Book overview
This thoroughly updated third edition of Bradt's Suriname remains the most detailed English-language guidebook - and the only standalone guide from a major travel publisher - to this exciting and emerging ecotourism destination. With an unrivalled nine-tenths of the thinly populated country comprising unspoilt rainforest, Suriname offers much to wildlife enthusiasts, adventurous travellers and anyone who delights in non-mainstream destinations - and is ever more accessible from the US via increasingly regular flights. A true one-off, Suriname is geographically part of South America, but politically looks mainly towards the Caribbean and is inexorably tied, linguistically and historically, to the Netherlands, its former coloniser. Peaceful and stable, the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence in 2025. Its forested interior is swathed by pristine Amazonian rainforest, rich in wildlife - from monkeys to macaws, tapirs to sloths - and accessible only by air or by motorised dugout along the tropical waterways that incise it. On the coast, the capital Paramaribo is a lively, culinarily rewarding, ethnically diverse city whose historic old quarter, lined with Dutch-Creole architectural gems, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearby beaches offer some of the world's finest turtle-viewing sites, plus superb birdwatching. The longer you stay, the deeper you can delve. Explore several sites, including Peperpot Nature Park, along the Commewijne Plantation Loop. Marvel at 350 elaborate petroglyphs engraved into the walls of the Werehpai Caves, undiscovered by outsiders until 2004. Or visit the ruins of Jodensavanne ('Jewish Savannah'), Suriname's second-most important settlement until the early 19th century, and now its most important and intriguing historical site. Written by prolific guidebook author Philip Briggs, Bradt's Suriname offers detailed coverage of all accessible parks and reserves, gearing advice to visitors joining organised tours as well as those who prefer independent travel. It is also the first guidebook to provide a comprehensive section on the Upper Suriname River, an exciting and remote area serviced by around 20 small lodges. Despite such riches, however, tourism to this safe and friendly country remains in its infancy, making it a fabulously rewarding travel destination for those who relish the truly wild and offbeat.
