Suriname

The star-shaped brick fort on the Suriname River is where Paramaribo began. English colonists built a wooden fort here in the 1650s; the Dutch captured it in 1667, renamed it after their home province of Zeeland, and rebuilt it in brick. Its quiet ramparts, cannons and shady courtyard now hold the Suriname Museum, with displays on colonial history, slavery and everyday life in the past. It also has a darker, more recent history: in December 1982, fifteen critics of the military government were killed here, an event marked by a memorial and still felt deeply in Suriname.

Next to the fort, the Onafhankelijkheidsplein (Independence Square) is surrounded by the white Presidential Palace and colonial government buildings, with the Palmentuin, a garden of tall royal palms, behind.

TipVisit in the morning and continue along the riverfront to the Waterkant; the Palmentuin is best seen in daylight, as UK advice warns of crime there.

The riverside street running from the fort is lined with the grand white and grey wooden merchant houses that define Paramaribo, most rebuilt after fires in the 19th century. Here and in the surrounding grid of streets, the inner city has kept its original 17th and 18th century layout and an unusual blend of Dutch architecture with local materials and techniques: tall houses of tropical hardwood on brick foundations, with steep roofs, verandas and shuttered windows. UNESCO listed the historic inner city as a World Heritage Site in 2002.

In the evenings the riverfront fills with food stalls selling snacks and drinks, and there are views across the Suriname River towards the long Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge.

TipWalk the side streets such as Mirandastraat and Lim A Po Straat early in the day; many of the finest houses are on quieter blocks a little away from the river.

Paramaribo's Roman Catholic cathedral, completed in 1885, is often described as the largest wooden building in the Americas. Its cream-and-grey exterior, twin towers and rose window are striking, but the interior is the real surprise: a forest of unpainted cedar columns, arches and vaulting, giving the church a warm, honey-coloured glow. After years of decay it reopened in 2014 following an extensive restoration.

Peerke Donders, a 19th-century Dutch priest who spent decades caring for leprosy patients in Suriname and was beatified in 1982, is honoured inside.

TipOpening hours for visitors can vary; mornings are usually the best chance to look inside outside services.

On Keizerstraat, a few minutes' walk from the centre, one of the largest mosques in the Caribbean region stands right next to the Neveh Shalom synagogue, a white wooden building with a sand-covered floor in the Sephardic tradition, built in the 1830s. Their neighbourliness, which locals proudly point out, has become a symbol of the religious tolerance that runs through Surinamese life.

Suriname's Jewish community is one of the oldest in the Americas, dating back to the 1600s. The mosque, with its four slender minarets and white dome, belongs to a congregation founded by Muslims of Indian heritage.

TipThe exteriors are the main sight; ask in advance if you hope to see inside the synagogue, which opens to visitors only at certain times.

Across the Suriname River, the Commewijne district is a flat landscape of former plantations, canals, dykes and mangroves, and exploring it by bicycle is one of the classic days out from Paramaribo. A short boat ride from Leonsberg, on the north edge of the capital, brings you to Meerzorg on the other bank, from where quiet roads lead past old estates.

Peperpot, a former coffee and cacao plantation close to the river, is now a nature park with trails, birds and monkeys. Further on, Mariënburg has the rusting remains of a sugar mill that was once among the largest in the Caribbean, and Frederiksdorp is a restored plantation complex with accommodation. At the junction of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers, Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam is an open-air museum in a 18th-century fortress, with views across the water.

TipRent bikes in Paramaribo and take them on the boat, or join a guided cycling tour. Start early, carry water and bring cash for drinks along the way.

Built by the Dutch in the 18th century at the strategic meeting of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers, this pentagonal fortress guarded the approach to the capital and the plantations upstream. Its earthworks, moat and gunpowder magazines are now an open-air museum, with exhibits that address the history of slavery and the colony, and a small aquarium. It is a natural end point for a cycling day in Commewijne, and boat trips also come here.

At dusk, dolphin-watching trips leave from nearby to look for Guiana dolphins, which feed at the river mouths.

TipCombine a late-afternoon visit with a dolphin boat trip back to Paramaribo.

On a sandy ridge above the Suriname River, about 70 kilometres south of Paramaribo, lie the brick ruins of a Jewish settlement founded by Sephardic Jews in the 17th century, one of the earliest Jewish agricultural communities in the Americas. The remains of the synagogue, built in 1685, and the cemeteries, with gravestones carved in Hebrew and Portuguese, sit in a peaceful clearing in the forest. In 2023 the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with the nearby Cassipora Creek Cemetery.

It is usually visited on a day trip by road, sometimes combined with the river and the Blaka Watra creek swimming spot.

TipBring repellent; the shady ruins are popular with mosquitoes.

Rising about 500 metres above the surrounding forest, around 130 kilometres south of Paramaribo, the Brownsberg plateau is the most accessible rainforest experience from the capital. Trails lead down from the ridge to waterfalls in the forest, and the park is good for monkeys: red howlers, spider monkeys and capuchins are often seen, along with toucans and other birds. From the edge of the plateau there are sweeping views over the Brokopondo Reservoir, a huge artificial lake created when the Suriname River was dammed in the 1960s, where the tops of drowned trees still poke above the water.

There is simple accommodation on the plateau for those who want to hear the dawn chorus, and boat trips on the reservoir below.

TipThe road up is steep and unpaved; most visitors come on a tour from Paramaribo rather than driving themselves.

South of the reservoir, the Suriname River flows through the territory of the Saamaka (Saramaka), a Maroon people whose ancestors escaped the coastal plantations in the 17th and 18th centuries, fought the colonial army to a standstill and signed a peace treaty with the Dutch in 1762. Their villages line the riverbanks, with distinctive houses, carved woodwork and a culture that has kept many West African traditions alive.

The road ends at Atjoni, near Pokigron, from where motorised dugout canoes carry passengers upriver through rapids to small lodges, many owned and run by local families, near villages such as Botopasi and Djumu. Days are spent swimming in the river, walking in the forest and visiting villages with a guide.

TipBook through a reputable operator or lodge: the journey involves long canoe rides and few facilities. Ask before photographing people, and follow your guide's advice in villages.

The Central Suriname Nature Reserve, created in 1998 and listed by UNESCO in 2000, protects about 1.6 million hectares of untouched rainforest in the heart of the country, one of the largest such areas in the world. Its most visited corner is Raleighvallen, a long series of rapids and cascades on the Coppename River, where a simple lodge stands on Foengoe Island.

From there, a day's hike through the forest leads to the Voltzberg, a bare granite dome that rises some 240 metres above the trees, from whose summit the canopy stretches unbroken to the horizon. Along the way you may see eight species of monkey, Guianan cock-of-the-rock at their display grounds and, with great luck, a jaguar's footprints.

TipGetting there takes either a charter flight or a long day by road and boat, so plan at least three nights, normally through a tour operator.

At the mouth of the Marowijne River, on the border with French Guiana, the Galibi Nature Reserve protects beaches where leatherback, green and olive ridley turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. The neighbouring Kalina villages of Christiaankondre and Langamankondre run visits, accommodation and guides, and protecting the turtles is part of village life.

Watching a giant leatherback, which can weigh more than half a tonne, dragging itself up the beach in the dark to dig its nest is unforgettable. Hatchlings emerge later in the season.

TipNesting runs roughly from March to August, peaking in May and June. Trips usually go by road to Albina and then by boat, often with an overnight stay. Use red light only and keep your distance.