Suriname travel

This post is for Karen and her 8 year old son

My Suriname experience is a 3 week trip in August of 2006.

I can only speak about budget accommodations – Guest House 24 in Paramaribo is clean and quite pleasant, but you won’t get air conditioning, private bathroom or hot water. It is within easy walking distance of the historic areas and shopping. You can get great food anywhere in the city at inexpensive prices. Many other hotels and lodging with better amenities are available.

A trip to the Galibi Beach Area is worthwhile to experience some of the coastal Amerindian culture. The two towns of Christian Kondre and Longemon Kondre are close by and the only place to stay. Travel there and lodging are not the easiest. The road from Paramaribo ends at Albina and then you have a riverboat ride to the two towns, which are side by side. Someone not used to backpacking standards will likely think poorly of the limited accommodations.

A trip to Ralleighvallen will give you a great experience of the Amazon jungle. Your only accommodations are on Foengoe Island, which lies in the middle of the Coppename River. The lodge on the island is nice. A second lodge was under construction in August of 2006 and may be available now. Rooms are open to the river and a second floor one is best. Travel there is best done by air. A landing strip is located on the island. Travel by boat up the Coppename is sporadic but it is possible to reach the island that way.

Nieuw Nickerie is Suriname’s second largest town and is situated on the western coast. It can be reached by bus from Paramaribo. There is an interesting abandoned rail yard there. Several hotels and guest houses are available but don’t expect any luxury.

Since lodging and meal options are sparse outside of Paramaribo, I suggest using a trip coordinator or tour guide. Travel by your self is possible on the busses, but the bus leaves only when enough people have boarded to make the trip worthwhile for the bus operator. And that usually means a tightly packed full bus. Above all, for all travel in Suriname, if you are a slave to a time table, you will be continually frustrated.

The people are friendly. Most Surinamese will think you are probably Dutch when they realize you are not from Suriname since most tourists there are from the Netherlands. Dutch, English and Sranan Tongo are the common languages

If your budget allows, I would also suggest a trip to Kaieteur Falls in neighboring Guyana. The falls is one of the most spectacular in the world and is the tallest single drop falls that exists on the planet. Air trips are available out of Georgetown with a landing strip located at the top of the Falls. If the budget allows additional costs, spend a night at the lodge. Space is limited so check on availability before you go. A rigorous three day one way overland and river route is also available but I would not want to take an eight year old on that.

hello suriname..
nopo wonten ingkang saged boso jawi