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Suriname is reachable by plane from Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Curacao (Dutch Antilles), Miami (Florida, USA), Port of Spain (Trinidad), Cayenne (French Guiana) and sporadically from some cities in Brasil (e.g. Belem). Reservations for these flights should be made as early as possible since they are quite popular. All international flights arrive at the Johan Adolf Pengel Airport which is situated about 50 kilometres south of Paramaribo.
Suriname is reachable by car from Guyana and French Guiana only. No roads exist between Venezuela and Guyana or between Brasil and French Guiana.
Suriname is reachable by boat from the Atlantic Ocean. As far as we know, there is only one company that transports passengers from Europe to Suriname. Cargo Ship Voyages Limited, a U.K. based company, runs a regular (every 12 days) passenger service on board cargo vessels from Portsmouth, U.K, to Flushing, Netherlands, to Paramaribo, Suriname. Full details can be obtained from:
Formalities
A visa is required for entry into Suriname. For more information about how to obtain a visa contact your local embassy. Do not forget to take two good passport photos with you to Suriname. They are necessary for the registration process.
Language
The official language of Suriname is Dutch. A reasonable number of people also speak English. Surinamese children are taught English in primary school starting in the seventh grade. There are many other languages spoken in Suriname by people whose ancestors came from other countries including: India, Africa, Indonesia and China. The lingua franca in Suriname is Sranan Tongo. This is a creole language spoken by almost everyone.
Currency
The official currency of Suriname is the Surinamese guilder (SRG). Pay with cash, checks will not be accepted. Suriname used to have a high inflation rate. At the moment, the exchange rate for the US$ or Dutch Guilder has finally stabilized. For more than 8 months or so (July 1996) the exchange rate has been stable at about 400 SRG per US$. Nevertheless, it will be hard to get Surinamese currency abroad. The best currency to take to Suriname are American dollars. Exchanging money in other places than official banks is prohibited in Suriname, yet there is a significant black market.
Traveling in Suriname
As a leftover of the short-lived British colonization of Suriname, people drive on the left side of the road. Public transportation in Paramaribo consists of taxis or busses. The small busses will take you anywhere in Paramaribo for a few guilders. Traveling by taxi in Paramaribo will cost you about 40 guilders (January 1994). Busses can also be used to travel to the cities along the coast. Another option is to rent a car. However, be sure the car is able to drive before you pay for it. Suriname has a shortage of car parts so most cars are in bad shape.
The only way to visit the interior is to travel by plane or by boat. A large part of Suriname's interior consists of tropical rain forest. There are no mayor highways in Suriname, except for the East-West Highway which runs along the coast from Albina in the East to Nieuw Nickerie in the West. Two places that are accessible by car are Brownsberg (100 km south of Paramaribo), and Apoera (100 km south of Nieuw Nickerie). Most other places are reachable by small airplanes leaving from the Zorg en Hoop airport at the Doekhieweg in Paramaribo. An alternative is to travel up the rivers with small boats (korjaals) navigated by the highly skilled Maroons. There is a ferry boat that travels between Paramaribo and Meerzorg which are on opposite sides of the Suriname river. Smaller boats travel between Leonsberg, five kilometres north of Paramaribo, and Nieuw Amsterdam. Nieuw Amsterdam is the location of an old ford, now an open air museum.
The Republic of Suriname is a developing nation located on the northern coast of South America. Tourist facilities are widely available in the capital city of Paramaribo, but are less developed and in some cases, non-existent in the rugged jungle interior.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: U.S. citizens entering Suriname are required to have a passport, visa, and a return airline ticket. There is a $45 processing fee for business and tourist visas. A business visa requires a letter from the sponsoring company. There is an airport departure charge of $10 and a terminal fee of $5 per person. After eight days in Suriname, all foreigners are required to report to the Office of Foreigner Affairs (Vreemdelingendienst) for an extension-of-stay stamp. For further information, travelers can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Suriname, 4301 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 460, Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 244-7488, or the Consulate in Miami at 7235 NW 19TH St. Miami, Fla. 33126, telephone (305) 593-2163.
OTHER INFORMATION: Major credit cards are not widely accepted outside of the major hotels, nor are ATM cash machines widely available. Travelers should contact their intended hotel to confirm that credit cards are accepted. Transportation, communications and other infrastructure elements, while better in Paramaribo than other regions of the country, do not meet U.S. standards. The Government of Suriname, which established one of the world?s largest nature preserves in 1998, and private tourism companies encourage ecotourism and have expanded tourism to the interior by establishing guest houses and tour packages.
REGISTRATION/EMBASSY AND CONSULATE LOCATIONS: U.S. citizens living in or visiting Suriname are encouraged to register at the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo and obtain updated information on travel and security in Suriname. The U.S. Embassy is located at Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129 in Paramaribo, telephone 011 (597) 477-881, consular fax number 011 (597) 425-788. Hours of operation for American Citizen Services and inquiries are Monday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. or by appointment. For emergency assistance outside these hours telephone the Embassy duty pager at 011 (597) 088-0338. |
