally a Dutch Jewish theatre build in 1809, it was adapted in 1826 to be used as a church by the catholic congregation. It is a wooden Roman Catholic cathedral located in the center of the capital.

Last but not least, one of the most interesting attractions in the city is to see a Muslim Mosque and a Jewish Synagogue just adjacent each other. The Neveh Shalom Synagogue is the only synagogue of the Ashkenazi community in Suriname. The lot on Keizerstraat 82 was acquired in 1716 by Sephardi Jews. The Mosque Keizerstraat is the headquarters of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam in Paramaribo in Suriname.

Suriname is a pretty interesting place and is worth to visit!