Suriname – Home to Tropical Rainforests and Wildlife

Surinam is a small and independent country in South America, bordered by Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Atlantic Ocean on different sides. Tropical Rainforests occupy 80% of the country, making it the home for a huge variety of wildlife species and a perfect destination for holidays.

Accommodation Options and Languages Spoken:
Accommodations are available in the form of budget hotels, camping and caravanning options and apartments. A youth hostel can also be located easily. Dutch is the official language and English is also commonly used for conversation. Sranang Tongo is another popular and in fact, the most-spoken language in the country. 

History:
It was during the colonization wave that the region of present day Suriname was explored by French, British and Spaniards. After a conflict between the Dutch and British, the former was able to occupy the region for colonial plantations. Coffee, cocoa, sugar cane and cotton plantations were cultivated by them with the help of slaves from Africa. However, the bad treatments of Dutch enforced the slaves to run away and form a new culture called Maroons. The Maroons started invading the plantations and failing to prevent them, the Dutch had to sign peace treaties with them. Labours to work on plantations were brought from various other parts of the world, including India, China and Middle East during the 19th and 20th centuries. After a long period of rule by Netherlands, Suriname was finally made independent in the year 1975.  

Popular Places:
Paramaribo is the capital city and there are other popular cities like Albina, Moengo, Paranam and more. Central Suriname Nature Reserve is the world-famous home for variety of flora and fauna. Eilerts de Hann Gebergte Nature Reserve and Central Suriname Nature Reserve are other places that, however, offer limited explorations. Raleighvallen Natural Reserve is known around the world for housing monkeys and birds, among other species. Voltzberg is the granite mountain and a good place for camping.

Brownsberg is another natural park, known for waterfalls, creeks and variety of birds. If you wish to view the endangered species of sea turtles, you must pay a visit to the Galibi Nature Reserve.

The capital city can be explored for colonial architectural designs, Fort Zeelandia and Suriname Museum. Roman Catholic cathedral, Independence Square and Palmentuin are other interesting sites worth visiting. 

Getting Around:
Cars and boats can be considered as the ideal means of getting around Suriname. Guided tours with a professional guide can be a good option to save time. Domestic airways can also help you to move between the selected cities.

Places of Entertainment:
Boat trips in the swamp water are among the most entertaining activities to witness anacondas and crocodiles. Colonial plantation sites can also be considered worthy of a visit. One can enjoy swimming in creeks as well as shopping for perfumes, hand-made jewellery and tropical flowers. Indian, Chinese and Indonesian dishes can be enjoyed at various venues and one can also enjoy the drinks like parbo-beer, dawet and fruit juices.

Currency:
Suriname dollar is the currency of the country and one can find news related to it online. Banknotes in denominations 1, 2½, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars and coins as 1, 5, 10, 25, 100 and 250 cents are available.

Group accommodation in Suriname | Budget hotels & cheap hostels