While we are on the plane to Paramaribo we are reminded again that Suriname with kids isn't something lots of families think of. Family and friends would frown at us upon mentioning it earlier and it’s not any different here. “Do you have family in Suriname? No? Well, well what are you going to Suriname for? Or “Are you going into the jungle? Well, not even the locales dare do that with their kids”. Oops, we did expect to receive some positive reactions at least. But we’re on the plane already and we won’t let it bother us. We love adventure and discovering places the masses have not yet discovered. So, bring it on jungle! When we arrive in Paramaribo it doesn’t surprise us they have a small airport. One KLM plane lands here each day and that’s about it. It’s so peaceful and quiet we think to ourselves, lovely. The ‘tranquilo’ mentality is quickly made clear to us as the queue for customs is rather long but luckily, we’re let through rather quickly because we have a child of 1,5 years old with us. That saves us about an hour of having to wait in the heat. Because it is rather hot here in Suriname. Sweating profusely without doing anything other than breathe surely is a sign of tropical heat. I’m curious to find out what it will be like these upcoming couple of weeks.
5 things to do in Suriname with kids
1# Paramaribo
On our first day we’re out and about rather early, which isn’t so surprising in this heat. We decide to explore Paramaribo and rent a bike at Zus en Zo. This fun little establishment is located near the palm tree garden at the waterfront. You can pay a visit to Fort Zeelandia and enjoy a view of the Suriname river. This part of the city is done easily by bike and our daughter loves to sit up front. But when we are on our way back to the resort and our daughter falls asleep, we realize that cycling in 30 degrees can be rather a challenge after all.
2# Visiting the plantations
From Paramaribo we cross the river and stay in the Commewijne area for 3 nights. Here we stay at hotel de Plantage that is run by a Dutch owner. The wooden huts are in the middle of the jungle and we are quickly treated to monkeys, sloths, lizards and snakes. Our daughter is amazed at everything. We visit the sugarcane plantation Marienburg, New Amsterdam by boat and cross over to plantation Frederiksdorp. Here we get to see how the slaves used to live and work at the coffee and cocoa plantations. During our boat trip we even see a group of Dolphins swimming. How cool is that? You surely don’t expect to see a thing like that in Suriname.
3# Stoneisland
We leave Paramaribo behind us and venture further into the jungle. We realize more and more that outside of Paramaribo there are only small villages. The rest is all jungle. Green, green and more green. We love it! When we arrive at Stone Island we are pleasantly surprised by the view. We look out over the reservoir that used to be jungle. This area has been flooded years ago when the dam was made and as a result you see dead trees protruding from the water everywhere. We’ve never seen anything like this before. Philou is enjoying herself in the sand at the edge of the lake and has made friends with the local chickens. We wonder if we could go for a swim here without getting bitten by piranhas?
4# Brownsberg
We leave for Brownsberg in a 4x4 we rented spontaneously in Paramaribo. A long time later, after many bumps along the way, we arrive at the top of the hill. Out here we have a spectacular view over the jungle and the Brokopondo lake. We love to hike so we put on our hiking shoes, fit Philou in the back-carrier and go and look for monkeys, butterflies and waterfalls. We see the Morpho Blue Butterfly, better known as the large blue butterfly, at least 30 times. But this butterfly would not stay still for a cool picture unfortunately.
5# Anaula
We continue our journey deeper into the jungle and stop at .. (?). The road just literally stops here and all we can do is continue by boat. Around here they call boats korjaal. We bought a child’s-lifejacket for Philou back home and this surely comes in handy for all the boat trips. In the northern part of Suriname there are all kinds of smaller villages you can stay. We chose to take the boat for one hour and we arrived at Anaula. This resort is located on a small island and we decide to stay here for 5 days, right in the middle of the jungle. The pool is nice and refreshing and ideal for kids because of the different levels. It’s noticeable by the cots and playsets that they thought of kids here. Furthermore, because there isn’t much else on this island, we bought snacks in Brownsberg.
We can go on and on about our time in Suriname, but you just have to discover it for yourself. If you like nature and spotting animals, you’re at the right address. It’s lovely to be able to speak Dutch, to swim each day, eat tropical fruit and just to experience the relaxed atmosphere here. Don’t expect any rides for kids, amusement parks, sandy beaches or ancient temples though. Just back to basic and being one with nature, what else could one want?
This enthusiastic article “Suriname with kids, 5 things you shouldn’t miss” is written by Ilona. You can follow her family travel adventures on Instagram.
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