eSIM for Suriname

Before flying to Suriname, British and many other visa-exempt visitors must pay a US$54 entry fee online through the official e-tourist card site, then land at Johan Adolf Pengel Airport (PBM), about 45 km south of Paramaribo. Your eSIM uses Digicel on 4G/LTE, which competes with the state-owned Telesur, and coverage fades quickly once you leave the coastal strip.

A week for travellers who want rainforest as well as colonial history: Paramaribo's wooden old town, the plantations of Commewijne by bike, the ruins of Jodensavanne, the Brownsberg plateau and two nights at a riverside lodge on the Upper Suriname, arranged through an established tour operator.

Length

7 days

Bases

2

When to go The long dry season from about mid-August to November is best for the interior and river trips; there is a shorter dry spell from February to April, while the main rainy season, roughly April to August, brings heavy downpours and higher rivers.

1. 01

   Day 1 Paramaribo

   Paramaribo's historic inner city

   → Johan Adolf Pengel Airport (PBM) is about 45 km south of Paramaribo; arrange a licensed taxi or hotel pickup in advance.

   Walk the historic inner city, a UNESCO site of wooden Dutch colonial buildings. Start at Fort Zeelandia on the river, then cross Independence Square past the Presidential Palace. Visit the Cathedral Basilica of St Peter and Paul, one of the largest wooden buildings in the Americas, and see the Neveh Shalom synagogue and the Keizerstraat mosque side by side. Finish along the Waterkant at sunset.

   Signal Digicel 4G/LTE is reliable across central Paramaribo. Keep your phone out of sight in quiet streets and in the Palm Garden, where robberies have been reported.

2. 02

   Day 2 Paramaribo

   Commewijne plantations and river dolphins

   → Bikes can be hired in Paramaribo; a short boat ride from Leonsberg or a drive over the Wijdenbosch Bridge takes you to Commewijne.

   Cross the Suriname River to Commewijne and spend the day cycling the old plantation district. Visit Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, a star-shaped fort at the meeting of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers, then ride past former sugar and coffee estates such as Frederiksdorp and Peperpot. In the late afternoon, join a boat trip from Leonsberg to look for the river dolphins that feed near the river mouth.

   Signal Generally usable 4G in Commewijne close to the river, but signal thins on the quieter plantation roads.

3. 03

   Day 3 Paramaribo

   Jodensavanne

   → About two hours by road from Paramaribo; a guided day trip is the simplest option.

   Drive south to Jodensavanne, a UNESCO site on the forested banks of the Suriname River, where the ruins of a synagogue from the late 17th century, believed to be one of the earliest of architectural significance in the Americas, stand among old Jewish cemeteries. The site is co-managed with the Indigenous village of Redi Doti nearby. Visit with a guide, carry water and repellent, and return to Paramaribo before dark.

   Signal Weak and unreliable around Jodensavanne, with coverage returning near the main roads. Download maps and information about the site beforehand.

4. 04

   Day 4 Paramaribo

   Brownsberg Nature Park

   → About three hours by road from Paramaribo, with a rough final climb best done by 4x4 or on an organised tour.

   Head south to Brownsberg Nature Park, on a plateau about 500 m above the Brokopondo reservoir. Walk the forest trails to the Leo and Irene waterfalls, watching for howler and spider monkeys and toucans, and look out from the viewpoint over the reservoir, one of the largest in the world. Many tours stop at the reservoir shore on the way back.

   Signal Little or no Digicel coverage on the plateau and trails. Agree a meeting time with your group and carry a printed map.

5. 05

   Day 5 Upper Suriname River

   Up the Suriname River

   → About three to four hours by road from Paramaribo to Atjoni, then one to three hours by boat, depending on the lodge.

   Travel south through the interior to Atjoni, the end of the road, where you switch to a motorised dugout canoe for the trip upriver to a riverside lodge in the Saramaccan region. Settle in, swim in the river where your guides say it is safe, and visit a nearby Saramaccan village with your guide, where Maroon communities have lived since escaping plantation slavery.

   Signal Expect no mobile signal on the river and at most lodges. Some lodges offer limited wifi, so tell family before you leave Paramaribo that you will be offline.

6. 06

   Day 6 Upper Suriname River

   Rainforest and rapids

   Spend the day with your lodge's guides on a jungle walk to learn how the forest is used for food and medicine, then take a boat to the rapids for a swim. In the afternoon, visit a village craft workshop or just relax in a hammock on the riverbank. Ask permission before photographing people, and follow your guide's advice on village customs.

   Signal No mobile coverage. Use the lodge's wifi, if it has any, for brief check-ins only.

7. 07

   Day 7 Paramaribo

   Back to Paramaribo

   → About five to seven hours in total by boat and road; check your flight times carefully before booking the river trip.

   Travel back downriver by boat to Atjoni and on by road to Paramaribo. If you arrive in time, visit the Central Market by the waterfront or the Fort Zeelandia museum. Most international flights leave in the evening or at night, so keep your bags packed and allow plenty of time for the drive to the airport.

   Signal Signal returns as you approach Brokopondo and the coast. Download your boarding pass once you are back in Paramaribo.